The Most Flattering Dress Shapes After 50

I am Eleanor, and after dressing women our age for twenty two years, I have learned that flattering has very little to do with size and almost everything to do with shape. The right cut skims where you want to be skimmed and defines where you want to be defined, and it does it without any effort on your part. A handful of dress shapes do this quietly and reliably after fifty. Here are the ones I come back to.

The A line

If I could recommend only one shape, it would be this. An A line gently follows the shoulders and then falls away from the body, skimming softly over the middle and the hips instead of clinging to them. It suits almost everyone, because it flatters the part most of us are conscious of while still looking shaped and deliberate. Easy, cool, and forgiving, it is the shape I build most of our dresses around.

The relaxed shift

A shift dress falls straight and easy from the shoulders, skimming the body without defining a waist. On a hot day it is wonderfully cool and takes no thought at all. The trick with a shift is length and fabric. A soft cloth with a little drape keeps it from looking boxy, and a hem at or just below the knee keeps it elegant rather than shapeless.

The wrap, worn softly

A wrap dress creates a gentle waist and a flattering neckline, which many women love. After fifty, the comfortable version is a soft wrap in a fabric that drapes, tied loosely rather than pulled tight. It gives you shape without gripping, and the diagonal line across the body is quietly slimming.

What they all have in common

Notice that none of these shapes is tight. The most flattering dresses after fifty skim rather than cling, define gently rather than grip, and are cut from fabrics that fall softly. Add a length that sits around the knee, a neckline that draws the eye up to your face, and real pockets to keep your posture relaxed, and almost any of these shapes will flatter you.

Our easy cotton Kwani dress is the A line I keep coming back to, cut to skim and made in a soft, breathable cotton. You can browse the rest of our dresses here, or read more on dresses that skim the tummy instead of clinging and what to look for in a summer dress after 60.

Warmly,
Eleanor
Founder, Sanibel Boutique