Flattering Little Black Dresses for Every Shape

Play up your figure’s best asset—your waist? your legs?—in this holiday party staple.

Dress to Play Up Your Arms

Look for: Strapless, asymmetrical, halter, or racerback cuts. Sleeveless styles, like the sheath here, and spaghetti straps bare and flatter arms. Cap sleeves are best on the thin-limbed, since they hit at the widest part of the upper arm. “Sheer or lace sleeves are also a trendy way to show off arms—and stay warm,” says Lindsay Albanese, a celebrity stylist based in New York City.

Avoid: Long, blousy sleeves, in which the shape of your arms will get lost. If you have broad shoulders, pass up a strapless cut in favor of a halter or an asymmetrical one, since these help break up width.

Dress by Calvin Klein. Enzo Angiolini heels. Sequin earrings. Banana Republic necklace and clutch.

See the evolution of the little black dress: Click here for a gallery of LBDs through the decades.