Dress for Women: 4 Steps to Choose Easily

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Choosing a dress for women is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, don’t you think?

Dresses for the fairer sex are abundant in the fashion market. 

Long dresses, denim dresses, evening dresses, bohemian dresses, beach dresses, backless dresses… there is something for every taste, body type, and style.

Faced with this abundant selection, French women find themselves in a dilemma: they buy what is offered to them, rather than what truly suits them. 

Can you imagine for a moment wearing a women’s dress that fits both your body type and your tastes? How would you feel? Confident, comfortable, beautiful?

This is what this article can help you with.

With the help of the 4 steps outlined below, you will be able to find a dress that enhances your figure and that you won’t be ready to part with anytime soon.

Step 1: Determine the occasion for which you will wear your women’s dress 

Are you planning to buy a dress for an evening or a special occasion? Are you looking for a dress for a romantic weekend? Or perhaps to dress for a professional meeting? 

Identifying the occasion for which you will wear your women’s dress is important because it will allow you to refine your search and focus on a particular type of dress.

Step 2: The season, a determining factor in choosing a women’s dress

If you are looking for a dress for your summer evenings, opt for light and airy materials. Long dresses are perfect for strolling by the sea. When autumn arrives, choose a shirt dress or a denim dress. In winter, go for turtleneck dresses and knitted sweater dresses.

Step 3: Position yourself on the clothing style you like 

Once again, you have choices. Casual chic, rock, streetwear, boho, retro, classic… there are many clothing styles. 

When choosing your women’s dress, there are no real rules, except for your own.

You may decide to fall for a dress simply because you find it pretty and you know that in the context where you will wear it, it will flatter you.

Conversely, you can choose a dress for what it represents and for the image it conveys. For example, for a job interview, you might lean towards a classic style to appear neutral: a little black dress would work perfectly in this case. But if you’re going to a music festival, you might want to blend in with the atmosphere. In that case, a dress with a bohemian or rock and roll spirit would be suitable. 

Final step: choose a dress that suits your body type

Today, we dress to express ourselves, to convey a message, to show our personality. 

But how can we do that if we are wearing clothing that does not suit our figure? Choosing a dress that fits your body type is essential to feel perfectly represented.

Here’s a useful summary to remember about body types for choosing your women’s dress:

• A silhouette in A: smocked dress to highlight the upper body, empire dress, or strapless dress. 
• A silhouette in V: tunic dress or short dress. Focus on the lower body. 
• A silhouette in X: fitted styles with a bodycon dress or a belted shirt dress.
• A silhouette in H: flowy long dress or trapeze dress.
• A silhouette in I: bodycon dress to feminize the silhouette or a dress that highlights the neckline and cinches the waist. 
• A silhouette in O: slightly fitted dress, slightly flared straight dress, or flowy knee-length dress. 

Context, type of dress, season, body type, and style are all criteria to consider when choosing your women’s dress. By following the 4 steps, you should easily find your gem!

💡 And what do you think about men’s dresses? Discover our article on gender-neutral fashion.

Cover image: ©Sandra Semburg