I love the trend for dresses at the moment but I am short and have big hips, it feels like none of them suit me. Are there any that will?

There are two points here for you to consider, your height and your hips. You need to avoid any dresses that are going to drown you and make you look shorter, such as the maxi dress (that is the one down to the floor) or a dress with big over sized prints all over it.

The style of dress and accessories you wear with it will need to draw attention away from your hips and balance out the width of your shoulders so they seem in proportion. An ideal body proportion for hips and shoulders is that they are the same width; if you are feeling that your hips are huge, your shoulders are probably narrower.


With large hips avoid any dresses that are too clingy or cut on the bias. You want to go for dresses that skim your hips and carry on flaring out a bit, with an a-line skirt for example, so you can’t tell the width of your hips under the skirt. Avoid small straps on your shoulders which will contribute to them looking less narrow that your hips. Go for a dress with capped sleeves to add width or a sleeveless shirt style top, the wider top and shirt lapels will create the illusion of wider shoulders and draw the eye upwards to them away from your hips.

For evening wear fifties style strapless knee length dresses that flare out from the waist will be perfect and fun to wear! A wrap around your shoulders will help to balance proportions. An eye catching necklace will draw the eye away from the hip area to create a fantastic flattering outfit.