Cotton Dress Designs: Choosing Materials: The type of cotton you choose is critical to your design. It determines the "hand" of the fabric, or how it feels to the touch and drapes across the body. It also controls whether your dress will have a shiny or matte appearance. Each of these properties conveys a certain styleFor a tailored, structured look, choose cotton with very little stretch and medium to heavy weight. Chambray, twill and poplin work well for office dresses or cold-weather worship attirePolished cotton has a subtle sheen and stiff drape. Often printed or stamped, this fabric is the favorite for spring and summer semi-formal designs and inspired 1950s style skirtsCotton satin is a shiny, stiff fabric used primarily for formal wear or as trim to accent matte fabric. This is a favorite choice for children's party wear, as it cleans relatively easilyKnit cotton, used in T-shirts, has a soft hand and drapes so easily that it may cling to the body. It comes in weights as heavy as sweatshirt material and as light as the most transparent scarf. Often it's used for casual, light-weight summer dresses, though a clever design may bring it into warm-weather evening wearDenim dresses wax and wane in popularity. They are much lighter weight denim than jeans are, but are considered to be just as casualFollowing Fashion: Selecting the perfect dress design requires highlighting the best features of your body while incorporating the current fashionSpend a few moments browsing through a fashion magazine or website. Instead of looking at details of the latest fad, only look at lines and shapesWhere is the waistline? Is it high under the bust, low on the hips, at the belly button or at the natural waistWhat shape are the skirts? Are they wide, flaring "A" or narrow rectangles? Do they end above or below the knee, at mid-calf, ankle or floor-lengthIs there a popular neckline? Is it high and modest, or a daring low "V"? Does it extend wide in a boat-neck, or a more fanciful shapeAre stiff or draping fabrics favored? Do clothes cling to the body or are they structured and crispOnce you've reviewed the current styles, apply these basic designs to your own body shape, and include those elements that highlight your most attractive features. This is the key to choosing dress designs that are current, appropriate and look great on you |