• Home
• Lingerie
• Skirts
• Tops
• Women Dresses
• Women Jackets
• Women Jeans

Different Kinds of Women Dresses

Women dresses are a popular type of attire seen throughout the western world and have been part of fashion for many, many years. Many of the top fashion designers today, such as Herve Leger, Donna Karan New York, Derek Lam, Temperley London, DSQUARED2, Alexander Wang, Alice + Olivia, Juicy Couture, and Diane von Furstenberg, create a number of dresses in all different styles and designs. Today’s dresses are not the same as the dresses from years ago as they reflect the evolution of the culture as well as the increase in self confidence that many women now have in their possession. There are many different types of dresses to select from, but they all tend to fall under one of the popular categories below.

The shirt dress offers a button-down bodice and often has a typical shirt collar along with sleeves of varying lengths, but especially short sleeves. The bodice attaches right to the skirt and often features a belt or another way to separate the skirt from the bodice. Shirt dresses first gained popularity in the 1950s and were either to the knee or just below the knee. Shirt dresses hanging up today are great when it comes to work wear and are often accented with a scarf or necklace. There are also a number of flirtier shirt dresses that come up above the knees.

The sheath dress is quite simple in style. It is often either strapless or sleeveless and very form fitting. It often lies just above the knees. There are styles of this dress that are great for daytime, casual outings as well as evening, more formal events. Many know sheath dresses from what Audrey Hepburn wore in her iconic role as Holly Golightly in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Sundresses, wrap dress, maxi dress and bubble dresses

While most know of sundresses as something mom’s dressed their young girls in, they are a popular adult dress style as well. A sundress, as the name states, is a dress that is made of light weight cotton and great for the summer months. Sundresses tend to be styled with bright colors and fun floral patterns. Most sundresses either have halter top or thin straps. It is good to keep jewelry minimal with this fun type of women dresses as it is a carefree and playful dress.

The wrap dress is one of the best types of women dresses because it flatters all figures, from pear shape to apple shape to rectangle shape. It shares a few similar characteristics to the shirt dress but has the skirt attached to a top that wraps around the body. The wrap dress has a sash that extends out from the inside of the wrap dress. The sash gets pulled through a hole along the side of the dress and then is wrapped around the waist in a similar fashion to a belt. It can be tied either on the side or at the center of the torso. There are elegant wrap dresses as well as more casual styles of wrap dresses. It minimizes the size of a woman’s waist, making it look much smaller.

The maxi dress first came across fashion runways in the 1960s, but did not start gaining popularity until the 1970s hit. The top of the dress features either thin spaghetti straps or possibly a halter top. The dress tends to gather right below a woman’s bust line and then sweeps down to the floor. Most of these dresses feature ruffles at the bottom, which harks back to the style that was prominent in the 1970s. Women can get them either in a solid color or a number of fun, bold patterns that make them great for casual wear in the summer or even the spring when paired with a jean jacket.

Bubble dresses can have any kind of bodice because this type of dress is known for a wide puffy skirt that is loose at the top but then tappers in at the very end of the dress. It is a recent style that is becoming much more popular, especially among younger crowds.

Cocktail dresses, column dresses and babydoll dresses

Cocktail dresses are semi-formal dresses that are worn for different celebrations. There are multiple lengths to this type of dress but tend to be just above the knees. There are, however much longer cocktail women dresses that go down to the ankles. Black is often associated as the main color for cocktail dresses.

Column dresses are very form fitting and often come in solid colors with very little embellishments. While they can be any length, they are often seen as knee length or longer. They are best for women who have hourglass figures as they highlight the best features. Pear shaped women can also benefit from column dresses if they pair it with a nice cardigan or a wrap.

Babydoll dresses are extremely in style at the moment. They are cute and usually not a very formal style. They usually have cap or short sleeves and can be paired with simple cardigans for women who are a bit self conscious about their arms. This style is mainly worn by younger women and is often avoided by women in their 40s and up. It is a great style because it can be worn by women with just about any figure. Women with an apple shape should look for babydoll women dresses that have a nice empire waistline and pear shaped women should look for this type of women dresses with embellishments along the type. Hourglass figures should find babydoll dresses that have a waistline that hits the actual waist.

How to choose plus size dresses

For women who have much larger sizes, often it can be difficult to find a dress that flatters their figure without hugging them in a lot of the wrong places. Fortunately, larger women should never feel as though they are missing out on some of the best women dresses. There are a number of cuts and styles that can flatter them just as equally as much thinner women.

Heavier women need to learn how to accentuate their body rather than hide it. This definitely does not mean purchasing oversized and shapeless women dresses that hide their body. But it also does not mean buying dresses that hug them in the wrong way. A dress that sits well on a larger woman will boost their confidence and make them feel just as pretty as anyone else in the area.

First and foremost, heavier women should look for dresses that have a V-cut neckline. This shows off the collarbone as well as the chest area. However, if women have a really large bust and do not want to accentuate it, they should look for women dresses that have a neckline with a scoop shape. Women should also stay away from loud, busy and big patterns. Smaller prints actually assist in slimming the figure. Monochromatic colored women dresses are great, as well as women dresses that go from a light color on top to a much darker color on the bottom as they make women appear much thinner.

Wrap dress, shift dresses, empire dresses and drop waist dresses

One type of women’s dress that was already described above is the wrap dress. The V-neck can accentuate a woman’s waist and bust. It draws much more attention to the curves a larger woman has while also slimming down their midsection. Larger women should look for bold, large patterns that move along the dress in a vertical, rather than horizontal fashion. It will elongate the body without bringing attention to a woman’s size.

Shift dresses are another popular kind of dress as it is also a woman’s dress that can flatter all figures, including larger women. While it is a bit form fitting it is not too form fitting and can be jazzed up and accentuated with jewelry and other accessories.

Empire dresses help to accentuate the one thing a lot of bigger women have and that they are proud of – their curves. In an empire dress, the bust is accentuated with a high waistline that is directly below the bust. From there, the dress flares out very slightly, allowing it to easily skim over a woman’s midsection and hiding it from view. Larger women should not go with a dress that is completely loose because it will actually make them look much larger. An empire dress draws attention to the bust line and not the waist, one of the main things larger women look to hide.

A drop waist dress is another great way to give larger women a beautiful shape. Rather than accentuating the hips, drop waist women dresses accentuates the hips. This makes the torso look not only longer but much leaner as well.

What color should be my dress?

As most women know, black is the most slimming color when it comes to women dresses. Other sliming colors, however, include navy and deep solid colors. As well, vertical pinstripes are also quite sliming on women. If a woman is looking to layer, they should always make sure the layer underneath is much darker than the layer on top. The color contrast actually makes the body look like it is slinking back from the layer on top, giving the body a slimmer look.