What is the best dress shape for an hour glass figure?

[chewymeringue]

I'm looking for a dress for my non traditional wedding next year. Any style as long as it looks like it's for something special.

I'm slightly bigger on top than I am on the bottom (so 14 on top and 12 on bottom). I love vintage styles but can't decide which suit my shape best. Any ideas at all would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Sorry I should have said I'd prefer it not to be white or cream.

'50's style - fitted on top, down to the waist and flared out from the waist. Absolutely love this style, so feminine and flattering.

So glad you said that Magrat because that was the style I was thinking of. The thing is I just had a dress made in a similar style and it doesn't look that great on me. However, I think it's slightly too short in the bodice and too short overall.

I am hourglass and have gone for an a line style wedding dress with a defined waist. It's fitted around the bust and torso then from the hips it flares out which disguises my bigger hips/bum/thighs.

I wore a 50s style circle dress from Vivien of Holloway for mine in May. Mine was ivory and lacy, but you can get them in loads of different colours and a few different fabrics. My bridesmaids wore the same dress, without a petticoat, in navy.

That sounds gorgeous gotredonyou. I'm just second guessing myself because this new dress I have (not a wedding one) is similar to the shape I was after and I'm not so sure now!

TriJo, that's the sort of era I love. Did they make it to your measurements?

Nope, I got one off the shelf and then had it altered down slightly to fit me a month before the wedding. Dress was £99, bolero £30, petticoat £55 ish, alterations £25 in the dry cleaners next door to the store.

Thank you so much, I'm going to look at that right away!!

This company www.chotronette.com/shop/mint-lemonade/ Chotronette made DD's prom dress to measure. They're from Romania so no trying on or anything and I was a bit paranoid that it would be a disaster. It was perfectly made and finished, we were really impressed.Lots of fifties shapes too. I've linked to a green one but there's loads...

Cathyandclaire, I saw that website a few months ago and thought the dresses were beyond gorgeous, absolutely stunning. The thing is I just had a dress made to measure from Etsy and though it fitted me perfectly it really doesn't suit me! I don't feel comfortable doing that without the option to try on as you can't really return it though. That site is unbelievably beautiful though.

Ok, this is weird!!!! I clicked on the link.....that is the exact dress I wanted!!!

It's destiny!
I can't tell you how gorgeous DD's dress is...but i think you should go to a fabulous dress shop and try on all sorts of shapes and styles and see what type of dress suits you the best.
Then you can safely order a dress, it took three weeks to get ours but you need to be sure that you wouldn't prefer a wiggle style instead.
How exciting!

It is so exciting! I so enjoyed looking at the exquisite dresses on that site again! Thank you x

It depends a bit on your height and proportions, I'm very short-waisted so I struggle with those 50's style full skirt dresses. They look like the skirt is coming from straight under my boobs. I'm better with a princess line fitted dress or a "wiggle" dress. But if you are taller and can carry off all that fabric it might be different.

Maybe try on a load of dresses to work out what shape is best and then look for a special dress in that shape.