Leading fashion stylist Nathalie Riddle talks you through the five different body shapes and helps you find the most wearable dress styles for each

Having worked as a styling director for numerous well-known publications and labels, as well as a celebrity stylist for multiple red carpet events, I'm used to dressing people for special occasions when they need to look their absolute best. Understanding your natural body shape and selecting the right style of dress or outfit that enhances your best features is key to creating a chic mother of the bride look. Knowing your body and dressing well to highlight your best bits is without doubt one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself. Regardless of your individual shape, size and age, most of us approximately conform to one of the well-known body types often used as a guide by stylists and personal shoppers. I have listed these below, along with recommendations for some of Ridley London's beautiful silk dresses.

Above is a visual summary of the five principal body shapes that help to determine the correct style of mother of the bride outfit 

The primary function of any dress or outfit is to create a flattering and slimming silhouette by deliberately draping fabric to highlight your best features. Flattering mother of the bride dresses should also help balance things out proportionally, as well as adding definition to the slimmest areas of your body, particularly by highlighting or creating a waist. For most people beyond a certain age, the slimmest areas to hero include, ankles, wrists, and just under the bust.

While this may seem like a slightly one size fits all approach, and is definitely helpful if you are buying garments off-the-peg, it’s worth remembering that the customisation approach offered at Ridley gives customers a lot more flexibility over the style they select. Ridley's flattering mother of the bride dress styles are cleverly designed to be much more versatile and adaptable for different body shapes. And their stylists and tailors know exactly where to add and reduce fabric to create the most flattering and comfortable silhouette. As I always tell my clients, If you’re physically comfortable in an outfit, you’re also going to feel much more at ease and confident. For now, let’s look at the basic body shapes and the outfits and styles of dress that flatter them the most.

1. Apple Shape

Ridley London's Oriana dress shown here in blue Great Emporium printed silk, and the Ella dress in ice blue silk are two flattering styles for mothers of the bride with an apple body shape

If you’re an apple shape, you will generally be broader across the shoulders and back, have a rounder tummy, and slimmer hips and legs. For mothers of the bride with an apple-shaped silhouette, the key to dressing well lies in choosing an outfit that successfully balances your proportions and minimizes attention to your midsection. I would always recommend a beautifully cut A-line dress that skims the body, offering graceful movement while creating a naturally cinched shape. V-necks also help to elongate the upper body, framing the décolletage and drawing attention away from your middle. Always choose fabrics like beautiful quality silks that drape rather than cling, and embrace relaxed tailoring around your mid-section. A well tailored jacket or blazers that's nipped-in at the waist with a slight flare at the hip can also help to create a more defined silhouette. Single-breasted styles tend to work best, and a longer length can also help to elongate the torso further.

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2. Column Shape

Ridley London's Rafaella dress shown here in pink and gold Poppy Dawn printed silk, and the Carla maxi dress in the monomuse printed silk are two flattering styles for mothers of the bride with a column body shape

Your shoulders, waist and hips are approximately the same width apart, and while you have slim athletic limbs you essentially lack a defined waist. For mothers of the bride with a column-shaped silhouette the strategy is to show off your naturally athletic physique while adding some definition around the waist to create more of a feminine hourglass silhouette. Always avoid boxy, shapeless styes that hide your natural figure. Naturally, you’ll look great in an on-trend tailored trouser suit, but if you’re looking for something a little more feminine I would recommend dress styles that are close fitting on the torso and nipped in at the waist or feature ruching or a belt tie which help too add more definition in this area. Empire line and A-line dresses that are close fitting around the torso and waist but loose fitting around the hips will help to give your sporty shape more feminine curves. Crew neck and V necks are also flattering for column shapes as are balloon sleeves which add further femininity.

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3. Pear Shape

Ridley London's Heyde dress shown here in luxurious dusky pink silk twill, and the Ella dress in the pink Rosetti's Garden silk print are two flattering styles for mothers of the bride with a pear body shape

If you are a pear shape you will have neat shoulders, a neat bust, and a defined waist. However you will tend to carry weight on your hips and thighs. For mothers of the bride with a pear-shaped body don’t be afraid to show off your natural curves by choosing styles that successfully balance your natural proportions. The strategy here is to draw attention to your upper body and away from your hips and thighs. To achieve this, I would always recommend a well cut and tailored dress that’s fitted around the bodice to bring greater definition to your upper body, that helps to define your waist and skim the hips, with a flattering A-line skirt that helps to create a balanced hourglass silhouette.  Also styles that feature structured shoulders, bright colours and prints really help, as do interesting details around the neckline which lift the eye and help to draw attention away from your lower body. Strategically placed Jewellery can also really help. For the most flattering fit, most of the mothers of the bride we dress with pear-shaped silhouettes usually require a dress made with different size top to bottom. Ridley dresses are individually cut and customised to fit, so this is something we can do that you just won’t get with an off-the-peg mother of the bride dress.

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4. Inverted Triangle Shape

Ridley London's statement Rebecca dress shown here in delicate pink liesel silk chiffon printed silk, and the Janie maxi dress in luxurious regatta blue silk satin are two flattering styles for mothers of the bride with an inverted triangle body shape

You will tend to have broader shoulders, a smaller bust with long, lean limbs, and your waist and hips will usually be around the same width and narrower than your shoulders. If you are an inverted triangle-shaped mother of the bride you want to focus on drawing attention away from your shoulders towards your lower body, minimising any volume around your shoulders. Opt for mother of the bride dresses with fitted bodices and A-line skirts which gently flare, adding volume around the hips to create a more balanced silhouette. V-neck or U-neck openings also help to elongate drawing attention away from your shoulders, as can strategically placed long necklaces or drop earrings. Use fitted waists and belts to create more definition around your waist.

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5. Hourglass Shape

Ridley London's statement Tam maxi dress shown here in luxurious  lavender roses silk satin, and the elegant Carla midi dress in  deep coral arundel silk satin are two flattering styles for mothers of the bride with an hourglass body shape

An hourglass body shape has balanced shoulders and hips, a well-defined waist, a medium to large bust, and sometimes you might have a slight tummy. For mothers of the bride with an hourglass-shape the goal is to maintain a balanced silhouette while focusing on highlighting your natural curves and bringing greater definition to your waist. Often mothers of the bride we dress at Ridley complain about finding an outfit that properly fits their bust and waist as typically they end up sizing up to accommodate the bust. This is where good tailoring and customisation really comes into its own. I would always recommend avoiding a high neckline for larger busts, instead opt for a V-neck or scoop-neck which helps to narrow your bust drawing your eyes down to your waistline. Sleeves which end above or below your bust line are also far more flattering for larger busts. Bias cut dresses are a great option as they naturally skim the hips and contour your shape bringing definition to your waist. As are any other dresses with a fitted bodice that is belted or nipped in at the waist as it will help to add greater definition to this area.

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Further ways to select an outfit which enhances your natural body shape

Apart from selecting the right overall dress style for your body shape, exceptional quality fabrics like the beautiful silks we individually make all of our Ridley dresses from, and the right choice of print can significantly enhance the way you look. For example, silk prints are far more flattering and slimming to wear than plain solid colours as they visually break up the surface of the fabric making any volume more difficult to read and therefore the wearer naturally looks slimmer. Likewise the right accessories can draw the eye towards slimmer areas, again enhancing the visual perception of the wearer. Our expert Ridley stylists are always on hand to help you with these choices. Above all however, the right tailoring can really improve the way a mother of the bride dress looks and feels to wear. Whatever our predominant body shape, we’re all a fundamentally unique combination of dimensions and measurements, and the right tailoring can really enhance our best natural features while concealing are less favourable areas. And when you want to look your absolute best for such a unique and special occasion like the wedding of your child, a beautiful tailored silk mother of the bride dress really is the only way to guarantee this. 

Ridley London's new collection of chic customised silk mother of the bride dresses and tailored outfits is available to purchase online and in Ridley's store. Celebrate your individuality with a unique piece that's customised to flatter in your choice of any of our stunning new printed florals or solid silks. Or call us to arrange a fitting: 

Ridley London, 82 Church Road, Barnes, London SW13 0DQ T: 01730 823097