How To Choose Good Evening Dresses

I am 5'2" and have always been a "dress girl". To be honest, it is more about how easy it is to put on a dress and be done. No mixing. No matching. I'm ready to head out the door. The only problem is finding evening dresses that fit my shorter stature. Now that I am in my forties I feel like I have finally gotten it down to a science. While I do love to shop, I don't love trying things on. Especially the wrong things. Here is what I have picked up along the way.

One of the most important things when shopping for evening dresses for petites is to look for smaller, simpler silhouettes. I try to avoid overly fussy styles like large ruffles, big prints, and especially full or pleated skirts. These styles just seem to overwhelm my body so that all you see is a dress with appendages. Not good.

There seem to be a lot of dress options in stores this year. I try to find sheaths (slightly slimmer, not the voluminous ones), and empire waist styles. The empire waist works on many body types and I especially like cocktail and evening dresses in this style. They are always flattering.

For those of us 5'4" or under, dress lengths should come to the knee or just above it. Evening dresses below the knee will just make you look like you don't have any legs and will, in fact, make you appear shorter. Be cautious and don't go too short, or you will look like a teen in a mini dress. If you don't sew, find a good alteration person to take things up for you. A good expert seamstress will also know how to make your clothes work for you.

There are a couple of rules that I remember from Home Economics class that I think actually are pretty helpful! V-necks are good for shorter women because they focus and bring the eye up to your face. Use a small belt to bring in the waist. Avoid wide belts since they tend to cut you in two. Again, that will make you look shorter.

Look for evening dresses that highlight your best features or the things you like about yourself. If you have nice toned arms show off that work-out with sleeveless evening dresses. On the other hand, if you don't like your arms, look for a sleeve or add a shrug, wrap, or short sweater. Also, if you have a nice neck or decolletage, by all means look for evening dresses that highlight your neckline.

As far as colors go, I seem to head for solids or smaller subdued prints. I have to fight a battle with myself to not consistently choose the black. It is so flattering, but after awhile you feel like you have gone goth! I have blue eyes so I do look for colors that bring that out.

Visit the following sections: Evening Dresses Or Plus size dresses