The Patra guide to choosing dresses that flatter
Choosing the right dress isn’t easy. You have to consider the occasion, the season, but above all, you need to choose a dress that best compliments your body shape. The Patra team has done its research so you don’t have to and created a handy little guide to finding dresses that truly suit your body shape. Without further ado, read on and discover how to dress to impress!
Dresses for Pear Shapes
(Left to right) Long Sleeve Jersey Dress, Cotton Jersey Dress
For those of you with hips wider than your bust and a well-defined waist, you are a pear body shape. So the ideal for you would be to emphasise and widen your shoulders, in order to balance out the wide bottom part of your body, and accentuate your waist. A dress that could give you waist definition, plus hide your midsection and hips, is best. Remember, the goal is to visually widen the shoulders and emphasise the neckline – a good style of dress for this is one that closely fits the upper body, but skims gently over your hips. An A-line dress is an ideal choice, as it fits these criteria. An A-line dress will be fitted on your upper torso, drawing the eyes to that part, while giving the illusion of a defined waist and covering your hips and legs.
We suggest our jersey or cotton dress for pear body shapes. Both of them highlight your neckline and bust perfectly. Being A-line, they are flattering all over and you can definitely hide parts of your body you are not confident about. With a fitted bodice and flowing skirt, these dresses are perfect for all of you pear shapes!
Dresses for Apple Shapes
(Left to right) Cotton Pique Dress, Double Layered Jersey Dress
If you are an apple shape, then you are “top heavy” with an ample bust and wide shoulders, whereas your hips are narrower. You can flaunt your figure by minimising your bust and showcasing your shapely legs, and this is so easy to do! Forget about dresses that hide your legs; instead choose simple, straight-line dresses. That way, you can draw the focus away from your waist and more towards your lower body. Shift dresses really suit the apple body shape, as their structure keeps eyes from drifting to your middle.
For all of you apple shapes, we suggest Patra’s cotton dress and double layered jersey dress. Our cotton dress is the quintessential shift dress that will do wonders for your shape, skimming your body in a very flattering way. Because of the way that flows from the chest down, it hides your waist, but still compliment your legs.
Our jersey dress is also perfect for apple shapes, because despite being double layered, it doesn’t add too much volume on your waist. With a scoop neckline, it draws attention to your bust and elongates your upper body. With this type of dress, you can also show off your legs, which will help balance out the top part of your body.
Dresses for Rectangle Shapes
(Left to right) Bamboo Cotton Long Sleeve Dress, Pure Cotton V-Neck Dress
If you feel that you’ve picked the short end of the stick with your rectangle body shape, do not despair! You are in luck, as your shoulders, bust and hips are around the same size – all you need is a dress that can create curves and give out the illusion of a defined waist. You can choose styles that create a waistline and exaggerate curves, and any dress with a full skirt and a cinched-in waist can help you with that.
A-line dresses again work well for your body shape. Our suggestions include Patra’s bamboo-cotton dress and the knitted cotton one this time. They flow over your body, while also featuring a V-neckline that focuses on your bust (and not your waist). They also provide waist definition and more shape to your body, if you add a belt. The belt doesn’t even need to be tightly cinched; just loosely tied will do, as the focus should be on a waist that looks smaller than the top or bottom part of your body.
Dresses for Hourglass Shapes
(Left to right) Pure Noil Silk Dress, Brushed Cotton Dress
The hourglass body shape is definitely considered as the ideal body shape, however it is no easier to dress than the other shapes. Your shoulders and hips are around the same size with a defined waist, but you still have to maintain balance. The perfect dress for you doesn’t have excess fabric all around; it will rather accentuate your waist. For that reason, fit-and-flare or A-line dresses work the best for you!
Our noil silk dress or our brushed cotton dress are just perfect for you! They will help define your waist and showcase your shape. They also draw attention to your bust, without adding unwanted volume to the rest of your body. Do not be afraid of the prints, as they will visually emphasise your curves. Both of these dresses will play up your best features.
Celebrate your best bits
Naturally there is no one-size-fits-all shape and choosing a dress that both flatters our figures and make us feel comfortable (and stylish) is no easy feat. However, with this guide, we’ve made things simpler. Nearly all women have parts of their bodies they love and other aspects that they aren’t too fond of but it’s important to focus on the positives! Every woman can look great in a dress whatever their shape. Selecting the perfect dress for you, doesn’t need to be a complete headache after all!
