Some of the most popular contemporary silhouettes for wedding dresses and other gowns include: A-line, above-the-knee, column, empire, meringue, mermaid, princess, and trumpet.
-A-line, A dress or skirt silhouette is narrower at the top, flaring gently wider toward the bottom thereby looking like the letter A. Works well on most figure types; good for disguising bottom-heavy figures.
-Above-the-knee: Can be recognized by their tent-like silhouettes, hemmed short above the knee.
-Column (in fashion): a column dress is similar to a sheath dress, a kind of gown designed to tightly fit the body. It is often made of a very light thin material like cotton or silk, and rarely contains any flourishes. This sort of dress typically falls around the knees or lower thighs, and can be either strapped or strapless.
-Empire: type of dress where the waist line is raised above the natural waistline, sometimes as high as right below the bust.
-Meringue: Characterized by a very full skirt that begins at the waist and continues to a formal length. It has a full bodice and a cinched waistline that falls into a full skirt.
-Mermaid: My favourite one. The mermaid dress is close fitting through the bodice, down through the hips and to below the knees where the skirt flares out.
-Princess: Designed to hang in smooth, close-fitting, unbroken lines from shoulder to flared hem.
-Trumpet: A straight skirt with a hem flounce that flares away from the body at the hem.
