When looking for a new costume, as many of us are at this time of year, we have a long list of objectives. We want them to be secure, functional, easy to care for and tough. But most of all, above every other excellent, we want our clothes to be attractive.
We constantly strive for a gown because we know it will make us look and feel our best. It becomes a wardrobe favorite, constantly worn, while lesser clothing linger at the back of the closet.
The high street has been flooded with breathable, accommodating dresses with ruching in the public torso area that suggests they may give us a bomb picture. The style gods appear to have answered our prayers this season.
As I tried on 14 different variations of this glance from high street retailers like Marks & Spencer, Reiss, and Me+Em, I was surprised to find that not all of these gowns are created equal.
For context, I am 5ft 4in and a size 10, so it should n’t be too hard to look good in a bodycon dress– but in some cases it really was. In fact, just four were really for buying.
Personal designer Anna Berkeley, who has a specific interest in helping consumers dress nicely for their body shape, says,” The ruching factor is definitely important when it works well.” ” If you’ve got a bit of a tummy, which most of the population have, or they’re worried about it, or they have n’t got a waist, it can be brilliant”, she says.
In the sense that it is more costly,” that typically means more material than less.” Because if you’re stingy, it just does n’t really do anything”.
This bore out in my test: where there’s not enough cloth, there’s not enough meeting, and so the outfit will hold in the wrong way. A cheap jersey in a pale hue will highlight every lump and bump, which is a crucial factor when purchasing a dress under £30. There’s usually a good reason for this.
Then there’s the path of the puckered seam itself, which was completely random in some cases. ” If the placement is n’t right, it just makes you look worse”, says Berkeley. ” It has to be done very meticulously, because if you get ruching in the wrong place, then it wo n’t do anything, or it’ll make you look like you’ve got a weird baggy bit at the bottom of your stomach, which nobody wants. It can be very hit and miss”. Again, I can attest to that.
The good news is that there’s no “wrong” body type for this kind of dress. Anyone who has a balanced diet will enjoy one that is designed in a wise way, but it’s a particularly strong option for those with little definition at the waist.
” It can create shape as well, where there is n’t any”, says Berkeley. ” If you’re a much straighter]body shape], and you do n’t have a waist, you then get this line through it with the ruching. Because it kind of sculpts well, it can be very flattering.
The winner
As it turns out, Berkeley had a rough idea of the brand that produced the most figure-enhancing dresses: Jigsaw really goes to town on the volume of fabric.
The crinkle ruched jersey dress with the best print ($ 145 ), was my favorite. It ticked all the boxes, from fabric, to cut, to stretch, to colour. It’s so thoughtfully designed. 10/10.
A plain black sleeveless version ($ 165 ), complete with a ruched torso, was also available, making it a great all-occasion purchase.
The runners- up
When I put on the Reiss dress, it felt like a very tight fit, but the actual material was a little like shapewear and was rather flattering. The front slit was also appealing to me.
” Reiss is good at bodycon”, says Berkeley. They’ve been doing it for a while, and the cuts are “pretty good.”
Although the Mint Velvet dresses were a mixed bag, I liked this as a choice for warmer weather.
The fabric feels expensive and the fit is a bit looser, so it’s more of a skimmer than a clinger.
