Spring weather is coming, collegiettes! It’s time to toss your beloved chunky sweaters aside in the name of spring dresses. With trends and styles continually evolving each season, finding the perfect dress that both flatters and complements your shape can be difficult. Luckily, Elizabeth Kamm, freelance stylist and style consultant, lent us her expert opinion on spring dresses for every body type.
Check out the tips and picks below for the perfect spring number to bring your best features forward. Frock on, collegiettes!
Full Bust
“The best neckline for a full bust is a deep V or a halter,” Kamm says. These necklines tend to draw attention downwards, instead of across your chest, creating a visual line downward that ultimately will balance out your body’s proportions.
“Dresses that will nip in at the waist and accentuate your hips” are your best options, Kamm adds. “A wrap dress is a great choice for this shape since the style will accentuate your waist, but also create volume as the A-line falls over your hips creating an hourglass illusion.”
Wrap dresses are offered in a variety of colors and materials, making them a versatile addition to any collegiette’s spring wardrobe. This Laundry by Shelli Segal Turquoise Wrap Dress from Nordstrom ($165) provides the best of both worlds for a springtime look with its vibrant turquoise shade and soft, lightweight fabric.
Hourglass
Kamm reminds us that when it comes to curves, “it’s all about balance and proportion.” Dresses cut diagonally or on the bias tend to elongate your overall frame. Thankfully, hourglass-shaped collegiettes have it easy this spring season, as the high-low hemline trend for skirts and dresses is still going strong.
This Shopbop Three Dots High Low Cutout Dress ($168) is a picture-perfect investment for your spring wardrobe with its cobalt-blue-and-oatmeal coloring and unique cutout.
Looking for something for the longer, warmer days approaching us? This Strapless Striped Smocked High Low Tube Dress by AQUA ( $32.50) will help you transition from the warm days of spring to the hotter evenings of summer.
Straight
With your waist and hips at similar sizes, you will “look beautiful in dresses that feature just a little extra element to add femininity,” Kamm says. Try one-shoulder dresses, column dresses or sheath dresses.
Kamm also encourages straight body types to seek out dresses with a contrast in shape, such as a top with some added volume and a very fitted bottom, for a winning combination. “The whole idea is to break up the straight line with differences of contrast,” Kamm says. Color-blocked dresses and printed dresses work very well for this shape and add a special twist to an otherwise bland dress.
This Ashley Cut Out Sides Skater Dress from Boohoo ($32) comes in an array of unique pastels that are ideal for spring. The cutouts will add contrast to your look.
Athletic
For collegiettes with broader shoulders, “think softer, more delicate fabric and just traditionally feminine looks,” Kamm suggests. Similar to straight shapes, athletic body types look best in dresses that have extra style accents like pleats, ruffles and embellishments. Kamm says bodycon dresses are a quick and always flattering go-to option for the athletically built collegiette.
This Carmen Cutaway Front Bodycon Dress from Boohoo ($45) is offered in a myriad of vibrant colors just in time for spring weather and is a great choice for athletic collegiettes.
Petite
Collegiettes with very small busts, waists and hips, should try out dressed with volume that can include “large, bold prints” and “differing structures of fabric.” Kamm recommends the full, tea-length skirt hemline as spring trend to incorporate into your day-to-day look. Paired with either a strapless or halter top, this look will flatter a petite shape’s overall frame.
However, Kamm says petite collegiettes should avoid one look: “Steer clear of too-simple looks with thin straps; this is too simple, too delicate, and the look will be lost on you,” she says.
This Garden Party Tube Dress from Forever 21 ($24.80) is an adorable choice for spring. This dress’s bold pattern and lightweight fabric makes it a no-brainer spring purchase for a petite collegiette.
Full Figured
“Fabrics are a full-figured collegiette’s best friend,” Kamm says. If you have a fuller bust, waist and hips, “dresses with structured, heavy fabric will work exceptionally well” on your frame, she says. An example could be a dress that has a structured fabric around the waist with a lighter, filmier fabric draped across the chest and shoulders. “This contrast creates balance and offers comfort while looking very sleek and chic,” Kamm says.
She also advises that full-figured collegiettes gravitate towards light and dark grays, while avoiding patterns. This ModCloth New Hire and Higher Dress ($69.99) would be adorable with its quirky drapery around the neckline paired with a chic tie sash.
Happy shopping, collegiettes!
