How to Pick the Perfect Dress in 5 Easy Steps

Without knowing how to pick the perfect dress as you hit midlife, you won’t be able to feel comfortable in any of the ones you have in your closet. Instead, you will continue to change into a pair of pants you feel more comfortable in and set the dress aside for “ next time”.  

If this is you, you’re in the right place! I created this proven, 5 step process to get you started on the right steps to choosing the perfect dress based on my research and experience.

We’ll cover everything from what are the different types of dresses  to realizing why your hemline and fabric choice matter . I’ll also give you some things to look out for along the way, mistakes I made before I worked out this system, and ones I still see other modern midlife women making.

Just follow the steps, and by the time you finish the checklist, you’ll feel like a pro and enjoy looking stylish and feeling comfortable.

Ready? Let’s go!

Step #1:Discover the Right Silhouette

Before you can get into the details of what makes a dress work ( or not work) for you you need to get into the mindset of determining which silhouette works best for you.  How do you do this? 

 Know your body shape.  If you follow me at all you know what a passion I have for teaching women their body shape and why it is so important to style success.  Not sure of your body shape?  Check out my FREE training on Body shape HERE.  

You’ll want to take your time with this critical first step.  Once you know your body shape, this will be your guide for determining the best shape for your dresses.

What to look out for:

Many people skip this foundational step and then wonder why they’re not loving how they look in the items that they love. Don’t let that be you!

This is a crucial foundational step that will set you up for success later on. And each step is a building block for the next, so don’t even try to jump ahead! 🙂

Before you can discover your best neckline, you’ll want to take your time with this critical first step.

So, the first thing you need to do is take your measurements- I know, but stay with me!

• Measure your Hips
• Measure your Shoulders
• Measure your Bust 
• Measure your Waist

In general:

Hips are bigger than your Shoulders = Triangle

Shoulders bigger than hips =Inverted Triangle

Shoulders Waist Hips all the same = Rectangle

Shoulders and hips the same waist smaller = Hourglass

Shoulders and Hips the same waist larger = Oval

Need to know more about determining your Body Shape?  Click HERE

All done? Great job! Let’s move on to Step 2.

Step #2:Discovering Your Best Neckline

At this point, you’re probably thinking that it is going to be impossible to find the perfect dress.

You may even be wondering, “Should I even be bothering with wearing a dress right now?”

If you hang in there, it will get easier I promise. What we’re doing is pulling this all together into a guide so you can pick the perfect dress easily and look amazing while doing it!

Now it’s time to talk about Step #2 The neckline

 The first thing I teach to determine your neckline after body shape  is to look at the shape of your face.  Have the neckline follow the shape of your jaw and harmonize with your face.

We can look at Halle Berry and see that her jawline is triangular and so she will look amazing in a v-neck.  Now she is gorgeous and can wear anything but the turtleneck isn’t quite so flattering.

Here are the types of face shapes.  To determine yours, pull  your hair back and take a selfie in the mirror.  Please feel free to send it to me and I will happily give you a determination along with some tips for best accessories and sunglasses.  Get the link HERE to send in your photo.

Step #3: Look for the Design Lines 

Are you starting to get excited? I hope so. We’re just about finished learning about picking the perfect dress.

You may be feeling a bit unsure, and that’s perfectly normal. Any time you’re learning something new, it takes a minute to process it. Just be patient and stay with me. 

Next, let’s talk about design lines.

What are design lines?  I am glad you asked!  Design lines answer the question Where does the eye go?  

Here are some great examples of a few different styles on the same person. 

 On the first dress we can see that the shoulders are out and she is replicating the cutout in her necklace.  This brings the eyes up to her face.

The next all over print brings the focus to the middle and makes her look long  The 3rd has an all over print which gives us the feeling of movement and make the eye travel all over and the 4th example she has replicated the navy collar and straps in her shoes so the eye looks at both but skips the middle.  This is a great example of how design lines can help us control the focal point. 

If you want, you can download my Free Pick the Perfect Dress webinar  I created it to help you learn how to pick the perfect dress without stress and overwhelm.  Click HERE

Step #4: Horizontal Division

We’re just about done. Who knew there was so much to picking the perfect dress! There are just two more steps. 

Horizontal Division.  This is the line of the garment and you don’t want the horizontal line to break you in half or to lay across a part of you that you are trying to camouflage.  Be aware of where the lines are in the garment, whether in the print, the color or even the seams.   Look at how they help to focus your eye; the eye goes right to the horizontal line.  Good or bad.  

No matter what you do, don’t have the line of the garment cut horizontally across a part of your body you are trying to conceal.

If you do, you’ll only risk having the eye go directly to that part of the body.   If we look at this picture the first line cuts at her bust, the second at the waist, the third at the hip.  The fourth one gives us 2 places the hips and shoulders, this is great for a rectangle trying to take away from the fact that they don’t have a waist.  The last dress has the line at the waist but also at the bottom.  This is great for taller women.

Step #5: Discover the Best Dress Length  

This is the last step. Get ready to celebrate!

The length of the dress is really determined by the height of the person. There are truly 3 main Dress lengths,  the mini, the midi and the maxi.  

• The mini is having a comeback this year, yes even for us Modern Midlife WOmen!  If you are like me, and a lot of my clients are, the mini shows off too much of the thigh and knee for us to be comfortable in.  If you are choosing a mini in midlife, make sure to take a look at yourself 360 to make sure you love it from all angles.  
• The midi is a great length for everyone, any age.  The at the knee or just a bit above or below is truly flattering on every shape and age.  

• The maxi is a great comfortable option, however this has a tendency to go in and out of style and can overwhelm a petite figure. 

Bonus! I have created a bonus webinar with all of this information right here for you!

This is something I started doing after clients would ask for a recap of my styling tips for them and it has been a big hit.

Sometimes hearing and seeing style tips taught in a webinar make it all come together.  There are even a few more gems inside the webinar!  Download your FREE Webinar Today 

Congratulations! You just learned how to pick the perfect dress for the Modern Midlife Woman. Follow the steps above to feel amazing in the dresses you pick  instead of putting them back in the closet and never wearing a dress because you don’t know how. 

I’ve given you some of my best tips, tools, and techniques to help ensure your success. Just knowing them isn’t enough, though. It’s time to act and get the results you’ve been dreaming about! 

Still unsure ?  Book a chat with me to see how I can help you get  not only the perfect dress but a curated closet that works just for you.