Yes, Ladies of Every Shape Can Wear a Bodycon Dress

Yes, a bodycon (body conscious) dress can be worn by every lady, even us mature plus size ladies. One of my first columns for TG Forum over 5 years ago was on the Condum Dress; yes, that super slinky, reveal everything dress that seems to a perennial favorite of crossdressers, but was meant for athletic, slim built women, Donnakelli and the Kardashians of course.

Well, whatever was I thinking that my plus size, apple-shaped body would ever look good in one. Surprisedly I bought a LBD with a leopard print jacket on Ebay (see why I love Ebay) in my size but when I tried it on, I didn’t exactly have to roll it on, but it was tight under the bust and just below. Now mirrors don’t lie, right, and I did look good, and as you’ll soon learn, layering is great for a plus-size body if done right.

And then I also remembered that I’m in Mexico and Latin/Mexican women are not ashamed of their bodies. They in fact love their form fitting (also known as tight) clothes, abundant bellies notwithstanding.

And you’d be surprised at the number of plus-size bloggers (yes, real women) that are wearing the bodycon dress now and it’s all about how it makes you feel. Those old rules don’t seem to apply (elegance is not a word that works here), but there are a few styling tips that will help the bodycon dress flatter your figure, whatever it is, while channeling your inner diva to feel fabulous.

Bloggers

Dos & Don’ts Of Wearing A Bodycon Dress

Camouflage the Tummy

If you’re not comfortable about your tummy, you can cover it up. Pick a wide belt that will have a slimming effect and instantly becomes the focal point of your outfit.

Don’t Forget Shapewear

Ladies, shapewear is a blessing and there’s no shame in getting a little help to make you look and feel better. Shaping underwear can flatten a not-so-flat tummy, smooth bulges, conceal panty lines and just help you feel more fantastic.

Printed Dress

You can camouflage your curves, too, if you prefer. A printed fabric is perfect for that. Just stay away from prints that are too wide or big, which could make you look a little heavier.

Left-Camouflage the Tummy, Middle-Don’t forget shapewear, Right-Printed dress

Layered Tops

If you’d prefer not to reveal your mid-section, you can cover it up with the help of pretty layers. Layers help to give you a more balanced look, making you look in proportion.

Choose a Darker Color

A dark bodycon dress is great for plus size figures and women who want to look ultra-chic. With a dark dress, you can look vertical and elongated, and it will have  a slimming effect. Black is good but other dark colors work well too like purple or Navy. Don’t forget to pair your dress with a sparkly clutch and heels for added flare.

Choose a Good Fabric

In fact, choose the best fabric you can afford. Pick fabrics that are firm enough to hold onto plumper areas without giving the appearance of extra bulges. Sheer clothing will only make every detail of your figure more visible, especially the panty line, and every girl wants to avoid that.

Left-Layered Tops, Middle-Choose a Darker Color, Right-Choose a Good Fabric

Panelled Dresses

Side panels are a beautiful way to make your figure appear slimmer. A bodycon dress with side panels on both sides gives the illusion of a slim-fit.

The Neckline

A neckline also plays a role in how you balance your look. If you have a rounder stomach, choose a deeper neckline to divert the eyes up. A plunging V neckline also makes you appear taller.

Shoes

A bodycon dress screams glam, don’t kill the vibe with flats. Heels will help amp up the look, while also elongating your frame and helping your silhouette appear slimmer. Pumps, stilettos and even wedges work — whichever you’re comfortable with.If you’re not comfortable wearing heels, opt for comfy platforms and low wedges.

Left-Panelled Dresses, Middle-The Neckline, Right-Shoes

Don’t Over-accessorize

Let the dress be the showstopper and keep the accessories minimal to avoid looking OTT. A few key pieces like a watch, dangling earrings and a clutch are enough to keep the look tasteful.

Show Off Your Best Feature

It may hug you all over, but you can still use it to flaunt your best assets. A strapless dress or even a halter neck can show off toned shoulders and killer collarbones. A super short length can flaunt gorgeous legs — pick one that accentuates your best feature!

Knowing Your Body Shape Is Essential

Now, don’t hate me, but I do think that regardless of the confidence (which is key in fashion), being aware of our dimensions and our body type is essential to wear whatever we want.

Not so long ago, these clothes were thought to be only flattering on skinny and slightly curvy women, and nowadays many still don’t dare to wear them because we think that their tightness will only highlight our flaws. But if you love a bodycon dress then you must know what works best with your body type to wear them and look great. So, here are the bodycons that look best on the most common body shapes for crossdressers.

Apple

In this body type, mass is accumulated on the upper area, so it refers to bodies with medium to big breasts, broad shoulders, and generally not a well-defined waistline. From the hips to the legs everything is narrower compared to the upper part of the body. Now, you’d want to highlight the length of the legs but also the shoulders to balance your body. So, the best bodycons for apple shapes are those that accentuate the shoulder region with details like some loose fabric on the area or even with patterns. Also to bring attention to the legs, choose a short dress that shows them off. Finally, in order to conceal the mid-section, it’s advisable to find a dress that doesn’t pay too much attention to that part. So, avoid the faux belts or another sort of decoration on that part.

Straight/Rectangular

What happens with this body type is that the shoulders and hips maintain basically the same width. So, you must give some dimension to your body and curves to accentuate the hips. You can also find a dress that highlights the shoulders and hips, but you must do it in a balanced way, since adding volume to all these parts will only emphasize your original body shape. Focus on the waist to make it look smaller and add some volume to the bust and hips to create an hourglass effect. Ruffles can be your best friends to achieve this.

Hourglass

This is probably the body type we’ve heard about the most. This is defined by an accentuated waist while the shoulders and bust area are similar in width with the hips giving that classic shape. In this case, you must accentuate the waist, take advantage of the defined lines of your body, and go for dresses with belts or with patterns that highlight and even tighten that area. V neck dresses look great on you, since they drag the attention to the center of the body leading to the waist. Now, most bodycons have this feature, but you must be careful not to go for those that also bring attention to the upper area of the shoulders because this will only unbalance your already balanced body.

Women Sizes 0 Through 28 Try on the Same Bodycon Dress

Watch women sizes 0 through 28 try on the exact same bodycon dress. They discuss their experiences going shopping for bodycon dresses and how they feel about wearing them.   Wow – this is an amazing dress… because it basically looks horrible on ALL OF THEM. What a special dress that can really make every body type look bad (Not what you expected, Huh!)

Still not sure, then take a look at these 30 ladies

Bottom line, ladies. Maybe you can pull it off and maybe not, but we’ve given you the how to’s. Now what it takes is self-confidence. The term invites you to show your body and be aware of it. We could even cheat a little and say it’s mostly based on self-confidence. But if you love these pieces, bear in mind that you must know what works best with your body type to wear them and look great. And have fun.

Here are some additional styling tips for wearing a bodycon dress:

20 Style Tips On How To Wear Casual Bodycon Dresses

How to Style a BODYCON DRESS on a Curvy Body!

STYLE CHALLENGE: The Bodycon Dress

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Tags: crossdressing, fashion, featured, style, Transgender

Category: Style, Transgender Fashion