How to Choose the Perfect Bridal Saree Based on Your Body Type?

November 13, 2024

Gossips

For any bride in India and among the Indian diaspora, choosing an exclusive piece of designer saree is of lifetime significance since the wedding appearance will live forever way down the memory lanes and photo albums. A bridal saree should be able to showcase tradition, elegance, and truly individual style in perfect flair. At the same time, picking the perfect one, you also need to pay attention to comfort, ease of movement, and styles that complement your body type. We provide some useful tips below if you find going through this maze of considerations challenging.

Know Your Body Type First

Going through different saree styles comes next. First, you need to know your specific body shape. Women worldwide fall into any of the following categories.

Apple Shape: This body type is characterized by broader shoulders, an extended bust, and a heavier waistline followed by comparatively slimmer legs and hips.
Pear Shape: The pear-shaped body features a slim upper part followed by broader hips and thighs.
Rectangle Shape: This body shape is more on the balanced side for the upper and lower parts and offers a straighter silhouette
Hourglass Shape: This body shape is characterized by a balanced bust and hips with a slim and well-defined waistline in the middle.
Petite Frame: This refers to mostly the small and slender body with a short-height silhouette.

Now we will explore the different bridal saree types for each body type. Let’s start.

Apple Shape Body

Women with an apple-shaped body have a fuller middle part, which requires choosing saree styles that keep attention away from the waist. They also need to choose sarees that make the shoulders and busts more prominent. Look for these tips.

Fabric: Pick lightweight saree fabrics like georgette, chiffon, or crepe that look flowing and do not catch attention to the midsection bulk.
Pallu Draping: Draping across the shoulder in reverse or pallu style helps you cover the midsection of the body easily.
Dark Colors and Minimalist Patterns: To appear slimmer you need to wear sarees in darker shades and choose options that feature minimal patterns around the waist.
Blouse with Structured Shoulders: Choose blouses with structured shoulders to feature the torso and neck more prominently and keep attention from the waist.

Pear-shaped Body

Pear-shaped women with curvy bottoms need to pick sarees that perfectly balance the upper and lower parts of the body. Here are some styling tips.

Saree Fabric: Pear-shaped women look best with heavy silk and brocade fabrics. By adding structure and weight to the bottom, the heavier fabrics ensure a more symmetrical look.
Nivi Drape: The Nivi drape fits this body type well as it draws attention to the upper body part.
Elaborate Upper Part Design: Women with this body type should opt for sarees with extensive work on the upper part contrasted by simple design or plain fabric for the bottom.
Designer Neckline: Since you need to draw attention to the upper body part, you can play with the neckline design. Choose a boat neck or detailed neckline design. To balance the look, you can also opt for long-sleeved blouses or three-quarter ones.

Rectangle-shaped Body

Rectangular body shapes lack curves and a well-defined waistline. Therefore, women with such body types need to pick sarees that can make them look more curvy. Generally, sarees with detailed design work and volume are best for such body shapes.

Voluminous Saree Fabrics: To add some curves and volume, you can choose heavier fabrics like silk, kanjeevaram, and tissue as the ideal saree fabrics.
Bengali Drape: For such a body shape, the Bengali drape style works best, as its flowing pleats can bring some curves and dimension. This drape style also ensures a full-bodied look by making the shoulders and pallu more prominent.
Bold Colors and Large Patterns: To add more dimension to the otherwise rectangle-shaped figure, you should opt for vibrant and bold colors and large design motifs. You can also make the curves visually more prominent by choosing horizontal lines all over in design.
Deep Back Blouse: To balance the look with a blouse choose a deep back cut. To add more dimension you can opt for detailed embroidery and go for ruffled sleeves or puffed sleeves.

Hourglass-shaped Body

Hourglass-shaped figures are the most balanced as they appear with a well-defined and sleek waistline balancing both upper and lower body parts. So, choose bridal sarees that complement this balanced figure by highlighting the waistline. Here are some tips.

Body-hugging Fabrics: Some fabrics such as chiffon, georgette, and satin closely hug the body curves and thereby showcase the waistline and balanced body shape. Choose a bridal saree made of any of these fabrics.
Mermaid Drape: The mermaid drape style keeps the fabric snugging around the waist and hip of your body. Women with hourglass figures can easily emphasize their defined waistline and body shape by opting for this drape style.
Bold Colors and Intricate Design: The styling palette is vast for such a body type, and you can switch between different designer styles. Bold colors and intricate design work can work best for bridal sarees for women with hourglass figures.
Fitted Blouse: Since the body shape deserves to be showcased rather than to be covered, you should choose a fitted blouse with like halter neck or deep neckline.

Petite Frame

Brides with small body shapes need to choose sarees that can make them appear elongated. By the same logic, they should also avoid styles that go overboard and overwhelm their figure.

Lightweight Saree Fabric: Since you should not choose anything that undermines your body shape, avoid heavier fabrics like silk and brocade and instead go for lightweight fabrics like georgette, crepe, and chiffon.
Slim Drape: For women with such small and short bodies, a slim and simple drape works well. You can also consider the Nivi drape that creates the illusion of an elongated body.
Solid Colors and Delicate Design: To complement the small stature, keep things on the minimalist side. Choose solid colors and delicate design motifs to avoid overwhelming the appearance. As for borders, opt for vertical lines to create the illusion of height.
High-neck & Sleeveless Blouse: Opt for a high-neck or sleeveless blouse to appear sophisticated and elegant. Choose shorter blouse lengths to add to the illusion of height.

Useful Tips for Picking Bridal Saree for Any Figure

Now that we have explained the specific tips and measures to choose bridal sarees based on the bride’s physical shape and figure, we should also spare some words on the important styling considerations for women of all body types.

Take the wedding venue and ambiance into consideration. The bridal saree for a beachside wedding should be lighter, while the same for a grand ballroom ambiance deserves a heavy silk saree.
Since brides need to wear the saree for several hours, comfort and ease of movement should also be a top priority.
Choose accessories and jewelry that gracefully complement your saree style without overwhelming the appearance.
Last but not least, always bring your fashion statement into the mix through customization. Opt for customizing the embroidery, threadwork, colors, and other design elements that suit your style.

Conclusion

While wearing something aesthetically appealing and graceful for a special occasion called a wedding is one thing, making it complement your body shape is another. Somewhere both ends need to meet to make the perfect bridal appearance. This is why knowing your body shape and the saree styles that look well with your natural silhouette is important.