My LBD

Hi ladies I hope you're all doing fine. My week has been quite stress free although I had loads to do. It has been nice to chill with my sisters/ladies during the week and just catch up over coffee well actually hot chocolate (coffee just sounds better). Talking about coffee this is going to be a very informative post so it may be best for you to grab a coffee.

Today I bring to you style advice on how to make a LBD your personal little black dress. Why must it be personal you ask? Well simply because no two ladies have exactly the same physique and so there wouldn't be any one LBD that can be recommended for all ladies. To see how I styled the little black dress click HERE

stylish celebs in their LBD's

What body shape am I ? 

In the styling world body shapes are split into four different categories. In saying this some ladies may fall in between two categories, but based on your measurements you will know how to shop for clothes. 

An HOUR GLASS is often seen as the ideal figure by many women, and you will often find many ladies trying to achieve this through their dressing. Although this figure is one of the easiest to style as its very proportionate this doesn't mean every lady should desire it and not appreciate their body. A lady with an hourglass figure would have quite rounded bust, a small defined waist and curvy hips/derrière. Celebs with similar figures are Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian.  

Problem areas whilst shopping : 

• Small waist- Although having a small waist is very desirable for many ladies, it can be hard at times to find items that fit both the hips area as well as the waist without having to take the item in a bit. It is better to buy an item that you have to take in, as opposed to buying one that fits your waist perfectly and is too tight everywhere else.

 The little black dress I would suggest for an hourglass figure is something with a slight v neck to avoid the bust from looking too large. A dress that has ruching on the waist area. Ruching is a technique seamstress/designers/tailors use to gather the dress together which when worn properly defines the area where the ruching is.These dresses below skim the hourglass physique without being too tight and are simple enough to combine with multiple outfits. They are both simple, yet would still look great when worn alone. They are the perfect length meaning they are suitable for a range of different events, both corporate and less formal.

If you are a lady with a PEAR figure your main words when dressing or shopping is balance. This is because the bottom half of your physique is more accentuated than the top half. You have very curvy and shapely hips/derrière shapely legs, an elongated waist, small bust and naturally slim and toned arms. Celebs with similar figures are Alicia Keys, Rihanna & Katherine Heigl.

Problem areas whilst shopping : 

• Balance - Being able to balance the top half  of your body with the bottom half can often pose as a major issue. In order to do this you must stay away from anything that will make the bottom half of your body look larger. (large pockets, buttons, detailing, gathers around the hip area). Also try to draw the attention upwards wearing patterns, statement jewellery, embellishment or ruffles etc on the top half 

 The little black dress I would suggest for a pear figure is something that draws the eye upwards and away from the bottom half. The way to do this would be to go for something sleeveless as this exaggerates the shoulders and therefore balances out the bottom half. Another option would be an A- line dress, because although these dresses come out at the waist they disguise the hips as they are not fitted around the hip area.

Now for my ladies with the APPLE figure, which is also similar to the top heavy lady (larger bust and shoulders than hips) you will most likely have very full and shapely bust, a full midriff, slim hips and beautiful defined legs. If you have an apple shape you want to work on defining your waist and accentuating your beautiful legs giving you a more feminine figure. Celebs with similar figures are Jennifer Hudson & Catherine Zeta Jones.

Problem areas whilst shopping : 

• Full stomach - You may often find that its hard to get something that fits your stomach perfectly. The best option would be firstly to go for flat fronted items with less bulk as these have a way of making the physique appear more streamlined. You can also use structured and tailored jackets to give definition to your upper body whilst slimming the waist area. Avoid double breasted items, horizontal lines as these draw the eye across widening the stomach, however use patterns to disguise problem areas. Large patterns if you are size 12 and above, and small patterns if you are size 6-10  

 The little black dress I would suggest for the apple figure is something that slims the waist, defines your beautiful legs and slims the arms. One of the perfect options is a wrap dress as this flatters the bust not making them look too big or too defined, but proportionate with the rest of the body.

Last but not least, if you are a lady with the  STRAIGHT figure you will find that when measured there is quite a small difference between your bust to waist measurement and waist to hip measurement. You will have very slim hips/derrière, slim legs, a not so defined waist and smaller bust.  

Problem areas whilst shopping : 

• Create curves - If you find that you are always wishing you had a more feminine figure then you would want to go for items that create volume using ruffles  pleats, feminine materials (chiffon etc) as these often tend to drape creating the illusion of a more feminine figure. Choose tailored pieces over boxier pieces as these will cinch you in at the waist.(peplum trend perfect for this body type)

 The little black dress I would suggest for someone with a straight figure  is something that has a bit of volume  through smart tailoring techniques like draping or ruching. As opposed to the plain tailored black dresses, go for something more interesting that will still be simple and stylish. However if the tailored dresses are more suited to your lifestyle team it with a tailored feminine jacket or go for one with ruching around the waist and hip area and tapered at the knee. The peplum dress below can still be worn with a cropped jacket and look extremely trendy.

Tips when shopping for a LBD

• Always bare your physique in mind, this is key when shopping for any item, as you could find that when you get home, what looked nice on the hanger looks terrible on. 
• Consider a dress that is best suited to your lifestyle and you can easily dress up or down within the wink of an eye. Bare in mind that not all LBD's can be worn on a really casual day but they can all be dressed down by changing a few accessories/pieces. 
• Have a budget in mind . Consider quality pieces within that budget as you want your dress to last over a long period of time. If you can afford more than one then do so, as you just can't go wrong with a LBD.
• Choose a simple dress and avoid too much detailing, embellishments exposed zips etc as they are less versatile and may not be suited to every occasion. 
• Shop around first before buying as you want your LBD to be just perfect for you.

Most of all wear your LBD with confidence, this is the most important thing, walk with your head held high, carry yourself with elegance and tell yourself you are beautiful, simply because you are. " I have always believed that fashion was not only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence" -Yves Saint Laurent

I know this was a very long one but I hope it really helped you and I hope you are going to go out and shop for your LBD soon. Don't hesitate to contact me on agapestyle@live.co.uk I will be happy to help 

                                                                   Loads of Agape Love
                                                                            Tosin  
                                                                             xxx