Ruched and Pleated Bridesmaid dresses

Pleating and ruching can be a bridemaid’s best companion. These textural elements draw attention to where you want it, and away from areas you don’t. Loose ruching (shown below) can be very complementary on fuller figures because it creates a natural flow in the dress. Pleats, particularly ones with a lot of structure like the blade pleats above, are perfect for particular sports body types that need to find the illusion of an hourglass figure. The most famous example of this? Kate Middleton. She's got smaller body, in like manner balance her enviable figure out she dons fit and short lace bridesmaid dresses with pleats. But first, let’s get down to basics. You may be wondering what exactly “ruching” is.

Think of ruching as something in between loose records and pleats. For example, if you look at the Lace Spaghetti Strap Knee Length Sheath Column Bridesmaid Dress below, you’ll notice that at the waistline the fabric is gathered together. The effect is a ruched skirt. Ruching can also run horizontally on bodices, but most of the examples you will see here feature top to bottom details. The great thing about top to bottom ruching? It draws your eye down, creating a longer silhouette. This dress (below) features both top to bottom and side to side ruching. The bodice is gathered in a separate direction than the fabric at the middle. This does a couple of complementary things, particularly for apple-shaped figures. First, the detail is in the top of the dress, drawing eyes away from troublesome areas like the stomach or body. Second, the skirt is heavily ruched enough that it shouldn’t cling too much (as long as you have the correct fit). A simple ruched dress like the one above would work well on more tiny ladies, whereas the heavily ruched sheath below would be fantastic on women with an hourglass shape.

 I’m not going to lie to you. The navy dress below isn’t meant for everyone. It takes a insane amount of confidence to display. But if you’ve started using it, flaunt it. The ruching around the flared component to this dress adds tons of volume and va-va-voom. This dress below may be one of the best bridesmaid dresses, ever. And for those who are with sauna and particular sports figures, it was suitable for you. These sharp blade pleats are 0% forgiving to those of us with fuller figures, but create instant shape to those of you who wants to look a little more bootylicious, thankyouverymuch. The combination of the blouson bodice with the boatneck-halter neckline and the amazing coral shade is pure effortless chic. Blade pleats can be wide (above) or so sharp that they are almost very small (below). No matter which they are, please keep in mind that they are a little high maintenance in the transport department. Ask your marriage salon for advice on how to keep them at their sharpest (different fabrics will require different care).