Posts Tagged ‘empire line dress’
The empire line dress is universally loved as a classic and flattering piece. It is just about everyone’s best friend as it is flattering for most body shapes. The empire line describes dresses, tops and even jackets that have a horizontal seam just below the bust line. It is a clever way of allowing the body and skirt of a dress to hang in such a way that it skims over the stomach, hips and thighs which are often problem areas that people want to hide. It also helps to lengthen the body and is particularly flattering for pear and apple shapes. Â Empire line is also sometimes described as a high waisted dress. The name of this style of dress is taken from the First French Empire.
Another key attraction to the empire line dress is that is very comfortable particularly in warm weather. The material is quite loose around the torso and legs making it easier to keep cool and move about in. It is also comfortable to sit in as the fabric around the waist is not too tight.
Empire line dresses have been around for years, in fact a basic form of empire line was worn by ancient Greeks and Romans when they wore belts under the bust to give shape to their flowing robes. The empire line has also been popular throughout history and enjoyed a revival in the sixties. Since then it has remained a key classic piece that doesn’t go out of fashion.
There are various different styles of empire line dresses with different bust shapes and varying amounts of fabric used in the skirt. Some will have pleats or folds around the empire line seam or an a line shape giving a fuller more flowing skirt This gives a romantic look which is great for evening dresses and occasion dresses. Others will have a slimmer fit for a neater look. This type of empire line is more suitable for a smarter or work dresses. There are also varying lengths of empire line dress from the mini style, to the shift dress which is usually just below knee length and the maxi dress which skims the floor.
The baby doll dress is a version of the empire line dress which became popular in the sixties. It is usually mini length with a flat and unshaped bust. A great style for hiding a round tummy and showing off legs so perfect for apple shapes.
All of the empire line dresses and tops also work really well for petite or shorter ladies. The higher waist makes the body look longer and helps to create an illusion of height, whist keeping everything else in proportion.
Empire line dresses can be very plain or patterned. Some designs make a feature of the empire line with embellishments, trim or different fabrics on the top and bottom. You can add an interesting feature to an empire line dress yourself by adding a belt or ribbon in a contrasting colour around the empire line. Wider belts tend to look better where the skirt is fuller and narrower belts on more fitted styles.
Have you every complained that your stomach or tummy is too big? If you have, the chances are that you are an apple shape. This is just a description given to the body shape that tends to carry weight around the waist line. By understanding our own body shape, we can find ways to dress that flatter our figures and start to love our bodies and the clothes that we wear.
Although apple shapes tend to carry any extra weight around the middle, they also tend to have slender legs and arms and a narrower bottom half. Apple shapes also often tend to broader on top with a great clevage. Dressing to your advantage is all about hiding the bits that you don’t like and drawing attention to your best features and also balancing out the overall proportions of the body.
Wrap tops and dresses – as apple shapes have little waist definition, wrap dresses and tops help to create the illusion of a narrow waist. The popularity of the famous Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dresses can be attributed to their amazing ability to create a narrow wait.
V neck tops - by creating a vertical line down the torso and effectively cutting it in half, you will make it appear slimmer. A V neck top is one of the easiest ways to do this.
Shirts with open collars - Another great way to create a flattering v over the torso is by wearing a shirt or blouse with the collar open.
Single breasted jackets that do up below the bust line - large shoulder pads or double breasted jackets should be avoided by appple shapes as they will effectively widen the torso. Instead a well fitting jacket which forms a v by fastening below the bust line will help to create a narrower appearance.
Flat fronted trousers with side zip – flat fronted trousers lie flat across the tummy and do not draw any attention to it with additional detail.
Wide waistbands – wide waistbands that sit on the hips have will have the effect of widening the hips a little and therefore making the waist appear proportionally smaller.
Empire line dressses - the flattering seam of an empire line dress is not only a very classic and elegant style but also looks amazing on ladies with an apple shape. It skims over the torso disguisng a round stomach and giving the appearance of a streamlined body.
Layering – thin layers are a great way of disguising a round tummy and keep warm in the colder weather without wearing chunky knits which will add unwanted inches to your waist.
As an apple shape, you should avoid anything that draws attention to a thicker waist and torso including belts, chunky knits, tapered trousers or jeans, anything tight fitting or lycra on your top half, baggy tops, pleated skirts, fussy necklines and striped tops. Don’t forget to make the most of your legs, with just about any length evening skirt that you like and clevage, especially in evening tops, as both are amongst your best features.