The tacky bridesmaid dress can almost be considered a right of passage. But do you really want your friends to have another expensive dress in their closets that they can never wear again?

Don't let a dress wear them... out. Bridesmaids have enough to worry about: Bridal showers, being at your beck and call, and who can forget the ever elusive bachelorette party? Do you really want them to be spending those efforts wondering if they look fat in a dress on your big day?

These simple hints will have your bridesmaids’ dresses looking modern yet classy, avoiding tulle at all costs. These dresses will prove that less is more, classy is classic and frills don't always flatter every body type. After all, your bridesmaids will want to wear these dresses more than once in their lives.

The recipe to avoid dress disasters is to pick a dress that flatters most—if not every—body type. But how do you know what your bridesmaids want? “The most common request from bridesmaids-to-be is for styles that cover the stomach and minimize the hips,” says Catalina Maddox, David’s Bridal’s style expert. “Our advice is to choose an empire waist style, with a soft a-line or ball-gown skirt. This silhouette is very forgiving to any type of body, and will focus the eye on the shoulders and face of the bridesmaid.”

If you opt for long gowns for your friends, suggest to them that they can always get them hemmed. Your bridesmaids will love that they can wear their dresses from the altar to the hotspot, and will feel like they’ve actually saved a bundle. After all, altering a dress costs a lot less than buying a new one!

Sounds easy enough. But you will also want to stick with what’s hot now, fashion wise. This might seem strange, but think metallic undertones.

Maddox adds, “For bridesmaids, metallics are often translated in shades of Pewter, Bisque, Platinum and Copper, accented with timeless classics like Black, Marine and Truffle, all of which are appropriate for any season.”

Sounds perfect, but dress selection isn’t as easy as it sounds. Not only do you have colors and styles to choose from, but fabric, as well. Maddox advises, “Choosing the right fabric is also important. Fabrics like satin lamour, faille and taffeta are perfect, figure-flattering options because they don’t drape too close to the body and provide a nice silhouette.”

If you don’t want your bridesmaids to look like clones as they walk down the aisle, try the same dress in different shades of the same color family, or different dress styles in the same color. As long as there is some sort of symmetry, your bridal party will look like they came from the catwalk, not the bridal shop.

The key is to keep reminding your bridesmaids of their options. Tell them if they add those cute belts to their dresses, they can use the same belts with their favorite skinny jeans, too. They’re a little self conscious of showing skin? Suggest knit shrugs or bolero jackets to complement the dresses. She can later wear the hot trend with a sleek new dress for a date with her potential Mr. Right. “This option is perfect for a bridesmaid who would like a little bit of coverage while maintaining a fashion-forward style, as the jacket can be removed after the ceremony for two looks in one,” Maddox mentions.

Though this is your big day, you still want your friends to feel comfortable and confident. Now they just need to coordinate and make sure they don’t wear their dresses out on the same night…