Hourglasses - gather here and share your top tips for looking fabulous

[Chorltonswheelies422]

what are your favourite styles for work suits,
dressing casually
dressing for evening (casual and elegant)
Coats and jackets

I don't quite fit into any body shape but hourglass is my best approximation- I have narrow shoulders but bust and hips large and equal in size, a small high waist and very chunky arms and thighs/calves. I also have narrow wrists and ankles and small hands/feet. So if basing measurements on shoulders- I'm a pear but those clothes don't work for me as I'm busty (currently 32G).

OneMore I've just ordered a used copy for a penny on Amazon. Thanks for the tip.

The trouble with a lot of clothes that fit our shape is that they are so bloody low cut (yes I'm looking at you, Pepperberry!). Especially work clothes, I don't want to have my boobs on display.

For work I wear a lot of pencil skirts with either cowl nect, fitted (but not too clingy) tops, or shirts from Pepeprberry or BiuBiu. Jersey shift dresses are great too. If the material is too thin and clingy, wear a full slip underneath. I know, sounds like something your gran would say, but I read about it on MN and it really makes a difference.

Wrap dresses that have too much of a cleavage - use a small safety pin, and pin the bottom layer to your bra.

I agree with belts. Stylists always put them everywhere, but in real life I do end up looking like a belted sack of potatoes.

Has anybody found any shops that sell trousers cut for various shapes? Ann Taylor in the US does curvy fit (they keep changing the name, used to be Jackson fit, I think it's Kate now) that has slimmer waist and more room for hips and thighs. I'd love to fidn somethign similar.

higgle, if your boobs jiggle when you walk, maybe another size/style bra would help? You have been bra-intervened?

Fit and flare dresses are the most flattering in me.
I don't do patterns any more. Just well cut good fabrics.
I've found I suit most necklines so don't have any rules about that.

I wish I could wear fit and flare. I have one absolutely gorgeous dress, that is in principle, very flattering - but for some reason I look like I'm trying to impersonate a schoolgirl. Where am I going wrong? Any suggestions for accessories?

Katharine - Unfortunately my bra does fit - the band couldn't be tighter - I'm 30FF and I always do the bounce test before buying anything - I steer clear of anything shiny - it will give even the skinniest of woman curves - I don't need the help!

The shirt I mentioned earlier, from Uniqlo is in stock, here's a link.....

www.uniqlo.com/uk/store/goods/164502

Oh and personally I find that tulip dresses are very flattering, this type:
www.closetlondon.com/navy-v-neck-tie-back-tulip-dress.html

You would think that we should steer clear, as it would make hips look even larger, but interestingly this is not the case.

Katharine If the dress makes you feel like a schoolgirl it probably isn't your style - let it go.....

Agree about tulip shapes, very flattering...as long as they are smooth around the waist.

I am 5ft 2 and for me the Oasis knitted for and flare are perfect - the waist is in the right place, there's no belt, they are usually plain, I have round neck, scoop next and v neck. I also have some thick jersey ones from Boden. I feel comfortable but feminine in them.
Jeans, I am moving from skinny to slim leg. I have a longer boot it pair for wearing with heels and a nice mid hip length top. But if I wear shorter boot it's, it's very frumpy.
I also wear fitted tunic dresses with leggings or slim fine knit long line jumpers with skinnies. Proportions is the key. The length of the dress is key. I prefer right in the knee but will go shorter with thick leggings.
I agree with everything being fairly form fitting. Not bodycon, but skimming. And support underneath. And I'm not slim these days. A robust 12/14.

I have an hourglass figure, I think. The Trinny and Susannah description sounds pretty accurate, anyway. I'm definitely an overweight hourglass. And I hate waist belts most of the time. They always seem to emphasize my winter reserve, and I feel like my grandmother wearing them.

That said, today has been a good outfit day for me. Linea slim leg jeans and this top from Amazon. Some of the tops from that line are bit too Jane Norman for me, but that one is nice and has washed well. :)

Hello fellow hourglasses. I'm 4ft 11, 30G and I find the combination of shortness and large breasts almost impossible to dress. I have so many outfits that I have thought I looked OK in and then seen a photo of me and wondered who the dumpy, frumpy person is! I probably look best in tube skirts with fairly chunky boots and a skimming top and short coat/jacket with a nipped in waist. Dresses are also OK but they have to fit perfectly on the waist and stop just above the knee with a tulip or slightly flared skirt. Fit and flare dresses almost always have too much material in the skirt so end up with the "hippo" in a tutu" effect.

I gave up entirely on jeans a few years ago and have almost given up on all trousers as they just don't work on my proportions. I have to use a belt to keep them from slipping down which I find uncomfortable and I have a bit of a c-section overhang tummy which means tops have to come below my hips to hide the tummy but then the proportion looks wrong.

I find Apricot dresses (New Look) are a good fit on me but they are very polyestery. I have bought a couple of dresses/tunics from White Stuff and Joules in the past that have been OK but I'm not keen on patterns.

Apart from a bit of a tummy I think I look pretty good in the nude (DH agrees) but 21st century casual clothes just don't work on me. Think I needed to be born in a more formal age (or have the money for a dressmaker)

katharina - where do you buy the kind of slip you are talking about?

Sorry, just want to mark my place on this thread.

One tip for tops that are too low cut is to wear a vest underneath. I have some different coloured vests for this. So, I'd wear a black v-neck jumper with a white vest underneath. It looks smart and means I show no cleavage.

I like wearing jeans but they have to be bootcut or flare. I don't care if they are/aren't fashionable. All trousers tend to sit on my hips rather than my waist, so I need longer tops or just tuck my vest into my trousers so I don't flash too much flesh. Longer tops need to be slightly fitted though to avoid looking pregnant.

I work with young kids so I do a lot of bending over, hence my slight obsession with this.

New look do little boob tube things that are great too for under wrap tops. Sometimes i don't want the extra layer of a vest and these provide sufficient coverage that I'm not giving everyone an eyeful.

I meant to add that I can only do jeans/casual if the top is very fitted/smart. I have a ridiculous number of longline vests from Matalan (I love the quality and stretch, and buy too many just in case they stop selling them), which, on the rare occasion I wear jeans or trousers, I wear under a fitted, cowl neck sweater. Always fine knit. For some reason it always looks better with a small line of different colour between the sweater and jeans.

Regarding full skirts, they look wonderful if they're cut from panels or a circle base. By which I mean the fabric isn't gathered at the waist, but flares out. Gathered makes me look huge and feel frumpy. My sister, who is much shorter than me but still curvy suits gathers just fine. She was delighted with this realisation of mine when it meant all my mistakes jumped into her wardrobe.

Yes vests under everything here. If they are elasticated they act as tummy control too.
Gap vests are thin so don't get overheated.
I buy petite ranges too at gap which means the scoops are not to low.
I don't wear wrap toots at all as they are always too low. I know some people like to flash cleavage but mine gets cold! Also, the small of my back gets cold too if jeans sit too low so long vests get tucked in.
I'm such an old lady ;)

Simonetta, M&S has some, for example: www.marksandspencer.com/l/lingerie/slips
It stops the fabric clinging to any bumps and gives a much smoother silhouette

mimia great idea - just checked that there are loads available on eBay and places for very little money, can get one to match any wrap top or dress

Thanks katharina! I will give that a whirl.

Personally I think that if your bust and hips are approximately the same size, s F your waist is clearly smaller, then dressing for an hourglass figure helps. When i gain weight I look like an hourglass from the front but an apple from the side. I dress the front view as it makes me happier . There is a great blog - insideoutstyle I think, that looks at body shapes in far more detail. An hourglass has a much higher hip than an X for example. It's worth a look at.

And, not s F. My fingers are very fat this morning.

I used to think I was an hourglass because I have a defined waist (well, I did before 3 kids anyway) but actually I am too wide of thigh to wear the pencil skirts that suit hourglasses.

This quiz is quite useful, and her blog has some good ideas on it for dressing to suit your body shape (on her blog, X shape is hourglass)
www.insideoutstyleblog.com/category/body/body-shapes-explained

Has anybody found any nice work skirts? (Pencil, knee lenght)?
I'm looking specifically for something where I can tuck shirts and blouses in. Normal suit skirts are too big around the waist and make me look bigger. Jersey skirts go baggy. Proper bandage skirts are I think a little too much for the office. So something stretchy that holds its shape, but not too tight?