How To Pick The Right Lehenga (AND Blouse Style!) According To Your Body Shape

Get fit! Seems like a simple enough method to look your best on your wedding (or your bestie’s wedding!) day. But did you know - irrespective of how far you are from your “ideal weight”, your body shape remains constant. And there’s a way to dress it up, intelligently, so that you highlight your best features and shift focus away from the areas you …(don’t want to highlight).

We got two stylists, Nikita Sethi & Meha Bhargava, to spill the beans about which style of lehenga will suit which body type, dupatta draping, and what blouse style to go for! Brides, use these tips to choose your big day lehenga, choli & dupatta wisely!

Brides, use these tips to choose your big day lehenga, choli & dupatta wisely!

If your body stores fat around your waist, then you have an apple-shaped body

What to wear: Full flared high-waist lehenga 

•  The wide flare of the lehenga will make your waist appear smaller. This will make your body look proportionate.  
   
•  Go for an empire line cut style of choli or a long blouse or a peplum top. Drape the dupatta in front to cover the waist.

What to avoid: Heavy or big embroidery and patterns around the waist.

If your fat is mostly around your hips, then you have a pear-shaped body

What to wear: A-line lehengas or lehengas with a lot of ghera

• For the blouse, opt for boat neck & off-shoulder styles that are either in bright hues or heavily embellished - the point is to shift focus from your hips to your bust & waist instead.

• Make sure the belt of the lehenga sets on the narrowest part of the waist to highlight it. 
   
• Go for a net dupatta to flaunt your waist. 

What to avoid: Fishtail lehengas as they tend to focus on the hips and legs area. 

If you are top-heavy (wide bust & broad shoulders), then you have a strawberry-shaped body

What to wear: Heavily flared lehengas

• The lehenga should be heavily embroidered or embellished to draw the attention away from your bust and broad shoulders
   
• Minimal work on the blouse and dupatta is recommended 
   
• Feel free to experiment with a Kurti-style blouse

What to avoid:  A short or tight blouse especially in light colors, as it will make you look even wider on top. 

If your bust, waist, and hips are equally small in proportions, then you have a ruler shaped body

What to wear: A-line skirts or heavily flared lehengas

• You can go bold with a short blouse (in length)
   
• The high neckline and 3/4th sleeved blouses will work really well 
   
• Use a dupatta made of a stiff fabric to hold it up because this will add volumes and curves

What to avoid:  

• Off-shoulder and boat neck blouses will make the bust look bigger  
   
• A flowy dupatta will not suit this body type as it will fall flat
   

If you have a narrow waist and are curvy around the bust and hips, then you have an hour-glass body (Hello, Kim Kardashian!)

What to wear: You're a free bird. Experiment with any style (even fish cut!) from full-ghera to a short choli, net dupatta, heavy embroidery on all or any parts of the lehenga – you are probably the only body shape that can wear every combination you can think of. 

What to avoid: Nothing to avoid!

Featured Image Courtesy: The Wedding Salad

Do you need help with shortlisting your lehenga? Tell us in the comments below and we'll save you from the trouble!ga? Tell us in the comments below and we'll save you from the trouble!