10 Ways with Shift Dresses

1. AS SIMPLE AS IT GETS

with patch pockets in a coloured tweed & contrast shoes

long sleeved and still simple with neutral shoes

super fitted is best for hourglass body shapes

2. EMILIO PUCCI DESIGN

3. MODERN PRINTS

in Mary Katrantzou

in Prabal Gurung

This Peter Pilotto style is terrific for
accentuating good bits & hiding bad bits.
To do this however you have to get all the colours
& prints in the right places for the optical illusions to work.

4. FLORALS

Classic boat neck - watch the bra straps though.

Boho paisley/floral

in digital prints
5. LACE
Super forgiving on many figures.
Open the neckline up if you are busty.

Neon lace & neutrals

laser cut lace work in bands of colour, in leather

Embroidered lace

Lace loves velvet

6. EVEN BANDS OF COLOUR

Jonathan Saunders

in Rachel Zoe wide band derss

a classic nautical A line dress

an exotic tribal stripe

the very modern chevron print

a modified chevron - huge impact on body shape
due to the large width of the stripes

7. UNEVEN BANDS OF COLOUR

Tibi dresses - band placement has a huge impact on body shape

the darker bottom bands slim the hips

the bands at the bust enhance the top half
& reduce the focus from big hips

the dark band can literally do anything depending
on your height, the band's width, the length of the dress
& the height of the seam.
The cold shoulder is optional, however its
not usually a characteristic of a shift dress.

the darker ombre colour reduces the size of the hips

the darker stripes reduce the size of the hips

a beautiful shave from the size of the hips & thighs

a beautiful shave from the whole torso thanks to Stella McCartney

Kate in Stella - be warned - a bright mid section can
sometimes widen rather than narrow your torso
Always check with a full length mirror
 & trust your gut rather than the SA

Another Stella - brilliant slimming yet curve enhancing spliced effect

A border print can work figure magic!

More basics - perfect for work

8. RUFFLES

Vertical side ruffle 

Hem ruffles - flip hems are huge for next summer

A gathered ruffle (compared to bias cut for fluted ruffles)
is best for slimmer bodies

Peplums - the uneven peplum hem is more flattering on most bodies

Classic black

Lace faux peplum

BROCADE

The wide placement of the gold trim actually makes
Amanda look bigger in the hips than she is.
Be careful about trim placement i tricky areas (bust, waist, hips).

An all over brocade can be easier to work with & flatter your figure.

LEATHER & ITS FRIENDS, ZIPS, STUDS & SLASHES 

Slashed up to there!

Belt PS: Have you noticed there are virtually no belts shown in this post?

This is deliberate. Unless you're a rectangle shape, dont clutter the shift with a belt - all a belt will do is break your torso in half - shorten you & fatten you.