I have a love hate relationship with this style, whether it is a dress, skirt, or even top. This is not a look that everyone can wear so please read on to see which body types fit the drop waist look the best. I was on Essence.com and saw actress Octavia Spencer rocking a drop waist dress. Now I love me some Octavia Spencer but this dress was just all wrong for her body type.

dropwaistNow the color looks great on her, but the proportions are all wrong. When it comes to fashion proportions are key. I mean that’s one of the main critiques that the designers get on Project Runway from the judges. If the portions are off you begin to highlight challenging areas or you create a look that disrupts the flow of your outfit. In this dress her legs look shorter than what they are and  she looks boxy.

I wanted to purchase the drop waist dress from the Prabal Gurung for Target collection, but I didn’t because I just looked awkward lol.

Drop waist dresses work best on people that have shorter torsos and smaller hips. Women who are petite should avoid drop waist dresses because you will appear shorter. If you have a wide or round midsection avoid the drop waist dress because you will accentuate that area.

Marlo Hampton and Porsha Stewart

Marlo Hampton and Porsha Stewart

I think shorter hemlines work best with drop waist dresses and skirts. The longer hemlines seem to make people look frumpy.

Nene Leakes and Michelle Obama

Nene Leakes and Michelle Obama

Would you rock a drop waist dress?