This week's question comes from BlogHer's own Catherine Morgan, from the comments on last week's post about postpartum dressing.

I would love it if you did a post on the wrap dress! I've been wanting to get one for a while now, but am not completely sure if the style would be good for me. But, if you say an "hourglass" shape can carry it off...then I would love to know more...stripes, prints, solids???? What is best for: not tall, needs to lose a few pounds, hourglass shape...oh, and on a budget? And, what if I did lose ten pounds after buying it...Would it still fit since it is a wrap?

Also...Would a wrap dress be good for the big BlogHer Conference in July? It's my first time, so I'm not sure what to wear. I can use all the help I can get.

I love wrap dresses; they are flattering and practical and comfortable. Diane Von Furstenberg has been making wrap dresses for decades, first introducing it in 1973. The DVF wrap dress is still the gold standard of wrap dresses. The one pictured here is available at Nordstrom for $325.00.

A wrap dress is the perfect go-to piece for a variety of functions; it is equally appropriate for work or play. You can wear it with boots or flats or peep-toe pumps, with a sweater or a shawl or a tailored trench. A wrap dress can go easily from day to night, from the office to a parent-teacher conference to happy hour with your girlfriends. The wrap dress is classic and will never go out of style. And yes, Catherine, a wrap dress would be perfect for BlogHer.

There are two basic styles of wrap dress: the real wrap, which actually wraps around you and ties at the side, and the faux wrap, which pulls on over your head but LOOKS like it wraps. Faux wraps either have a panel in the front that is detached and can be tied to the dress or have a sash that ties over the dress. Either style will have the V neck and the diagonal line across the front. Wrap dresses have a fairly deep V neckline; if you're not comfortable with this, layer the dress over a pretty silk or lace camisole for extra coverage, or, if you prefer, pin the V closed.

In theory, everyone can wear a wrap dress, but not every wrap dress will look great on every body. Women with curvy figures--with breasts and thighs and yes, even stomachs and hips--look best in wrap dresses, for a couple of specific reasons. The diagonal line of the wrap draws attention away from the stomach at the same time that the V neck shows your cleavage off and pulls the eye up toward your face. A wrap dress makes a larger figure look proportioned and voluptuous. If you wear a plus size, Nordstrom has a wonderful selection of wrap dresses.

If you're not curvy, the wrap dress can still work for you. Choose a style that fits close to the body and has some structure on it's own, rather than relying on your body to give it structure. I am very flat chested and I find that a faux wrap looks better on me; true wrap dresses never wrap correctly over my wee little chest. Taller women can opt for longer skirts--say just below the knee--while shorter women should choose a hemline that hits above the knee. Think too about heel hight; a wrap dress really looks best with a heel, but again keep it in proportion to your size and your hem length. A higher heel is better with a longer hem, while a shorter hemline looks best with a low heel or a pointy-toed flat.

Catherine asked about prints; obviously, I love a print wrap dress (see above, which I totally wish I owned). Any print on any dress (or skirt or blouse or--) should be in proportion to your size; in other words, if you are very petite, stick with a smaller print. The wrap dress is, inevitably, a little bit of a 70s throwback, and I am all in favor of playing that up, particularly now that 70s style is back in vogue. Bright colors and geometric prints are wonderful choices for a wrap dress, as long as you are comfortable in them. Catherine could also opt for a black and white print or a solid color dress; the pattern is less important than the fit of the dress.

Catherine asked if a wrap dress would still fit if she lost ten pounds and the answer, sadly, is probably not, or at least not well. Ten pounds is most often a difference of two sizes (say from a 14 to a 10) which is a lot; a dress that is two sizes larger than what you really wear is TOO BIG. Keep in mind that you should dress the body you have RIGHT NOW, because losing weight or getting in shape or just finding peace with your body is easier when your clothes fit and flatter you. If Catherine is looking for a dress specifically for BlogHer and is hoping to lose a few pounds between now and July, she should wait to shop for the dress.

So what should Catherine look for as she shops? She wants to find a dress that fits well in the shoulders and across the chest, without pulling or gaping. She wants to find a dress that she can stand and sit and reach and lean over in, without feeling like she is going to tumble out. She wants to find a color and a print that make her feel happy and relaxed.

Susan Wagner writes about fashion at Friday Style and everything else at Friday Playdate. She is already fretting about what she will wear to BlogHer.