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Of the myriad decisions a bride must make, some are as clear as those Baccarat tumblers she’s registered for. But choosing a bridesmaid’s dress that will flatter every last shape and size of her party? That’s a puzzle on par with how to get a clumsy groom to glide across the dance floor. For help, we turned to Katherine Mullins and Caroline Baker, the partners behind local boutique LulaKate, who design their own line of bridesmaids’ dresses. Each advocates choosing different dress silhouettes based on each bridesmaid’s figure, all in complementary colors and fabrics for a uniformed, polished bridal party. “People look best in what they feel comfortable in, bottom line,” says Caroline.
Hourglass
Katherine and Caroline agree that pretty much anything goes for this figure. “This silhouette can wear the gamut of dress shapes, but we love to see women accent the bustline with a scoop neck, square neck, or V-neck,” says Katherine. Caroline adds that an A-line or full skirt complements this body type well. “Accenting this shape with a belt or other waist detail is also great,” she says.
Boyish
Athletic, less curvy types benefit from A-line skirts with movement that create the illusion of hips. Adds Caroline, “Boyish figures get a great advantage from some sort of visual interest in the shoulder area and neckline, like a wide square neck or V-neck—it makes for a beautiful contour.”
Full-Figured
These women look best when dress waists hit at their natural waistline. According to Katherine and Caroline, they look sleek in boatneck or V-neck dresses accented by any waist detail that breaks up but doesn’t truncate their silhouette. They do, however, warn against Empire waistlines for this body shape.
