Basic Shapes of a Wedding Gown

Following our earlier blog on Don’t Judge a Book by its cover when Choosing a Wedding Gown, this time we would like to share that there are still some fundamental guide on the basic shapes for Brides when choosing a wedding gown. The basic styles of wedding gown have barely changed over decades. However, there is still fashionable influences as far as necklines and fullness of the skirts are concerned, but fundamentally the shapes remain the same. Brides would need to identify which shape meets their aspirations while making sure it works for their body shape and wedding style.

There are 6 different basic shapes for wedding gowns and they are shift cut, empire, bias cut, fishtail or what we called mermaid style, A-line and ball gown. The picture below shows these 6 basic shapes:

Shift Cut Wedding Gown : From the first picture, a shift cut is basically a simple, straight gown with straight darts that will skim the body. The gown can be long or short, with or without sleeves. Because of its simplicity, a shift can easily be enhanced with beading, embroidery and lace. If wished, a train can be incorporated into the wedding gown. You may want to consider a slit in the gown, which will make walking easier as well as adding length to your legs.

Empire Cut Wedding Gown : This is another simple line with high waist emphasis just below the bust. The high waist detail can be as narrow as a single seam or as wide as a cummerbund. This is a good shape if you are small-busted. The gown will flare out gently from where the waist seam finishes and its fullness should be determined by your height ie. the taller you are, the fuller the gown can be. This is a wonderful style to wear if you are going for comfort first or in a flowing fabric if you are a mother-to-be.

Bias Cut Wedding Gown : The secret of the bias cut gown lies in the cutting of the fabric. This is done across the grain of the cloth and gives a soft, fluid and feminine look to the finished gown, which will skim the hips gently. It is much more suitable for softer fabrics. If you wish to incorporate a floating, fluid train, this is the ideal style to choose.

Fishtail Wedding Gown : The fishtail is a variation of the shift, with slightly more waist emphasis and a close-fitting gown that fans out at the bottom, either all round or just at the back. This really works best on a long style and is ideal for decorating all the way round. It creates a very glamorous look which will give the illusion of longer legs. However, take care where the gown starts to flare to ensure you can walk easily.

A-line Wedding Gown : This gown style is in between the shift and the ball gown. The top is fitted and the gown flares out as little or as much as you want. This style is ideally suited to a two-piece combination and is therefore the most flexible for many brides as you can mix fabrics and colours. For extra detail, pleats can be added to the bottom part of the gown if you need to enhance your hips.

Ball Gown Wedding Gown : This is the gown most brides dream about. The bodice is closely fitted and the bottom gown is very full. It is extremely beautiful with its layers upon layers of fabric, petticoats and train, often intricately decorated with beads, pearls and sequins. If you are petite, keep the bottom gown volume to a minimum. This style works particularly well if you have long legs or want to disguise full hips or thighs.

When choosing a wedding gown, Cupido Gowns will always advise Brides to keep an open mind when choosing their dream wedding gown as often times Brides may be surprised when they try on the wedding gown. If you are looking for different unique designs of wedding gown, do check our full collection via this link : http://www.cupidogowns.com/wedding-gowns/wedding-gowns/