Women have to keep in mind a lot of factors before choosing the perfect look for themselves and one such factor is their body type. While there are numerous stunning dresses on the racks, not all of them look great on the body. To avoid wasting hours in the changing room, it is better if one just understands what type of dress will flatter them the most. In order to learn this, fashion gurus advise women to take note of their waist, hip, shoulder, and bust and determine their body type.

Here are some of the top dress types for women which will work for different types of bodies.

Petite bodies
Some have a naturally smaller frame which gives them a waif-like appearance. Petite bodies can be of different shapes (hourglass, pear shape etc.), but one thing to keep in mind is that they must choose clothes that don’t overwhelm their frame. Dresses with lots of frills and ruffles will not be ideal for this type.

Pear-shaped bodies
Bodies where the hips are broader than the shoulders are pear-shaped or triangle-shaped. Women with these body types have a thinner upper-body and thus need to wear dresses that make them appear proportionate and balanced. The top dress types for women with a triangle shape are fit and flare dresses and dresses that have details in the area they want to highlight, such as their waist, to draw attention away from the hips. The dress types that need to be avoided are anything oversized or shapeless.

Rectangle-shaped bodies
If the four main measurements of your body give you a straight build and are uniform in proportion, this is the body type for you. Since they have a very straight-cut and squared appearance, curves need to be added to gain a more feminine look. Waistless dresses or even wrap dresses give an illusion of a cinched waist.

Apple-shaped bodies
These types of women have a rounder body with an undefined waist, slim legs, and flat hips. The parts of their bodies that need to be highlighted are their upper body, to achieve a sense of balance. The top dress types for women in this case are swing dresses, a-line dresses, wrap dresses, or shift dresses that draw the attention away from the waistline to other parts of the body. Anything with horizontal lines is in the ‘avoid’ category.

Inverted triangle-shaped bodies
Women with this body type have broader shoulders and narrower hips. The top dress types for women for them are thus fit and flare dresses, a-line dresses, and dresses with drop waists. V-necklines and u-necklines give a good definition to the bust and make the figure look flattering and feminine. Spaghetti sleeved dresses and strapless dresses are to be avoided.

Hourglass bodies
Women with this body type have broad hips and shoulders and a narrow waist, giving the appearance of an hourglass. The top dress types for women with an hourglass figure are wrap-dresses with a belt around the waist as they beautifully accentuate the curves. They should avoid over-sized dresses, off-shoulder dresses, or panelled ones.