Selecting Your Prom Dress

Here are some top tips for selecting your dress:

Slenderize - Lengthen vertical lines Look for styles with pressed pleats, vertical tucks, button front closings, v-necklines and princess seams.

Broaden - Shorten vertical lines. Look for styles with yokes, wide waistbands, extended shoulders, boat necklines, dropped waists, or empire waists.

Balance - The plus or minus of your figure. If bottom is broader choose styles with detail that broaden your top and vice versa.

Minimize - Large areas. Choose styles with virtually no details in the area you want to minimize (ex. large bust - no pockets or ruffles on front)

Accent - attractive figure areas. Choose styles with detailing in those areas. (ex. trim hips - sarong draping or hip yoke)

Reveal - figure shaping. Choose styles with traditional close fit. (ex. darts and contour shaping)

Conceal - figure shaping. Choose styles with relaxed fit which emphasizes the flow of fabric rather than figure underneath.

Streamline - fitting your body. Choose styles with seams or other details in areas needing adjustments. The more seams, darts, pleats, or gathers in a figure area, the more opportunities to correct the fit without extensive changes to the pattern pieces.

Don't obsess over size. Each designer has a different size chart that has nothing to do with the sizing for everyday clothes.

Don't order a dress size base on weight you think you are going to lose.

Focus on your best feature. But beware of styles that overemphasize: Brides with larger bust lines should stay away from empire silhouettes.

Full and A line skirts hide a wide range of figure challenges, be the body pear shaped or plus sized. Avoid columns and other figure-hugging shapes.

Sleeves can minimize-or emphasizes arms. Take care of choosing a style and fabric that camouflages soft or thick areas. You will be happier when the photos arrive.

Consider what undergarment you absolutely need, and design the dress around them.

Always check the side view. V-waist on a plus size figure can distort and magnify.

Petite should stand on the floor, not a platform, to get true picture.

Find tailors who understand gown construction and are not prone to shortcuts that cause dress to pull and bunch.

Articles taken from ultimatewedding.com and celebrationlink.com