Cardigan Empire

Salt Lake City Fashion Stylist

How to Dress an Hourglass Body Type (Curvy)

Cardigan Empire the Movie, climaxes with
The Hourglass

Thanks to Float Away Films for filming, editing, and making these beautiful films

How to measure: waist/hip and waist/bust ratio less than .75;
hip and bust measurements within 2 inches of each other;

Grab your spectacles and click your mouse to read more here.

 

click to supersize

exemplary hourglasses:
kendi, kendi everyday
christina hendricks
naomi, love taza
sofia vergara

Nominate your favorite hourglass entities in the comments.

Not
Hourglass (Curvy)

Try
Upper Figure (Ample Bust)
Middle Figure (Soft Tummy)
Lower Figure (Full Hip, Bottom)
Linear (Straight, Athletic)
Measure (Get Started)

Want a professional opinion?  Purchase your own body type consultation below.

VIRTUAL BODY TYPE CONSULTATION $20
Discover which body type and which silhouettes and shape are the most and least flattering for your figure. Completely virtual based on pictures and digital survey.

Comments

  1. I think Kendi might be my long lost body double. And for any doubters out there, yes, hourglasses do “have their own jar of pickles.”

  2. Oh my god, why did you pick such hideous prints for that poor woman?

  4. Hello Rachel! Thanks for your awesome Blog! I loved the dress and cardi. That was pretty. Do you think Straight Leg, Boot leg, Wide Legs are the best offers of leg cuts too for Hour Glass?

  5. Dear 30SomethingDeb,

    Straight cuts are the most universally flattering legline out there. They would definitely work for an hourglass. Bootcuts offer a nice balance at the ankle for a curvy hip. Very skinny jeans can be tricky for an hourglass since they force a comparison between a wider hip and a much narrower ankle. I prefer a more moderate trouser leg to a full wide leg since that much fabric can be overwhelming on an already curvy figure.

    Hope that helps 🙂
    Reachel

  6. I found your website through a friend that paid for one of your styling sessions and I am SO glad! This opened my eyes because I’ve always felt like I was an upper figure and lower figure and thought that you had to be one or the other and was always confused and felt left out. It also made me feel that because I had a full bust and full waist that I was just a big fatty. I’m glad to have found out that I’m an hourglass and will take confidence in my new-found body type! HOORAY!

  7. Thanks for great help with my figure!! I have naturally wider hips but a very small waste, I was always confused as to which category I feel under. So thank you very much!! 🙂

    • So happy to be of help!

  8. But! But! There is an important distinction between x hourglass and 8 hourglass. For years, I thought I was a pear because my angle-y frame couldn’t possibly be the voluptuous curvy soft dream that the hourglass is supposed to be. Alas! Shoulder-hip ratio changed my life! Don’t leave me and my fellow x-ies out!

    • Point being: I would look like a drag queen if I dressed according to your advice. It’s a lovely look but not the one I’m going for.

      • Ha, ha. And regarding the drag queen, that usually has more to do with signature style. I love modern, draped, possibly asymmetrical shapes on architectural hourglasses. It’s definitely different than the traditional hourglass recommendations. 🙂

    • Hi Susie, I completely agree. You are what I call an architectural hourglass or someone with broad shoulders and hips but not necessarily a full chest. I do analyze hip and shoulder breadths in my consultations, because I agree it makes a big difference. So x hourglass, architectural hourglass, it really is the same thing, but I agree very important. Thanks for commenting!

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