Hey There☺,
This week’s wardrobe wonder is the A-line sillouhette. It’s the one shape of dress, skirt, or coat that can work for all 6 body shapes.
If helps to give the illusion of curves for the straighter body shapes and nicely accommodates the hips of the curvier body shapes.
Style Details & History
Per Wikipedia, an A- line shape is one that is fitted to the upper hip by means of seams and darts.
Although the term was first coined by Christian Dior in 1955 as the label for his spring collection that year, the shape was not the shape that we understand the term to mean today.
Dior’s A-shape was a fingertip-length flared jacket worn over a dress with a full pleated skirt.
In spring of 1958 Dior’s successor Yves Saint Laurent introduced the A-shape that we recognize to be an A-line today with his “Trapeze Line” which featured dresses flaring out dramatically from a fitted shoulder line.
A-line clothes remained popular in the 60’s and 70’s but disappeared in the 80’s.
By the late 90’s and early 2000’s they saw a revival.
Body Shapes Styling Ideas
As previously mentioned, this shape works well for all 6 body shapes. Length is best worn at or above the knee, below the calves, and maxi.
For oval body shapes dresses are best fitted to right below the bust. Skirts are best with a lower rise. Rise is the distance between your waist and crotch.
For a body shapes refresher click here.
My A-line Looks
I think this shape definitely flatters my “curvy” rectangle shape and it makes fitting my curvier bottom a lot easier.
My favorite length to wear is definitely midi or maxi. Check out a few of my A-line shaped pieces below.
I would argue that a figure 8 shape is an exception. When I adjust/grade for my short and stocky figure 8 high hip, which is almost as large as my full hip, there is minimal difference between the resulting shape of my adjusted A-line and the line of a straight skirt. If I don’t reduce full hip relative to high hip, an A-line bags weirdly around my hips. Basically, I have a choice between straight, barely flared straight, or poorly fitting A-line skirt.
Before my hips expanded with kids I was more of an inverted triangle (still with big high hip) and A-line skirts didn’t work for me then either.
That’s so true Karey. For an Aline shape to work for your figure 8 body shape, you could try the shape in a dress that fits to under the bust and flares from that point.
Thank you so much for making that point.
Definitely. That’s where I have some A-line shape, as my underbust is smaller than my waist. Empire lines work well.