Whatever happened to waists?

[Billydessert]

Is anyone else fed up of all the waistless clothes out there? It seems that fashion is stuck in a boxy, baggy time warp and showing no signs of coming out of it soon. I am pear shaped (of course!) and I seem to spend my life pulling up jeans that are virtually the same width at the hips as they are on the waist; and trying to avoid square shaped tops that make me look like a sack of spuds. And don't get me started on all those bloomin boyfriend coats out there. If I want man shaped clothes I'll go to a mens wear shop!
Is it too much to ask for clothes that are shaped to fit the female form?
Phew! Glad I've got that off my (prominent/booby/woman's) chest.

Anyone have any brand suggestions?

Levi’s Curve ID jeans are very sadly a thing of the past. If anyone has found any decent jeans that are actually cut for curvy figures rather than just really stretchy jeans I’d be delighted to know. My friend tells me Levi’s do bespoke made to measure jeans but I can’t imagine how expensive they must be

With vital stats of 39-28-39 I look ridiculous in body con esp as the knockers are stupid 30j. But fat in square clothes. Like so many on this thread, I long for tailoring and would pay more for well tailored clothes.

My jeans are not a recent purchase, but I think they still do them. I wear 7 for all mankind and Diesel too and find them very comfortable.
It's probably a case of trying on lots of jeans to get the right fit.
I find Uniqlo ones tend to get too baggy when I wear them, but that might just be me. I like pickle's idea of putting in darts.

Been reading a few blogs overnight and looking at lots of jeans.
A few tips keeping cropping up on the blogs which I just don't agree with.
1- flares and bootcut even out/disguise bigger hips and bums. Why would I want to hide my figure? I like my curves, hence wanting clothes that fit them.
2- extra stretch, well if the waist isn't far smaller than the hips no amount of stretch is going to keep them up.

Anyway, things that were helpful were measuring from crotch to waist and then look for jeans with that length rise. Makes sense.
Also, it sounds like the new buzz word for properly shaped jeans is sculpt. So I'm going to look for high rise sculpting jeans. Will report back if I find anything.

How do people feel about paper bag trousers? They're appealing because of the cinched waist but I worry about all those pleats

Same issues here. Hourglass/pear with saddlbags (charming term).
Paper bag trousers are awful on me, a definite no no. All the extra pleats do nothing for me.

Current trend for midi-maxi dresses is difficult too. All that fabric over my widest bit. They look lovely on models, not so lovely on me.

I have seen more waisted items this year, and wide-leg fitted top silhouette, thank heavens. Hallelujah! It's been a long time. That fecking baggy crap makes me look like a shapeless blob, eventho' I am a 10 to 12.

My freind wears paper bag clothes and they look good , a flat stomach is essential I think ..

Couldn't agree more and I'm an inverted triangle shape not a pear.

If I wore the boxy stuff it would hang off my massive shoulders and make the rest of me look massive.

Instead, I stick to shops which still do good tailoring and fitted clothes generally (so a slim, fitted silhouette) so Karen Millen, Reiss, Ted Baker, French Connection, Oasis, Coast, Massimo Dutti and Whistles.

I also get a lot of my things tailored to fit by a seamstress. It's so expensive though and time consuming.

I think the idea is that 'boxy' is more modern and allows for freedom of movement. Trouble is it looks shit on a lot of us.

Qvar, add lank hair and a scowl and you've got every style ever featured in Cos.

I don’t think we will ever see a proper return of tailoring, it’s not fashion led its price led, so much more easy to stitch a rectangle than a curve also means less waste and therefore no waist! I hate shopping now everything so bloody short, boxy and wide, I don’t care what shape you are it flatters no one.

These are a few of the tops I've bought recently . They are waisted so show my smallest part . As I said previously the fashion seems to be in my favour this year so I'm going to buy the ones I see to last for a few summers .

If you do searches for peplum wrap top there seem to be a few around .

Also this one is nice with coated jeans .

@Maudlin I'd only thought to look at those makes for occasion wear. Will have a look at their everyday.

Thanks for the suggestions @sportyfool frills and flowers are out of my comfort zone but loving the black shirty one

The point about having a flat stomach is a good one. Probably makes a big difference to what would suit. Perhaps toning my mum tum and muffin top would open up new possibilities

Ahh my people
I'm tall but very busty hourglass. Cos would make me look like a tent. I need a waist, but because I'm tall and busty, nearly everything is too short, too high waisted or you can't fit a bra under it
32JJ and have a 10 inch difference between hips and waist

I bought a dress that fits me tonight! It was this one: www.whistles.com/women/sale/just-added/maria-mari-print-silk-bodycon-26856.html?cgid=Further_Reductions_WW&dwvar_maria-mari-print-silk-bodycon-26856_color=Multicolour#prefn1=productType&prefv1=Sale+Coats+and+Jackets%7CSale+Dresses&start=0

It is actually fitted on the waist. So definitely take a look at the Whistkes sale as I think there are several of that style.

I am tall (5ft 10) and the waist was still in the right place. But I don’t have huge boobs (32D / 30DD) so not sure it would work for those more blessed in that area...

I am 5'9 size 18 pear/hourglass shape. Size 36F boobs.

I live in wrap dresses and have lots from Phase Eight; they are long enough i.e. below the knee and the waist sits in the right place for me.

Jeans I get from gap, the 1969 real straight ones I think. Love that they do xtall range online. I used to buy Not your daughter's jeans from John Lewis but at £140 a pop they were out of budget once I had DD.

I know what you mean @Billydessert but I will wear the floral ones in summer as opposed to a t shirt shape top which does me no favours as I have a big bum and legs and small waist . I'm sure they will be around in different colours ( new look have some plain colour ones I can link to if you like ?) it's amazing with a waisted top how much better my figure looks .

I hate that "flattering" your figure is synonymous for "showing it off". I like boxy, square, interesting shapes and I'm not skinny or frumpy. The head of my girls' school is approx 5 foot tall & a definite apple shape and she absolutely rocks every oversize/cocoon/boxy shaped Cos etc dress and top she wears. She is incredibly stylish.

Elledorado, I think different styles suit different body shapes. As a pear, boxy shapes are extremely unflattering on me. But I wish they did look better on me because I agree that they are very stylish and some people look great in them.

Apples have great legs , as a hourglass shape I do not . If I wear cocoon clothes I look massive .

I am a 5’9” size 10 small boobed (28E) combined inverted triangle and pear which means I need to dress like an hourglass without the busty issues.

I wear a lot of belted shifts (Hobbs Lois is one I get heaps of compliments on), faux wrap dresses and fitted shift dresses with belts. High waisted anything does not suit me, my preference is for jeans and trousers to finish just above the hip bone.

I buy a lot from Hobbs. It seems to suit my shape really well. I do have to get things tailored & slimmed between the belly button and hip bone as they are usually too big through that region. Some Jigsaw can be OK and ditto for Whistles.

Yep, I'm an inverted triangle like Maudlin, tall and slim but with shoulders considerably wider than my hips.

Anything boxy makes me look like a rectangle.

Jigsaw, Whistles, Winser London, Joseph and Gerard Darel are where I shop on the high street ( well online), lots of their stuff works for me.

Have a look at Winser London, they have some really great stuff and the quality is brilliant.

Thanks @sporty and everyone else that has shared lovely brands and clothes. It's given me some great new inspiration.

It'd be fab to keep sharing the pear and hourglass love. There's obviously some great things out there for us!

I'm not sure what shape I am, but clothes that are cut straight don't suit me. LEVI'S DEMI CURVE fitted perfectly, but then they stopped making them (why?). I read that Levi's 314 shaping jeans were a similar cut. I wear those now, they are good, but not as good as CDs were.

I tend to buy longer length tops or dresses and wear an elasticated waisted belt with them. Pre children i was a classic hourglass. Now, without a belt I look like an apple. With a belt you can see I've got a waist.