Dress your shape - Hourglass
All about you
You own a beautiful neat waist and in-proportion hips and bust line. Your shoulders and hips are roughly the same width when viewed from behind (if your hips are wider you might be a pear, and if your shoulders are wider remember that inverted triangles can often look like hourglasses due to their small waists). Your shoulders likely have a slightly softness to them, rather than being angular - indeed, yours is a shape made up of curves, rather than sharp corners. Remember that hourglasses can be petite as well as more voluptuous - this is about shape, not size.
Your biggest strength is your neat waist and curves. Regardless of your size, make sure your waist is highlighted - clothes that are baggy all the way down will swamp you. Your cleavage is a great asset too, but generally needs to be balanced by a longer hemline (I mean not-mini, rather than ankle length here!) to keep the look modern and stylish.
You might sometimes feel that dressing your curves is a tricky balance between matronly or mutton dressed as lamb, and flattering your curves in more casual clothes can also be tricky, but we're here to show you the pieces that can form the backbone of your beautiful hourglass wardrobe.
Your best styles
- Those which follow your curves!
- Fitted jersey tops paired with bottom halves which follow and honour your curves (flippy skirts, relaxed fit trousers, less masculine tailoring).
- Fitted shirts can work well too - try them buttoned to under-bust with a contrasting camisole for a more casual look.
- Waist and hip ruching can emphasise and maximise your amazing curves.
- A wrap or cardigan can really highlight your curves, as long as it's cut to swish and glide over your curves rather than standing away boxily.
- Dresses can look amazing on your in-proportion body. Look for styles with lower necklines and which follow your natural curves.
Avoid
- Anything boxy, top or bottom half.
- Baggy clothes will drown you.
- Extreme skinny leg styles can be tricky, emphasising your curves without flattering them.
- Styles with really high necklines - break them up with scarves or accessories.
- Hemlines that are too short will throw your proportions out.
Our favourites for the Hourglass body shape
Marine Navy Long Sleeve Faux Wrap | Lime Jodi Square Neck | Dark Ivy Vickie V Sweater | Burnished Gold Cotton Pima V
And remember, almost all of our styles are in jersey, knit or other stretch fabrics, which means that many of them can be styled for almost any body shape. This means that you shouldn't be afraid to experiment with styles outside of the recommendations above; something completely different might be perfect for your unique combination of lifestyle, body shape, face shape, and attitude to life!
If you want some in-person advice from the experts, why not book into our Colour Studio and let one of the Kettlewell Stylist team help you find your best styles? Body confidence guaranteed!
To read about the other body shapes, use the links below:
