A Beginner"s Guide to Beauty Pageant Dresses and Gowns

By: Tiffany Hansenn

When it comes to beauty pageants, everyone knows that pageant dresses and gowns can make or break a contestant. Choosing the best pageant dress is critical to ensuring that you have given the competition your very best effort. Along with exuding self-confidence, poise, and grace your choice of pageant gown may be the determining factor of how the judges score your performance. It is important that you make the decision of what gown you will wear carefully.

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a pageant dress is color. When choosing the color of your dress, it is important to understand what colors look best with your natural skin tone and hair color. Certain colors are more flattering to the wearer then others and you should never choose a dress simply because it is your favorite color. You may find that working with a pageant trainer is the best way to develop your eye for shades and ensure that you choose pageant dresses that compliment and enhance your skin and hair tones, rather then work against them.

Knowing your body shape is vitally important when selecting a dress. Always choose a dress that compliments your shape. If you are long waisted, then don�t choose a dress that has a short waist line, and vice versa. You will also need to consider how revealing you want your dress to be. Judges may look unfavorably upon some dresses that are too low cut or have excessively high slits. Knowing what the judges are looking for is crucial for making your decision. It is also important to follow any rules and guidelines set forth in the pageant competition.

The season that the pageant is hosted in is also an important factor to consider when choosing a pageant gown. Different colors are associated with certain seasons and it is important to choose a color that is appropriate for that time of year.

You will also need to ensure that the dress fits perfectly. If it is too tight around the bust or too loose, you may end up forfeiting the win. You will also need to determine what type of neckline your pageant gown should have. Your natural figure and shape will determine what type of neckline will look best on you. The neckline should also compliment as well as enhance your shoulders.

Knowing your body type and choosing a dress that enhances your best features is essential to winning beauty pageants. You will also need to be wary of choosing a dress that has too many patterns or extra detailing. If the gown looks too �busy� the judges may not be impressed and you may walk away with a very low score. Studying past pageants may help you decide what the judges are looking for when it comes to pageant gowns. You want to make sure that you choose a gown that looks smashing, but not trashy. Choosing gowns that compliment your skin tone, don�t reveal too much flesh, and have tasteful patterns contribute to ensuring that you will look poised and graceful in your next pageant.

About the author:

Tiffany Hansenn is a contributor to a leading beauty pageant advice website. The website features pageant tips and beauty pageant dresses.