Best Dress Styles for Plus-Sizes

Creating a great wardrobe is all about stocking your closet with quality clothes that fit. No matter your shape, size, or skin tone color, you’ll always look great in something made out of long-lasting materials that is designed for your measurements, whether that’s jeans, a suit, or a dress.

Yet some women struggle to feel confident in the clothes they choose – dresses in particular. Looking fabulous means dressing for your body type and drawing attention to areas that make you feel good about yourself. This guide will help any woman find what are the best plus-size dresses for her curvy body and style.

Choosing Between Different Flattering Plus-Size Dress Styles

When it comes to plus-size dresses, the world of fashion offers a wide array of silhouette styles to choose from. Each of these silhouettes has the power to highlight or draw the eye to certain features, while de-emphasizing or hiding problem areas, making it crucial to understand which one suits your body frame and curves best. Below, we’ll explore some of the most common dress silhouette types and provide insights to help you make the right choice.

Now, let’s help you find the perfect dress for your body type!

A-Line Dresses

The A-line dress silhouette creates the impression of an hourglass shape. A-line dresses have a fitted top and torso, then flares out at the waist in a triangular fashion. This style is truly flattering for women of all body shapes, but particularly for plus-size women – whether you consider plus-size starting at size 12, size 14, or size 16.

Full-figured women should choose plus-size A-line dresses made of sturdier fabrics such as cotton, rayon, denim, and polyester rather than flowy, clingy options like silk and satin. Stiffer materials retain the shape of the dress, making its flattering features suitable for every body type, and helping the dress have a slimming effect.

Empire Waist Dresses

Empire waist dresses, with their high-waisted design just below the bust, are a universally flattering choice for various body types. They draw attention to the upper body while gracefully draping over areas below the bust. They are also terrific at hiding a big booty or tummy bulge! These dresses suit oval, rectangle, or triangle body types, creating a more defined waist for oval figures, adding curvature for rectangles, and balancing proportions for triangles.

Empire waist dresses come in a range of lengths, from short and casual tunics and mini dresses to flowing, breezy, flower-printed maxi styles that brush against the floor. This makes them versatile for almost any occasion. Their comfortable and stylish design allows you to feel confident and elegant in various settings, while their versatility allows for easy customization with accessories.

plus size model wearing a floral blue dress with boots.

Peplum Dresses

You’ve likely seen several versions of a dress with a ruffle at the waist over the past few years. This style is called “peplum,” and it’s great for creating a curvy, hourglass figure. Although the underlying structure of a peplum dress is similar to that of a bodycon, an added ruffle wraps partially around the natural waist, flaring out for a few inches. This makes the waist look smaller compared to the shoulders and hips. This means peplum dresses are suitable for rectangle or oval-shapes who want to balance their waist against the rest of their body. This is a slimming dress for plus-size women.

Straight Dresses

Comfortable and effortless, straight dresses are great for women who like casual-cool styles. This type of dress doesn’t have a waistline built-in but falls directly from the shoulders. Straight dresses are great for women with shoulders the same width as or wider than their waists, such as rectangle and apple shapes. These can be in a variety of materials, including knit sweater dresses.

Corset Dresses

Invoking the garments worn in the 17th and 18th centuries, corset dresses have a panel that hugs some or all of the torso. These “corsets” may or may not be boned or shaped to emphasize the waist, but they usually have a laced detail on the back. The corset and/or the lace are structured in such a way that the panel cinches in at the waist, pushes up the bust, and releases at the hips, creating an exaggerated hourglass shape. Because this dress style physically enhances your figure, it’s good for any body type, but it is an especially flattering plus-size dress style!

Off-The-Shoulder Dresses

Designed to show off your decolletage, off-the-shoulder dresses have sleeves – usually at least an inch thick – that wrap around the shoulders rather than going across from front to back. The effect adds weight to your upper half, making off-the-shoulder dresses great for balancing out women with shoulders that are more narrow than their hips. Wearing an off-the-shoulder dress with an A-line silhouette also creates an hourglass figure for women with a rectangle body shape.

Considerations When You Choose the Dress for Your Curvy Shape

Just because you’ve found the right silhouette doesn’t mean you’re done making decisions! Choosing the best plus-size dress is also about finding flattering shades and matching your outfit to the occasion.

Color

Ever wonder why black flatters everybody? It’s because dark colors downplay areas of the body. Black, in particular, is a neutral, so it doesn’t clash with the undertones of your skin.

That said, this doesn’t mean plus-size women should shy away from color! Adding brightness to your dress is a great way to play up your assets.

You can also mix and match light and dark for an interesting effect. If you’re an apple shape and a fan of yellow, for example, try wearing a slim, violet belt over a lemon-colored A-line dress. The belt’s dark color and slim appearance both de-emphasize the waist and make the torso appear longer.

Plus size model wearing sage colored dress.

Occasion

Casual dresses are great for some occasions, while formal events demand you look your absolute best.

For example, because beaches are such a relaxed environment, sheer, flowy empire-waist dresses are completely okay. In fact, many swimsuit cover-ups are made with this silhouette with the idea that women will wear them regardless of body type.

However, empire-waist dresses are too casual for a business meeting. Instead, you’ll need an option like A-line or peplum – something with more structure.

Hopefully, you’ve come to realize that finding the perfect dress for you isn’t as daunting as it may seem.