Twelve Fabulous Frocks to Flatter Your Tummy

What is the strange phenomenon that occurs in us women after our 50^th birthday?

What hormonal change or slight down-shift in abdominal crunches gives us that little bump around the belly-button area, AKA “a tummy”?

You know, the little (or not so little) bit of belly flab those perfidious celebrity magazines point to with accusatory arrows if a celeb is sporting even a hint of flab.

Once upon a time, we had a flat tummy. Maybe, if we had babies, we regained a flat tummy only after a lot of sit-ups.  As the years passed, many of us went to the gym or a yoga class and we kept a flat tummy. Then in our 50s despite our best efforts (perhaps despite a regular Pilates class) we found we had acquired a tummy. Or perhaps a “tummy” bump has been with us, ooh, forever.

Either way, here are some great dresses with ways to disguise a tummy. And don’t miss Style Tips to hide a tummy, at the foot of the page.

Drape and knot

Whether you are straight or curvy, a new tummy can be an unwelcome surprise.  A little bit of gathering or draping across the abdomen can work wonders to conceal the little bump!

Volume to disguise

Another clever way to hide that belly bulge or camouflage that tum is to choose a dress with some volume, even a full skirt, often called a skater skirt. (Just to clarify, skater skirts have changed. Once, they were short, even mini, but skater skirt now means any type of wide, full skirt, often midi).

It is counter-intuitive to wear a fuller skirt if you have a tummy and/or are a bit of a pear, but it really works. It cleverly disguises a tummy-bulge and hips or bottom at the same time.

Here are great dresses with volume, including two super chic and grown-up dresses with a skater skirt.

More Tricks to Camouflage

These dresses can all help camouflage or draw the eye away from the tummy:

1. Dresses with a cape or blouson top where the top falls softly to cover the waistline.

2. Dresses with a generous Bardot frill or layer. This one is especially good as it has no waistline.

3. A dress in a dark print. A dark print can hide a multitude…

4. A dress with trailing fabric or soft waterfall down the front.

Style tips 

1. Take the focus (and the eye) away from your tummy. Do this by wearing a fabulous statement necklace or statement earrings. Or, achieve the same effect with a fabulous scarf looped, tied or draped around your neck.
2. Avoid any dress described as “body-con”
3. A high waistline that skims over your natural waist can be very flattering.
4. Avoid anything very fitted into the natural waistline as that will emphasise a tummy.
5. Also, try to avoid wearing a dress that is even slightly tight over the waist and abdomen. That could mean buying up a size (or even two sizes). We realise that could make the top half of a dress too big – also not good – so we suggest finding a local dressmaker/tailor or perhaps a local dry-cleaner which does alterations. They can take in what needs taking in to ensure a perfect fit.
6. A wide, soft belt that sits just above the hips can disguise a bumpy tum. (This works best if your hips are slim. It isn’t such a good strategy for “pears”).

Do you have any ‘tummy disguises’ to share?  We love to hear your comments in the section below…