The Hourglass

The first things we consider as personal stylists when redoing someone’s wardrobe are what the client’s best colors are and what their body type is. Knowing how to dress for your body type can eliminate a lot of frustration when shopping and also teach you how to love the body you’re in. This is crucial, especially nowadays with influencer culture. The likelihood that your favorite influencer has your body type is slim, making it difficult to purchase something they recommend and have it look the same on you. Looking to them as style inspiration is fine, but you have to couple it with knowing what works and what doesn’t work for the body you’re currently in. We are putting an emphasis on this currently because you can’t base your body type on what you looked like in high school or what you might look like after you lose 20 lbs. When determining your body type today, you have to be real with your current you. And remember, clothing size doesn’t matter. A person who wears a size 2 can have the same body type as a person who wears a 16. 

It’s your time to shine hourglasses. Today’s blog is for you. A big thing to note is that most women are not hourglasses. It is very rare to be a true hourglass, and yet it is the body type all the other types are trying to achieve. Meaning, the hourglass is naturally balanced and symmetric. The width of the shoulder-bust area and the hips are the same across with an extremely defined waist in the middle, If the waist is not snatched and easily identifiable, then you are not an hourglass. Here are a few celebrity examples:

How To Dress this body type

When dressing an hourglass, there aren’t many no no’s to the necklines you can wear. V-necks, scoop necks, sweetheart necklines, boatnecks, off-the-shoulder, and collars are all fair game for you. Bottoms are the same. However, the structure of the clothing items you choose has to be very specific. Most of the items in your closet have to have some type of stretch. Please avoid stiffer fabrics, especially on the bottom, because it does nothing for your curves and will sit on top of the body making you look shapeless and boxy. You want a little bit of give in your fabrics. Most boxy things aren’t going to work for you. 

A true hourglass looks phenomenal in a simple bodycon moment. Because your body is balanced, you don’t need to do too much to make it look its best usually. Finding a high quality fabric in your magic color would be stunning for this body type. And there are plenty of other style dresses that can suit you well. Not much is off the table.

Again, there you wear almost any silhouette pant or skirt. Something preferably fitted through the thighs is best. You want your clothes to sit over your curves smoothly and highlight what’s already there. Something like this would be fun on an hourglass because it hugs the upper part of the body, yet still has a subtle interest to the bottom that won’t throw your balanced proportions off.

Any neckline for a top is suitable. Explore and have fun. But remember, your body is symmetrical so even a fitted pair of denim and a high quality is tank with good accessories is going to work really well on your body type. Just make sure the items you choose have some give and stretch to them, otherwise, you’ll find that you will look much bigger than you really are. Those stiffer fabrics will suit on the widest points of your body and hide your snatched waist.

pieces to avoid

Some stiffer styles that won’t work for your body type are the long denim skirts. Most of them wont have enough stretch to compliment your natural curves. A billowy shirt like this is also not a great idea because it will just sit on top of your body, making you look frumpy. A straight, stiff, shift dress is also not your friend. You’ll end up looking much wider than you actually are.

There is also one last thing to note about the hourglass body type. Because of your hip-to-waist ratio, you’ll find that many bottoms will fit snug through the thighs but have gapping around the waist. It can be frustrating when shopping but is very common for this body type. You will often have to get your clothes tailored in order to fix this issue. It’s the trade-off for having such a naturally snatched waist, but there’s nothing quite like having a garment that fits your body perfectly.

Summary

No one’s body type is easy to dress. Each one has its pros and cons. The only thing to do is learn the tips and tricks to dressing your body type. The goal is make you look your best in the current body you have. Once you figure this out, your style will elevate beyond what you could’ve believed. For the hourglass, you really want to avoid stiff fabrics and boxy structures as this will make you look shapeless and bigger than you truly are. Other than that, feel free to play and explore with necklines, colors, patterns, and pant types. Just know that most of the items you own need to have some stretch and give to them. Good luck shopping!