Holiday Party Dresses

Shannon Cavanagh-Estrada of www.pitchpress.com on Monday, December 5th, 2011

Choosing the Best Style Holiday Party Dress

December Destination: Party Dress Nation

I love a LBD as much as the next gal, but when it comes down to it, color is the new black. Dresses are in, separates are out this holiday hurrah, so, grab your eggnog, hide your elf, and get ready to dash through our dress show.

First things first: decide which silhouette flatters your silhouette. Best not to try and shove a square peg in a round hole, so identify your shape and then seek out the best dress to knock their socks off. And please don’t get discouraged. Everyone wants what the other has. So, let’s go shopping, shall we?

Pear Perfect – Best to showcase your shoulders and bust if you tend to have more of a pear shape. I say look for boat necks and plunging necklines. You might wanna stay away from loose baby-dolls or loose a-lines, they can come across tent-ish and add LB’s. Which, I think it is safe to say, we are all trying to avoid.

J. Crew, Principessa dress in lace and organza, $595 (pictured)
Anthropologie, Cyprium Dress, $228
asos, River Island Belted Skater Dress With Boat Neck, $91

Hourglass Hottie – Definitely define your waist and stick to dresses just above the knee or tea length (Which BTW I am campaigning to re-title as: champagne length. I mean, who does tea anymore except for Elizabeth?)

J. Crew, Siren dress, $385 (pictured)
My Wardrobe, L’AGENCE, SILVER LAMÉ WRAP ULTIMATE PARTY DRESS, $570
DVF, Akari Dress, $375
Zara, ASYMMETRIC STUDIO DRESS, $159

Awesome Athletic – You’re a lean, mean, fashion machine and can wear most silhouettes, but focus on highlighting what you are most proud of, whether that be arms, legs, tush or back.

J. Crew, Sinclair dress in leopard chiffon, $325 (pictured)
Piperlime, Kerstin Party Dress, $385
DVF, Chastity Dress, $485
Shop Bop, Imitation, $595

Broad Betty - Blessed with broad shoulders and décolletage most envy, a Betty of such nature can also be called an inverted triangle. Which, is why, we prefer broad Betty. If your shape shapes up to be wider across the shoulders and bust, draw attention to your waist and legs to balance your frame.

holiday party dresses black

DVF, Reona Dress, $475
Kate Spade, Debut Dress, $795 (pictured)
J. Crew, Taryn Dress in Silk Chiffon, $225
Zara, Combined Dress, $99

There you have it. The four wonders of the fashion world. Happy Everything this month and we’ll see you next year.

Thanks to Shannon for her fabulous fashion posts! Shannon Cavanagh-Estrada is co-owner of Pitch! Press. Her expertise lies in styling, trend-forecasting, design consulting and working in the public relations arena. For more information on Shannon, visit www.pitchpress.com.

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