Summer Dresses for the Body Types

Summer is in full blast where I live, and this year I’ve been enjoying wearing dresses. As a kid I was never one for summer dresses, but I decided to give them a go this year, and I have been loving them!

The problem is that it can be difficult to find a dress that suits my body, especially when a certain style of dress looks lovely in pictures, but then just looks wrong when I try to wear it.

If you also have this problem, then hopefully this post will help you find some summer dresses that look good with your body type.

If you’re not familiar with the Kibbe body type system, which is a series of 13 body types, then feel free to take the test and find out which type you have.

Table of Contents

If you already know your Kibbe body type, then you can just click on it from this table of contents, and it’ll bring you straight to the dresses for your body type:

Romantic
Theatrical Romantic
Dramatic
Soft Dramatic
Classic
Soft Classic
Dramatic Classic
Natural
Soft Natural
Flamboyant Natural
Gamine
Soft Gamine
Flamboyant Gamine

Romantics

Romantic (R)

The romantic body type is the most feminine of all the body types, being on the extreme yin side of the spectrum. Because of this, feminine dresses will suit your body well, and harmonize with your lines.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look lovely on you this summer:

As you can see, all of these dresses have some waist emphasis, which will help show your curves. They’re all also made up of light, soft, feminine materials. These materials will help you stay cool during the summer, and will also complement your body.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Waist emphasis
• Soft and light fabrics
• Subtle draping or pleating
• Ruffles, bows, or other feminine details
• Small, rounded patterns

For more examples of romantic clothing, check out my Romantic Pinterest board.

Theatrical Romantic (TR)

Theatrical romantics have very feminine, dainty bodies, so going with a dress with similar attributes will make you look put together.

Here are some dresses that will look lovely on you this summer:

All of these dresses have some waist emphasis, as well as some feminine details such as ruffles, bows, and soft fabrics.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Waist emphasis
• Soft and light fabrics
• Subtle draping or pleating
• Delicate ruffles, bows, or other feminine details
• Small, rounded patterns

For more examples of theatrical romantic clothing, check out my Theatrical Romantic Pinterest board.

Dramatics

Dramatic (D)

The dramatic body type is on the far end of the yang side of the spectrum, making it the most masculine of the body types, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t rock a dress! You just have to find a dress that harmonizes with your long vertical line, and lean structure.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

All of these dresses have long, clean, vertical lines, which will complement your bone structure nicely. They’re also quite minimal, so they’ll pair well with any accessories and can be easily dressed up or down.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Long vertical line
• Solid color
• Minimal details
• Clean silhouette
• Geometric line

For more examples of dramatic clothing, check out my Dramatic Pinterest board.

Soft Dramatic (SD)

Soft dramatics have the angularity and length of dramatics, paired with very feminine flesh, which gives them a very womanly look. Wear a dress that also pairs length and angularity with femininity, and your style will look super cohesive.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

All of these dresses have long silhouettes, as well as some angularity to them, but they also have some femininity in the patterns, and in the slight waist emphasis.

Here’s a list of things that will make dresses look good on you:

• Long vertical line
• Large patterns
• Slight angularity in the cut
• Subtle draping
• Slightly over-sized

For more examples of soft dramatic clothing, check out my Soft Dramatic Pinterest board.

Classics

Classic (C)

The classic body type is a very moderate, even, and symmetrical one. Classics are right in between yin and yang on the spectrum of body types, and their bones are very balanced, so a clean and minimal look suits them best.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

These dresses are all simple, symmetrical, and have clean silhouettes. Patterns and busy details will look busy on you very quickly, so stick to solid colors if you want to play things safe.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Symmetry
• Clean silhouette
• Slight waist emphasis
• Solid colors
• Minimal details

For more examples of classic clothing, check out my Classic Pinterest board.

Soft Classic (SC)

Soft classics have bodies that are almost completely balanced between yin and yang, except they have slightly more yin than pure classics do, making their bodies slightly more feminine. Find a dress that matches your balanced energy, and you’ll always look put together.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

As you can see, all of these dresses are symmetrical, and have minimal details. They’re also made of feminine fabrics, and have a soft look to them, which will complement the soft femininity of your body.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Symmetry
• Minimal, but slightly feminine details
• Slight waist emphasis
• Soft fabrics
• Solid colors

For more examples of soft classic clothing, check out my Soft Classic Pinterest board.

Dramatic Classic (DC)

The dramatic classic body type is very moderate and symmetrical, but it has some slight yang energy to it, making it the more masculine of the classic body types. A dress that also has those qualities (simple, symmetrical, but slightly masculine) will suit a dramatic classic well.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

All of these dresses are simple, fairly symmetrical, and minimal looking. One of them does have a pattern to it, but the pattern is simple, geometric, and symmetrical, so it’ll give you a fun and playful look.

Here’s a list of qualities that will make a dress look good on you:

• Symmetrical
• Minimal details
• Geometric cut
• Solid colors
• Clean silhouette

For more examples of dramatic classic clothing, check out my Dramatic Classic Pinterest board.

Naturals

Natural (N)

Naturals have wide, blunt, and muscular bodies, giving them an energetic and fun vibe! Wearing a dress with the same sort of vibe will give you a cohesive look.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

These dresses are all loose, natural looking, and on the wide side, which will suit any natural. They also all have a form of pattern on them, with stripes and flowers. Other prints and patterns that will suit you are animal prints and botanical or floral patterns.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Natural materials or colors
• Loose fit
• Slightly geometric cut
• Minimal to no waist emphasis
• Square-ish silhouette

For more examples of natural clothing, check out my Natural Pinterest board.

Soft Natural (SN)

The soft natural body type is slightly wide and blunt, but with soft flesh and added femininity, which gives them a look that is best described as, well, softly natural! Dresses that are loose, soft, and made from natural materials will harmonize with your body’s lines.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

These dresses are all loose, have some waist emphasis, and are made from soft, natural looking materials.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Waist emphasis
• Loose fit
• Natural materials or colors
• Feminine details such as draping, ruffles, or bows
• Slightly geometric cut

For more examples of soft natural clothing, check out my Soft Natural Pinterest board.

Flamboyant Natural (FN)

Flamboyant naturals have wide and tall bodies, with generally muscular or broad figures. A dress that matches these lines will create a cohesive look on you.

Here are some examples of dresses that will suit you:

As you can see, these dresses all have some form of long vertical line, be it in the cut of the dress, or in the vertical stripes. They’re also loose and have a relaxed fit, as well as some slightly geometric shapes to the cuts.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Loose fit
• Natural materials or colors
• Square-ish or geometric shape
• Long vertical line
• No waist emphasis

For more examples of flamboyant natural clothing, check out my Flamboyant Natural Pinterest board.

Gamines

Gamine (G)

The gamine body type is a mix and match across the features. Some features are more yin, others are more yang, but the overall balance between the number of yin and yang features are about equal. This gives gamines a high energy look.

Wearing a dress that also has a high energy feel to it, and that’s a mix between yin and yang, will look cohesive with your body type.

Here are some dresses that will look good on you:

The first thing that these dresses have in common is a high neckline paired with a shorter skirt. This is because a high neckline really suits members of the gamine family. These dresses all also have some patterning on them. Gamines look great in patterns and prints, as it matches their energy!

The only thing missing from these dresses is some more color blocking. Gamines look their best when wearing blocks of multiple colors.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• High neckline
• Fitted (especially at the cuffs, waist, and neckline)
• Patterns or prints
• Color blocking
• Lots of details

For more examples of gamine clothing, check out my Gamine Pinterest board.

Soft Gamine (SG)

Soft gamines also have a mix and match of yin and yang features, however they have more yin features than yang. Like other members of the gamine family, soft gamines have a high energy look to their body, so a dress that matches will harmonize nicely.

Here are some examples of dresses that will look good on you:

These dresses all have high necklines and shorter skirts, as those proportions look good on members of the gamine family. Even though these dresses aren’t patterned, they are pretty detailed. The one thing that would make these dresses even better are some color blocks.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• Color blocks
• High neckline
• Patterns or prints
• Lots of small details
• Fitted (especially at the cuffs, waist, or neckline)

For more examples of soft gamine clothing, check out my Soft Gamine Pinterest board.

Flamboyant Gamine (FG)

The flamboyant gamine body type has a mix and match of yin and yang features, but with an overall yang balance. This gives them a high energy and edgy look, so a dress that matches will harmonize nicely with their features.

Here are some dresses that will look good on you:

As you can see, all of these dresses have high necklines, and pretty geometric cuts. They’re also made of stiffer materials, giving them a masculine, but gamine, look.

Here’s a list of things that will make a dress look good on you:

• High neckline
• Geometric cuts
• Color blocks
• Prints or patterns
• Stiffer fabrics

For more examples of flamboyant gamine clothing, check out my Flamboyant Gamine Pinterest board.

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And with that, this post comes to an end. If you have any blog post requests or questions about the Kibbe body types, feel free to leave me a comment.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a like or share it with someone else who’d enjoy it. Thank you and I hope that I’ll be seeing you around!