I had 4 friends in my living room try on 4 wedding guest dresses. Each is a different body type. Here's what each one wanted.
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I told my friends to come over on a Sunday. I had 4 wedding guest dresses laid out — the most popular ones in my store. I asked each of them to come wearing whatever makes them feel like themselves. We took photos. None of them wanted their face on the internet so I'm not sharing.
What I will share: what each body type reacted to and what each dress did on real bodies. Their actual words.
The 4 women
- Friend A: pear, 5'5", size 8 (smaller top, wider hips)
- Friend B: apple, 5'7", size 12 (midsection weight, smaller legs)
- Friend C: hourglass, 5'6", size 10 (defined waist + balanced)
- Friend D: rectangle, 5'4", size 6 (similar bust/waist/hip)
All coming up on 2026 weddings.
The Flowy Shift Dress ($26.99)
Friend A (pear): "The V-neck pulls my eye up so I don't feel like the dress is all hip." She would buy. Worth $27.
Friend B (apple): "This looks like a nightgown on me. Where is my waist?" She passed.
Friend C (hourglass): "No shape. The shift killed my waist definition."
Friend D (rectangle): "I like that there's no belt. I hate belts. But I'm not sure it photographs as 'wedding.'"
2 of 4 bought it. A and D.
The Faux Wrap Sundress ($29.99)
Friend A (pear): "The empire makes my hips disappear. That is the dream."
Friend B (apple): "The wrap top defines right under my bust, which is exactly where I want it defined." She bought it.
Friend C (hourglass): "It's fine but my actual hourglass benefit isn't being used. I'd want a sheath."
Friend D (rectangle): "The empire creates a waist where I don't have one. I'm into it."
3 of 4 bought or considered.
The Work Sheath Midi ($32.39)
Friend A (pear): "The knee length is great but I'm shaped like a triangle so a sheath reads matronly to me."
Friend B (apple): "The V-neck front and back is doing work. I look 5 lbs lighter. Bought it."
Friend C (hourglass): "This is the one. Made for me. Bought it."
Friend D (rectangle): "It's too structured. I want drape."
2 of 4 bought it.
The Velvet Wrap Bodycon ($39.99)
Friend A (pear): "The bodycon shows the pear-shape. I would wear it but I'm self-conscious."
Friend B (apple): "The ruching hides everything I want to hide. Didn't realize that until I tried it." Bought it.
Friend C (hourglass): "Form-fitting and hourglass is a match. Bought a second color."
Friend D (rectangle): "Without curves this dress makes me look straight up and down. Skipped."
2 of 4 bought it.
What I learned on a Sunday
I have spent 11 years writing SEO copy about which dress fits which body. I had no idea if I was right until 4 real women stood in my living room and said "this one" or "not this one."
Things my SEO copy got wrong:
- "A-line works on all body types" — A liked it, D didn't. Not all body types.
- "Belted waist is flattering for rectangle shapes" — D told me she hates belts.
- "Empire waist on apple shapes is universally flattering" — B liked it. That's 1 out of 1 women. Not statistically meaningful.
If you've read product copy from aph rattti.com and decided against a dress because the marketing said "this is for X body shape" and you thought "but I'm not X body shape," try it anyway. The Sunday test told me the body-shape copy is half wrong.
I'm going to start writing less product copy. Spend more time on the next dress and not the SEO blog about the existing one.
— Aphratti, 1 person, aphratti.com, Guangzhou factory, Shopify 1.5 years.