• Raised waistlines focus attention on the bust.female hands on hips in dress image by David Winwood from Fotolia.com
  
  The waistline of a garment is the line between the upper and lower parts. While many dresses and other garments place this line at the natural waist, fashion provides a number of other variations. These accentuate different parts of the garment and the wearer's body. Most people are flattered by specific types of waistlines, but don't look their best in others. Knowing the available options and which ones are best for each body type makes clothes shopping much simpler.
  
  

Natural Waist

• Garments with a natural waistline are designed to sit at the smallest point on the body. According to the Soko.com, a lifestyle website, most women's natural waists are located about two inches above the navel. However, the exact position of the waist varies by person. The Soko recommends garments with a natural waistline for people with an hourglass figures, but suggests that it makes wide hips look even broader. According to Apparel Search, a natural waistline may appear to cut the figure in half, making the wearer look shorter.
  
  

Raised Waist

• A raised waistline is located above the natural waist, sometimes by as little as an inch. One popular type of raised waist is the Empire waistline. Named after its popularity during the Napoleonic period, this style cuts horizontally across the figure, just below the bust. According to Greatest Look, raised waistlines can help camouflage a thick waist or pregnancy and can hide flaws in the lower body. They also draw attention to the bust and give an illusion of added height. They may be unsuitable for the large-busted, and for those with wide hips, which can distort the lines of the garment.
  
  

Dropped Waist

• This waistline starts a few inches below the natural waist, often falling to the upper hip. According to Apparel Search, it creates a longer-looking torso and can add an impression of height. Longer-torsoed people may wish to avoid this style, as it may make the upper body look disproportionately long. Dropped-waist garments are often loose in the upper body, as in styles popular in the 1920s, but may be fitted.
  
  

Basque

• Basque waistlines are V or U-shaped, with the sides starting at the natural waist and the front dropping several inches below. This type of waistline is normally closely fitted and provides the illusion of a very small waist. It also draws attention away from the hips and creates the appearance of an elongated torso. According to Greatest Look, however, basque waists may be unflattering on people with an even hip to waist ratio, and can draw attention to a protruding lower belly.
  
  

Asymmetrical

• Also called a diagonal waistline, this style cuts across the body. The highest point is often above the natural waistline, and the lowest may be at or below the natural waistline. According to Greatest Look, asymmetrical waists work well on thick-waisted people, but may cause short people to look even shorter.