3.Accessorize With Sparkle
Choosing Your Perfect Wedding Dress Silhouette
Il admit it: Even though there are, at last count, 4,386 reality shows that share the premise that fashion is the most important thing in the whole universe, I hadn really been paying attention.
So when I started shopping for my wedding dress, I had some catching up to do. My saleswoman started throwing new and faintly terrifying terms at me. I thought about just trying to fake inexpensive dresses for women it, but I became increasingly sure that if I said the wrong thing a trap door would open up under my feet and send me tumbling down a long, greasy Chute of Shame. At the bottom would be Anna Wintour, and Tyra Banks, waiting to confiscate my Girl Card.
I dove in with hand gestures instead: want it to sort of?go up here?And then maybe like this??The saleswoman cocked her head at me like the RCA dog and took a moment to consider pressing the silent alarm, then suggested I look through the racks a bit.
To save you from that particular slice of pre-wedding embarrassment, here a quick rundown of basic wedding dress silhouettes.
A-line
Youe probably worn an A-line dress at some point. (If you haven, give one a try! Theye flattering on just about any figure.) Some flare out gently from the shoulder, creating kind of an overall letter A shape, and other versions flare out from the waist with a more fitted bodice. Either way, youl look terrific.
Ball gown
Youe seen these on most animated princesses. A ball gown has a closely fitted bodice, then poofs out into a very full, bell-shaped skirt that is usually floor-length. The waistline may dip down into a V, and may sit higher or lower on the hips, depending on your preference.
Ballerina
This is a less common wedding dress style, and youe probably already guessed how it looks. Like the ball gown, a ballerina dress has a fitted bodice and a skirt that poofs out from the waistline, but in this case there more of a tutu effect, with the skirt hitting about mid-calf. Youl be working with very light, floaty fabrics in lots and lots of layers, and there may be some petticoat action.
Bustle back
When seen from the side, this dress has an S-shaped silhouette that was popular from the 1890s through the 1910s or so, when folks liked to (demurely) emphasize the fact that Baby had back. Youl see either a big bow-style decoration or maybe even an extra bunch of fabric in back. Some women automatically freak at the idea of emphasizing the badonk, but I think bustles are classic and fun.
Empire
This confusingly named waistline actually starts just below the bust, and then the dress drops straight down, or close to it. Youe seen these in Jane Austen adaptations like Emma and Sense and Sensibility. Ie read alleged experts who say that empire dresses look best on slender women and others who say they look best on full-figured women. Me, I think they give all women a little-girl look, which may or may not be your bag. So forget the experts and just go by whether or not you like them.
Mermaid
A mermaid dress will give you a shapely silhouette without being inappropriately sexy for a wedding dress. The dress hugs your curves from your bust to your hips, then flares out at the knee to create a fishtail effect. (That looks way better than it sounds.) Mermaid dresses can be strikingly beautiful, but because they are fitted so closely, they may not be good for ceremonies in which you have to kneel. You may even have some trouble sitting down if your dress is very form-fitting, so consider changing into another outfit for your reception.
Princess
In this case, youe going for a grown-up princess instead of a Grimm. Think Grace Kelly. This dress is less close-fitting than a mermaid or sheath, but still follows your natural curves. alex evening dresses The bodice has vertical panels of fabric and then the skirt flares out gently. This is an elegant style that brings out the inner stone-cold fox in most women.
Sheath
Like mermaid dresses, sheath dresses are very form-fitting. In this case, though, your guests get to see your feet as well as your curves. A sheath dress will be clingy from shoulder (or bust, if youe going strapless) to hem, with no flaring out. It looks like an evening gown ?one that really hugs your body, so make sure youe feeling bold. And, as with the mermaid, make sure youe not feeling like sitting down or kneeling.
Slip
This is an elegant style that is usually kept very simple. It a slinky fall of satin (or satiny material) that clings to your body. Slip dresses are often cut on a bias, with shoestring shoulder straps.
A final word on fashion xperts?br /> Ie seen a lot of expert commentary on how women should dress to look their best lately, and Il just say this: Many of these people are well-intentioned men and women who love, love, love women and their bodies.
But many of them aren.
Some love clothes but don like women, and some only like very tall skinny women, and some sincerely mean to love women but are carrying around great big laundry baskets full of issues, and some of them like to lash out at anyone who might be an easy target because they secretly don like themselves and being snarky reassures them that theye superior to somebody.
Some of them are people who just need to fill that magazine issue and sell some ads and are terrified of doing anything different from the last 117 issues lest someone else get mad or make fun of them. And some people just can stand it when not everyone conforms to their idea of what looks good.
My point is that you may want to take expert advice with a grain of salt, and maybe the whole shaker. Some fashion experts can be positive and wonderful, and some can really mess with your head, whether they mean to or not. By all means, read or watch them, but if youe starting to feel worse about yourself as you do, pull out. The most useful fashion experts are the ones who start with the premise that youe a babe and then work to help you become the most fabulous version of yourself.
And, in the end, your instincts trump them too. If a dress breaks all the rules but makes you feel absofreakinglutely amazing, that The One.
Good luck, Gorgeous. Happy shopping!
Buy Cheap Homecoming Dresses How To Follow 2011's Top Trends And Still Save Money
You want to this year, that's understandable as it seems that everyone is trying to save money these days!
But how do you find a dress that is bang on trend, but still leaves you with some money to go out and party?
Read on to get the low-down on 2011's top homecoming dress trends and some really useful hints on how to do it without breaking the bank:
Firstly what are the trends worth following this year?
1.Bright Colors Are A Must
2011 is all about bright eye-catching colors. We know that an LBD is an all-purpose dress, but leave the black for later this year and go bright. Bright yellows, oranges, reds...they're all good, as the key is to catch the eye. After all, homecoming parties are supposed to be fun, so go a bit wild.
You could even team up the dresses bright color with some matching vivid eye-shadow and lipstick, to go with a real 80s vibe!
2.Leave The Long Skirt For Proms
Homecoming is about dancing, fun and is a bit crazier than your average prom night! So go for a short skirt that will allow you the freedom to move without tripping over all of the time!
Don't think that your shape should dictate the length of your skirt, as I'm a firm believer that bigger, curvier girls should also be showing off their legs.
3.Accessorize With Sparkle
The trend this year is to be SEEN, so along with bright colors you should be choosing a dress with crystals, sequins, rhinestones and anything else that will sparkle and get you looked at. Don't forget to also wear some sparkly jewelry to complement the look!
4.A-Line And Ball-gown Style Is mon cheri destinations Where It's At
These two styles are great for homecoming as they are comfortable for dancing and will suit almost every girl's body shape, especially A-line dresses that look good on every woman.
5.Iridescent Taffeta Is So Cool This Year
Sounds weird, right? But this form of taffeta is great as it is a kind of two-tone fabric that changes color in the light. What could be better in the year where we are trying to get noticed?
It's got a really trendy metallic look and is nice and light which will also increase the comfort of your dress, so see if you can find a dress made of this fabric if you can!
So that's five cool trends for 2011, but how about saving money?
6.Shop Online
If you're buying dresses in a store in the mall not only are you paying a lot of profit margin because you're paying for the store's utility bills, rent and the staff's salaries (as well as just pure profit). The result? These homecoming dresses are expensive!
The best money-saving tip is to buy online, as websites usually operate at much lower profit and therefore you can get the same dress cheaper!
The only possible issue is delivery time, but as long as you give yourself time before homecoming then this will be fine.
You should be able to get a really beautiful, custom-sized homecoming dress online starting at about one hundred dollars...now that's cheap!
