Dec
23What Is An Empire Waist Dress?
Tagged Under : empire waist, plus size, plus size dress, plus size fashion
Browse any plus size fashion catalogue and you will see several dresses labeled as having an empire waist. But what exactly is an empire waist and who is it suitable for?
If you consider yourself as curvy or even plus size, then an empire waist skirt is your best friend when it comes to casual dressing. Put simply, an empire waist dress has the waist gathered near or just under the bust area. The fabric of the dress then flows from this high waist over any feature you want to minimize.
This dress is all about accentuating and directing focus. Often the best feature of a plus size woman is the bust area. By positioning the waist just below this area, you will immediately draw the eye here. By directing focus, the eye skips over the hips and stomach area quickly to be drawn where you want them to look.
Another benefit of the high waist is that these dresses will use a long, loose skirt which skims the body. This will create the illusion of a longer body shape, making you appear more balanced. In short, you maximize your best feature, skim over features you want to hide and create the illusion of a longer body – 3 pluses with no negatives to this fashion style.
The interesting thing about an empire dress is that it is not a new fashion trend. Yes, the look has come and gone over the years, but the ‘empire’ in empire dress actually refers to the First French Empire. There are even examples of this dress type in early greco-roman art. It found fashionable periods in the 18th century but did not really become a modern fashion statement again until the 1960’s when society wanted to break the sour and bleak look of the previous decade.
So if you are a plus size woman and want to look great next season, keep an eye out for the empire waist dress in your favorite store.


