Designer wedding gowns in Seattle, sorted the way a stylist sorts them.

Fitted bodice, and a skirt that widens from the natural waist in one line to the floor. No break at the hip. It skims instead of clinging, which is why it works for most venues and most walks, and why it is the first gown the stylist pulls for a bride who arrives with no silhouette in mind.

What changes from one A-line to the next is the fabric and how far the skirt opens. Silk crepe drops straight and reads modern. Layered tulle holds air and reads soft. Chantilly lace over a satin lining sits between the two and forgives the most in photographs. A narrow A-line in crepe is nearly a sheath. A wide one in tulle is halfway to a ball gown. Try both ends before you decide which you are.

The failure we see most: a waist seam sitting too low for the bride's frame, which shortens the leg line. We check it standing and sitting. A-line is also the easiest silhouette to alter, so a small fit problem on the sample is rarely a reason to walk away from it.

A straight line from shoulder to hem, cut close to the body with minimal seaming. Usually silk crepe or satin. It is the lightest gown in the shop and the least forgiving, and it reads beautifully at a courthouse or a dinner for twenty.

A silk crepe wedding dress shows everything underneath it. Undergarments are part of this fitting, not an afterthought. Bring smooth, skin-toned underwear with no seam lines. Arrive in a cotton pair with a waistband and the stylist will tell you, though the mirror will have told you first. Satin shows every line. A heavier crepe hides more and still moves.

Alterations on a close cut are fussier than on anything else, because taking in one seam pulls the grain across the whole panel. Leave room for an extra fitting. If your date is under six months away, this is often the silhouette the stylist pulls first, since there is less construction to wait for.