Mermaid Dress: 5 Reasons to Consider it! (2024)

FAQs

What are the benefits of a mermaid dress? ›

One of the main benefits of the mermaid silhouette is its ability to accentuate a bride's curves. The fitted bodice and flared skirt of a mermaid wedding dress are designed to hug the body in all the right places, creating a flattering and feminine shape.

A mermaid silhouette is fitted through the bodice and hips and it flares out at the bottom. The style is designed to highlight the curves of the body and create an hourglass shape. The bodice can be strapless, with sleeves, or feature a halter neck.

They Play up Natural Curves: Unlike ball gowns or A-lines, mermaid wedding dresses hug the chest and waist, which helps create an hourglass figure. Generally, the snug fit around the hips includes flattering tapering and ruching, and the fitted neckline complements the bust.

The dress will fit tightly around the bodice, waist, and hips, then flare into a dramatic skirt resembling a mermaid's tail. The snug fit of the dress is what gives it its unique and flattering silhouette. However, because of the close fit, the dress can be less comfortable to wear than looser-fitting styles.

In some cultures, the mermaid signifies life and fertility within the ocean. In others, she embodies the destructive nature of the water, luring sailors to their deaths — serving as an omen for storms, unruly seas and disaster.

A mermaid-style dress looks best on the hourglass, inverted triangle, or rectangle body shapes.

Mermaid silhouette

The mermaid wedding dress is perfect for the inverted triangle bodyshape, because it emphasizes all the right curves! But also an hourglass figure or a thin and tall body type will look great in the mermaid silhouette.

A mermaid is a creature with the characteristics and features of a human on the upper half of its body and a tail with scales on the bottom. They were also believed to have other animal characteristics depending on the region and country.

“Mermaid dresses suit curvy hourglass or muscular body shapes. They are ideal if you want a fitted dress all over the body but also with some volume in the skirt.” Not only does the fit-and-flare shape show off the contours of an hourglass figure but it also emphasises a woman's strong arms, thighs and derriere.

There aren't any significant differences between mermaid and fishtail wedding dresses! Both terms can be used interchangeably as the two silhouettes flare slightly above or below the knee. The skirt of fishtail shapes may be less voluminous and on the sleeker side, especially if it flares under the knee.

What is the history of the mermaid dress? ›

Origins of The Mermaid Silhouette

The elegant mermaid silhouette was a creation of the celebrated French courtier Marcel Rochas. He created this iconic silhouette during the 1930s. It became a very popular and widely adopted design choice due to its dramatic shape.

Mermaid wedding dresses have been a staple style for years. Perfect for showing off your curves, the tight-fitting bodice flares around the knee for a fishtail look, giving the silhouette its iconic name. A little bit sexy and always stunning, this fitted style can be soft and romantic or serve over-the-top drama.

The mermaid style is characterized by a fitted silhouette that hugs the body from the chest down to the knees or mid-thighs, where the skirt flares out into a dramatic mermaid “tail”. Mermaid dresses are usually made in stiffer fabrics like lace and satin, and sometimes even crepe.

Whilst there is never going to be the space and movement you would get in an a-line or ballgown wedding dress you can definitely still move around and walk in a mermaid dress.

I have a mermaid gown and can sit, bend down/over, dance, move around, eat and be myself in it. And it's fitted too.

The mermaid dress gets its name from its characteristic flared-out bottom, which resembles a mermaid fin. This style is designed to accentuate the curves of the female body by hugging the waist and chest and flaring out at the bottom, creating an hourglass figure or a “mermaid silhouette.”

The mermaid style is characterized by a fitted silhouette that hugs the body from the chest down to the knees or mid-thighs, where the skirt flares out into a dramatic mermaid “tail”. Mermaid dresses are usually made in stiffer fabrics like lace and satin, and sometimes even crepe.