Good brands for hourglasses?

[LtheWife]

I inherited my grandmothers shape and I've always struggled to find clothing to fit my hourglass figure. I always thought i must be being particularly fussy, but i'm feeling particularly disheartened today after a House of Fraser personal shopping session. I must have tried on close to 45 different outfits and only found 2 items which actually fit! It actually got to the stage where the personal shopper was willing to forego any commission and was suggesting I tried elsewhere!

Dresses were a particular nightmare, it would seem I need a 10 to accommodate my bust, a 12 for my hips (unless it's a stretch material I which case I can get away with a 10) but need to go down to an 8 for my waist. Loose styles seemed to emphasise my biggest bits whilst swamping everything else and made me look huge so definitely need to stick to more tailored dresses.

Tops were also a problem, if they fit at the bust they tended to be huge at the waist and/or stop right at the fullest point of my hips making them look so much wider!

Does anyone have any suggestions for good brands to try? Or do I just need to bite the bullet, buy everything in a 12 and find a good tailor to carry out alterations?

Perhaps try Phase Eight - I don't like much in there and some of it is very frumpy but there are v occasional nice things.

Or try pencil skirts with very plain scoop neck t-shirts.

But the range you REALLY need is Vivienne Westwood Anglomania.

And Oasis for jeans.

have you seen this before sizes.darkgreener.com/ I'm not sure how accurate it is but might be worth a go :)

I'll keep an eye on Phase Eight, but since it has become my mothers go to range I'm a little wary of it!

Pencil skirts work well but I don't often get a chance to wear heels these days (work from home when I'm not on site, then it's purely practical clothing and footwear for running around and shifting stuff).

I think it's the everyday casual outfits I struggle with the most. I don't mind paying for alterations for more special outfits, but I definitely begrudge it for everyday wear. I'm just fed up with having a wardrobe full of poorly fitted clothes. Think I might just have to learn how to alter patterns and sew my own clothes!

Thanks for the link KittyBump, I'll give it a go.

Deffo try Oasis for jeans and perhaps for khaki casual trouser thingies.

have you tried bravissimo?

You might want to try www.dressipi.com.

You enter all your measurements and they come up with suggestions.

Having said that, I have done this but I have not ordered anything based on the recommendations yet.

I've been playing with Dressipi this evening - it seems to think that all I want to wear is black blazers! And it keeps recommending stuff from Forever 21 and Next, even though I've told it I hate them. Grrrr.

It is a fun site though - well worth a play.

Phase eight, Vivienne westwood.

Marilyn Moore

Day Birger Mikkelsen

Benetton and Sisley

Some Zara

Some Mango

Ie look for European brands, especially Italian, avoid any English brands like te plague, as they come up soooo boxy! the only English brands I can wear are DP for skinny jeans, marilyn moore and Phase 8.

Yay - someone already recommended Dressipi! :o

Just keep clicking "like" and "dislike" until it learns yur taste, my suggestions are much better now.

Reading with interest as another hourglass who is struggling to find tops. I have just discovered Pepperberry and have bought one of their dresses, which I wore to a party and received many compliments about how much weight I'd lost (amazing what happens when you finally show your waist off). They have more coming out tomorrow and 26th March.

I tried Dressipi last night, think I only liked about 1% of their recommendations! A few of the things I did like were Mango, and I have bought a cardigan from there recently, so as Chandon suggested maybe worth a look there.

Pepperberry have a Facebook page and some of the girls there recommend a Polish Pepperberry equivalent called Biu Biu

I do have a couple of dresses from pepperberry/bravissimo that fit quite well. I find they're still a little too loose on the waist mostly unless I go for styles that have a waist sash tie type thing. I do find their tops a little uninspiring and or frumpy though. I'll keep an eye on their new range though.

Dressipi seems to be throwing out lots of black blazers, pencil skirts, peplum dresses and fit and flare/skater dresses. And yes, lots of next and forever 21. No amount of liking and disliking seems to change their offerings! Would be fine if I was looking for a smart office wardrobe, but I'm not (I've tried telling it I work in a creative environment, I don't work, all the less smart options but it still gives me the classics work wardrobe).

Tried on a few Day Birger Mikkelsen items with the personal shopper, the fit wasn't too bad. I'll have to have a look at the rest of the collection. Italian brands sound interesting, I might have to go visit my aunt for a shopping trip or two.

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies.

Oh, and Remus I do like the idea of casual khaki/chino type trousers but they tend to look quite voluminous around the hips. I've avoided them because they look scary but I really should just get over myself and try some on. I'm sure they'd be more comfortable in warmer weather than jeans. What sort of tops should I wear with them though to help balance out my top half without making me look shapeless?

There's quite a few skinnier pairs around now that are cut closer in at the hips. I don't actually like/wear them myself though so no idea re which tops! Last summer I had a pair of quite closely fitting grey ones and I wore them mostly with a drapey silk camisole and then a short sleeved bum length linen cardigan plus heeled sandals. I needed the the cardigan so I didn't look parsnip shaped! :)

LtheWife, Holly Willoughby always says that she can do dressed up and glam no problem. But that she really struggles with everyday stuff and casual clothes! And she is an hourglass too.
The problem is that the fitted dresses and pencil skirts are what suit us best, but you just can't wear these things for "casual" stuff!
I love LK Bennett for weddings etc. But like you struggle to find clothes. Pepperberry is too short for me at 5' 8''.
I'm pregnant at the minute so don't have to worry too much for now...

It's so frustrating isn't it woopsidaisy? Poor DH doesn't know what to do with himself when I'm having an "I've got nothing to wear, nothing fits properly, I can't find anything to buy and I can't go out looking like THIS" moment . We're waiting to TTC at the moment, perhaps if I tell him it will be easier once I'm pregnant and my waist will never be the same again afterwards anyway he might consider bringing it forward a bit?!

Your waist may not disappear, it doesn't always !

If anything, having babies ahs made my hips even bigger, but waist the same, so even worse ( or better?) waist to hip ratio.

Shhh Chandon, don't let my DH hear you say that! Anything that might bring plans forward a bit is a good thing, I'm fed up of waiting! Though you are of course right. If genetics is anything to go by, my grandmother (who I take after shape wise) had four strapping boys and kept her tiny waist and curvy hips. XHer norks did expand to ever more ridiculous proportions though, being an E cup already that doesn't bode well.

So, I have potential sources for jeans, trousers and dresses, anyone have any pointers for tops? What sort of style should I be looking for? My shoulders are in proportion with my hips but if I'm not careful I can look a little bottom heavy (despite the norks).

Tops, I usually find Next and Phase Eight good but recently have got a few from Monsoon, which also do some good dresses for our shape.

NOWHERE seems to do tops that I like/look good on me. That is why I have a wardrobe full of skirts and nothing to wear with them.

I don't like patterned tops because I'm v concious of my 34Es (HATE them) so tend to just buy v plain scoop neck tops or v neck slim-fitting jumpers. But it is virtually impossible to find flattering tops in nice fabrics to fit an hourglass, nowadays, imho. Everything is either cut to wear really baggy (no-go) or is polyester (blurgh) or is high necked (disaster) or button up (meaning the need to size up to fit in enormous bloody knockers and therefore making me look huge). Sob...

Im wondering if leggings with a tunic/dress which has a self tie belt might work?

I'm an hourglass and definitely second Italian brands. Scandinavian brands like Noa Noa also really work for me.

I have to say though hat I haven't worn a blouse or buttoned shirt in eons because they just don't suit big busts and small waists. I wear fitted v-neck and scoop knits all of the time.