Maternity Dresses: Choosing Your Style

Maternity dress designs come in various styles–long and short–and colours and patterns.. What you choose in a style depends on your body type and underlying skin tone.

Knowing the basics of choosing a style among featured maternity dresses will start you off down the right fashion path. Below are some tips to keep in mind so the dress you choose best fits you personally and physically.

Select a Minimal Print or Solid Colour in a Dress

Go with a minimal print or solid colour, as anything else will only serve to make your look larger. Plus, you can more easily match your dress with a cardigan, scarf, or other accessory if you play down the size of the print and maintain a more conservative look.

Determining Your Underlying Skin Tone

To choose the right colour, you have to determine your underlying skin tone. 

How to Choose a Colour for a Cool Underlying Skin Tone

Your underlying tone has nothing to skin with whether you have light or dark skin. For example, a cool undertone conveys more of a bluish cast. The skin may also easily burn. Colours, such as burgundy, bottle green, grey, purple, navy, or bold shades of blue work well with this undertone.

Avoid bright colours or pastels. In neutrals, select richer shades, such as slate or khaki  versus stone or beige.

What to Select in a Colour if Your Skin Has a Warm Underlying Skin Tone

If your skin tans rather than toasts when exposed to the sun, you have a warm undertone. Therefore, you need to choose colours a bit brighter or darker than what is considered middle ground. 

For example, when choosing a neutral shad, select a pale beige versus a warmer tan, such  as sand. When selecting between mauve or magenta, magenta is the richer hue, and therefore made for you. Avoid colours such as mustard, pale yellow-green, olive, or mocha.

Choosing Colour for a Neutral Undertone

If your skin has a neutral undertone, congratulations! You can choose just about any shade or hue and look good in it. If your veins are not too blue or green, but more of a blue-green, or you don’t easily tan or burn, you possess a neutral undertone.

Fit Your Dress to Your Silhouette

Whatever colour you choose, make sure the dress you choose fits more to your silhouette than drapes it. Show off your baby bump in style. 

Selecting a Length

If you’re shorter in height, choose shorter-length maternity dresses, as you’ll look engulfed in a dress that is longer in length. If you’re medium-height or taller, you can wear a longer length (or a midi or maxi style).

One Final Fashion Thought

Think of where you’ll be wearing the dress and how often. That way, you can get more value out of wearing the garment.