As prom season approaches, you may find yourself wondering what prom dress is right for you. Whether you’re looking for long prom dresses for short girls, options for curvy girls or other suggestions, you’ll need to know how to pick the right prom dress for your body.
This guide will break it down by body shape, so you can find flattering prom dresses whether you’re tall, short, thin or curvy. You can even combine styles if you’re short and thin, tall and curvy or any fabulous shape in between.
Prom Dresses for Short Girls
If you’re petite, you may worry that your options are limited, but that’s not the case. There are plenty of prom dresses for short girls that will make you feel like the star of the evening. Remember you can make a dress work for your frame with a few additions:
- Alterations make longer dresses the perfect length.
- Heels add a formal touch and keep the hemline off the floor.
- A V-neck will help elongate your figure.
Use these suggestions in combination with one of these dress styles below to determine what prom dress is best for you:
1. Sheath Dress
For long prom dresses for short girls, a sheath dress is a simple yet stunning choice. A sheath style falls along your body, sometimes a bit like a bodycon around the waist and hips, but the skirt section often falls straight. The effect is an elongated look, thanks to those sleek lines.
Sheath dresses come in many gorgeous varieties, with different necklines, sleeves and skirts to suit anyone’s style. Depending on the material and style you choose, a sheath dress is often easy to hem, making it the perfect prom dress for shorter girls.
2. Empire Waist
A dramatic, high waist can give the appearance of elongating your legs. An empire waist, which rises above your natural waist, often right below the bust, can create anything from a dramatic style to a sweet and classic look.
Empire waists come in an array of styles, just like sheath dresses. Choose something with minimal volume, so the fabric doesn’t overwhelm your frame. You can combine styles and choose a sheath dress with an empire waist to get the perfect prom dress for a short girl.
3. High-Low Dress
Asymmetry is stunning, trendy and flattering on short girls. A high-low dress shows off your legs and gives the illusion of height with a skirt that’s typically higher in the front and lower in the back.
High-low dresses come in many lengths and heights, and some styles have more dramatic asymmetry than others. Try a style that looks like a short dress in the front but then has a layer or two of tulle in the back. The result is a formal style that’s still light and elongates your legs.
4. Short Dress
If you aren’t big on the high-low style, go all-out with a short prom dress. A shorter hemline shows off your legs, giving the illusion of height to your frame. You’ll also have less fabric in your dress, which helps you stand out instead of being overwhelmed by the outfit. Find something that’s more fitted to your body or only flows a bit rather than flaring out, so the fabric doesn’t overwhelm your frame.
Because it’s prom, you still want to feel formal and fabulous in your short prom dress. Choose a style that features beading, gemstones, sequins, lace or other accents, so your outfit looks ready for prom. If you do choose a simpler style, feel free to add formal touches with heels, jewelry and a stunning prom hairstyle.
5. Bodycon
A bodycon dress is often short or mid-length, making it an excellent prom dress for shorter people. Because it’s fitted, it also features less fabric and flourishes than other short dress styles, meaning you’re guaranteed to stand out in a bodycon option.
Pick a bodycon dress that has some embellishes to maintain a formal look for prom. Anything from lace appliqu to beading and dramatic necklines will enhance a bodycon prom dress.
Prom Dresses for Tall Girls
Whether you want to flaunt your height or let your dress stand out instead, there are plenty of prom dress options for tall girls. Combine the suggestions below into the ultimate tall girl prom dress or find your favorite style with some of these accents:
1. Full-Length Dresses
Use your height as an asset and accentuate it with a floor-length gown. Almost any style of long dress will look good on a tall girl, but you can also keep your body shape in mind when you choose. Consider whether you’re curvy or thin, whether you have assets you want to show off or balance out and what you’d feel most fabulous wearing.
Decide whether you’d like to wear heels when you shop, because that may determine if a dress is long enough or not once you add your footwear. You don’t want it to be so long that you may trip on the fabric, but you also don’t want the hem to be too short and fall in an awkward spot. It’s harder to add fabric than it is to take away, so go for longer options just to be safe.
2. Dress With a Slit
A slit in the skirt of a dress shows off your long legs and accentuates your features. When you choose a full-length dress, see if there is an option that suits your style and features a slit.
This accent typically starts around the mid-thigh and continues to the bottom of the skirt. Depending on how much fabric makes up the skirt of your dress, the accent can be obvious or more hidden. If you want to show off your legs and highlight your height, choose a skirt with less fabric and a visible slit in the skirt. Some options even feature a more obvious cutout with bedazzling near the top for a dramatic touch.
Feel free to choose a skirt with more fabric if that’s your style. The slit in the skirt is less obvious unless you twirl around while dancing or pose and show it off. Pick the full skirt of an A-line style or something with draping fabric to get this look.
3. High Neckline
A high neckline helps draw attention up and balance your look, especially with an A-line dress. You get balance from the fuller skirt, narrow waist and feature neckline, which, again, you have plenty of options for, such as:
- Halter
- Apron
- Boat neck
- Grecian
- Illusion
Pick a high neckline that suits your style and fits with what you want from the rest of the gown.
4. Ball Gown
Use your height to your outfit’s advantage and show off a fabulous ball gown. You don’t have to worry about overwhelming your frame with fabric, so feel free to pick flared styles or full skirts with layers of tulle and ruffles.
A ball gown is classic and sure to make you feel like a princess on prom night. Pick a style that complements your tastes, whether it has sleeves, a feature neckline, beading and other stunning accents or a more straightforward look.
5. Two-Piece Dress
A separate skirt and top have been a trendy prom dress option for a few years now, and this style looks amazing on taller figures. It’s a fun choice that shows off your height with a skirt that’s more easily adjustable than that of a one-piece dress.
Two-piece dresses come in all sorts of styles, and you can combine this with any of the suggestions above for a trendy look. Get a two-piece dress with a full skirt to mimic a ball gown, one with a top that features a high neckline or one with a skirt that reaches the floor and features a slit.
Prom Dresses for Thin Figures
Your options are endless, whether you want to show off your figure or let your dress stand out in your look. Think about what areas you want to accentuate or if your look needs any balance and consider going with any of these suggestions:
1. Peplum Style
A peplum prom dress is perfect for thin girls who have more of a rectangular shape and want a defined waist. The peplum flares out around the waist and hips to add volume and drama to your look. The result is a dress that can have anything from vintage inspiration to a trendy, red carpet feel.
If you choose a peplum dress, the bodice will most likely be fitted. The skirt may slightly fan out in a trumpet or mermaid style at the bottom, or you may find ones that flow straight down or are fitted and bodycon.
2. Off-The-Shoulder Dresses
For another classic choice, get something sleek and chic with an off-the-shoulder dress. This style is perfect for those who have a slimmer frame up top and want to add some attention and volume to their shoulders.
Off-the-shoulder dresses often feature lace details with cap sleeves, short sleeves or long sleeves that begin below the shoulder, but you can find styles that drape elegantly off your arms for the same touch.
3. Fitted or Clinging Fabric
Don’t be afraid of fabrics that cling to or fall along the body. You could choose a bodycon style dress, but if that doesn’t suit your tastes, fabrics like satin or silk can hug along your shape for an eye-catching look. If you don’t want to add anything to your frame with ruffles or bows, find a fabric that shows your body for what it is.
4. Empire Waist Dresses
For a unique waistline, choose an empire waist. These styles elongate you without accentuating a particular part of your body, perfect for slender body types of all shapes, including rectangular. Choose a style with a wider band to add emphasis and define your waist. You can even find an empire waist dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves or in a fitted fabric to get a look that really flatters your figure.
5. Asymmetrical Dresses
Add dimension to your look in another unique way with an asymmetrical touch. Asymmetrical dresses have a red carpet look and are amazing on slender figures. When it comes to asymmetrical features, you’ll find them throughout a dress, including:
- The neckline: An asymmetrical neckline often goes at an angle, starting above the collarbone on one side and angling below it on the other. You can get a similar effect with a half off-the-shoulder neckline that exposes one shoulder.
- The sleeves or straps: One-sleeve or one-strap dresses add an eye-catching feature, especially if the sleeve is long. One strap is a more subtle look but still provides something eye-catching.
- The skirt: Asymmetrical hemlines, whether high-low or side to side, are dramatic and fun. These work on slender figures whether you’re tall or short, so feel free to get a bit adventurous.
Pick one asymmetrical component as the feature and keep everything else simple, so it doesn’t overwhelm the gown. You’ll get a statement dress that’s simple yet stunning.
Prom Dresses for Curvy Girls
Accentuate your curves or add balance whether you have an hourglass, apple, pear or another fabulous shape. If you’re short and curvy, you can decide between a short dress that doesn’t overwhelm your frame or a long dress that can help balance out your curves.
Overall, choose dresses that have minimal fabric accents, as those may overwhelm your figure by either hiding your curves or accentuating areas you don’t want to accentuate. Avoid details like:
- Bows
- Ruffles
- Pleating
Unless those details are on slimmer areas of your body, they won’t provide much balance to your look. You can choose beading, sequins, lace and other accents, as long as they don’t add too much volume or dimension.
1. Natural-Waist Dresses
If you have an hourglass figure, you have a naturally narrow waist and hips and shoulders that are wider. Try to avoid hiding your waist with high-waist, empire and babydoll dresses. Styles that highlight the natural waist are perfect prom dresses for curvy girls or anyone with a defined waist.
2. Mermaid Dress
A mermaid dress is fitted throughout the body and flows out, usually somewhere at or below the knee. This look gives balance to curvy girls with an apple shape and adds some drama to girls with an hourglass shape. If you do have an hourglass shape, focus on mermaid dresses that are fitted to the waist or feature beading and sequins around your curves for an eye-catching accent.
If the mermaid dress isn’t quite your style, try a trumpet style instead. The flare of the skirt begins more around the mid-thigh and provides a similar balance without as much eye-catching drama.
3. Ball Gown
The large skirt of a ball gown complements girls with pear shapes, but so does the rest of the style. Consider a dramatic and classic ball gown if you have narrow shoulders, a smaller waist and wider hips and thighs. A ball gown could be great for you because it:
- Shows off your shoulders to balance the look.
- Draws in at the waist to accentuate it.
- Flares out at the hips and thighs instead of clinging to them.
These three components create an elegant look that balance out a pear figure. Add texture up top to help with balancing your look. Accents like lace, beading or impressive sleeves and necklines help draw attention up, while the full ball gown skirt will still be an impressive feature of your outfit.
4. A-Line Dress
An A-line style is less dramatic than a ball gown but still flows out below the waist. A fuller skirt will help balance the wider shoulders of a girl with an apple shape figure. The A-line skirt doesn’t add too much to your hips and thighs, but enough to help balance your shoulders and waist. The way the skirt is fitted at the waist and flares out can also create the illusion of an hourglass figure if that’s what you’d like for your look.
5. An Open-Back Dress
Plenty of styles come in open-back varieties, which create a trendy and dramatic dress. Open-back prom dresses are great for pear-shaped figures because they help draw attention up towards your waist and shoulders. It’s an eye-catching look for sure, so only choose an open-back dress if you’re comfortable showing off in the style.
Find Flattering Prom Dresses for Your Shape
When you search for flattering prom dresses, choose what makes you feel stunning and comfortable. You want to look fabulous for an evening of fun with your friends, but you also want to be comfortable all night. The right dress from Alexandra’s too will make you feel like the spotlight is on you.
At Alexandra’s too, we have stunning prom designers, including Jovani, Ellie Wilde, Zoey Grey, Sherri Hill and more. With our wide range of styles and sizes, including plus sizes, you’re sure to find your dream prom dress with our help.
Shop our prom dresses online or visit in-store for a fabulous experience and discover prom dresses for different body types. Find your perfect prom dress today with help from Alexandra’s too!