Clothes that fit like the "ASOS Design Hourglass" range

[Dreamgirls]

I'm mid-30s, and have struggled with clothes ever since I was a teenager, as my hips/thigh size is much larger than my waist size. I never really buy clothes because I can't find anything that fits properly, and I don't really have anything I feel good in, so I pretty much only have two outfits I wear outside the house. I actually find myself declining social invitations because I feel so self-conscious about having nothing good to wear.

Last year I came across the "ASOS Design Hourglass" range, and it was like a revelation. The clothes are cut specifically for people with a more "hourglass" shape, so smaller at the waist and much more generous in the hip than most clothes. I bought a couple of figure-hugging dresses to see what the fit was like, and for the first time ever I had something that was small enough at the waist, but skimmed my thighs, and didn't pull/crease/ride up/make my bum look like sausage meat in too-tight casing. I compared the size 10 against some of their regular-sized clothes, and found that the waist was "regular" size 8, and the hips were close to "regular" size 12! I actually got a bit emotional, because I realised that if high street fashion had catered to my shape (which isn't a particularly unusual one), I might not have spent 20-odd years having body-image issues and thinking I'm too fat, just because my proportions were different from what they sell.

Anyway, the issue I have is that I don't know of anywhere else I can buy clothes with these sorts of proportions. The ASOS range seems focused on a younger market (as well as being very limited), and most of the dresses and skirts are far too short for me! I've seen a couple of brands with "hourglass" ranges, but usually that means "gives the illusion of an hourglass figure", rather than actually being cut with different proportions. Please help! I have a wardrobe full of clothes that don't fit properly and that I can't wear. I just want some everyday pieces that fit properly and that I will feel good in.

@Dreamgirls has no one ever suggested to you that you can have clothes altered to fit?

It’s incredibly frustrating to think you’ve spent years sitting at home rather than taking this very simple step.

Have you ever watched ‘Mad Men’? Think of the character of Joan - as a real life secretary there’s no way she’d have been able to buy perfectly fitted clothes off the peg; she would have had to take almost everything she bought to a local tailor or seamstress to have them altered to fit her.

Mass produced clothes were never intended to fit everyone perfectly. Unfortunately most people don’t seem to have been brought up to understand that they have some agency in the matter. Obviously if you’re buying the very cheapest available the cost of alteration might be disproportionate - but for mid-range clothes an extra £15 or £25 to alter a hem or take in a waist is surely well worth it. I guarantee there’ll be an alterations service in your nearest town. Buy whatever you want in a size to fit your largest measurement - then have the waist tailored to fit you.

But additionally - you might take a look at

Skims

I don’t know how the clothes would fit you, specifically, but I do know they’re outstandingly flattering on women with larger proportions. It would be well worth your while to visit a Selfridges (or wherever) with a reasonably extensive range.

I'm a size 8 hourglass shape and have never found it difficult to find clothes to fit .

A lot of stuff is stretchy or I just wear a belt .

I have seen next do hourglass shape though

I have a 12-15 inch difference between waist and hip, and same up top.

For a special occasion I buy two sizes bigger and have it taken in. Most dry cleaners also do alterations, Timpsons and so on, or you can find a local lady on Facebook. It costs between £8 and £20 per garment - more for jeans and less for skirts.

Hi My DD has this issue. The other ranges we have found that have a larger waist to hip ratio are Abercrombie Curve Love and an Australian brand called Peachay. They are all cut so that the hips are 1-2 sizes larger than the waist.

I think the Pretty Dress Company might suit. Look at their Sale section as have beautiful dresses..with pockets..and skirts at half price.

Thanks for the replies. For those who have suggested getting larger clothes and having them altered, that could be an option. I suppose with most of the clothes I've come across that look nice on the model but don't fit me, it's hard to be confident in how they would look post-alteration (as they are often pretty far off the mark), which makes me nervous splashing out a lot for them in the first place. The alterations needed are generally significant. Do you have any advice on which things are easy to alter well, and which are not? With dresses, for example, there could be issues with the whole shape of the top half if I go for something that fits the widest point of my hips, and AFAICT things like shoulders and armholes are pretty tricky to alter. A lot of clothes also have seams and waistbands that don't seem easy to alter without taking the whole thing apart and starting again. Do you have any examples of clothing you have that has successfully been altered in this way?

@floofbag I've never found "stretch" to mitigate the effect of the difference in waist and hip size. Perhaps you have a less pronounced difference? Same with belts — if something fits on the hip, there tends to be so much loose fabric around the waist that it just looks strange if I try to belt it.

@Savourycrepe Thanks for those suggestions — they look promising! I haven't actually worn jeans for 15 years because they are the worst if they don't fit properly, and I never found any that I felt okay in.

@junebirthdaygirl Thanks, these dresses are lovely, though perhaps more formal than I'm looking for in general (I'd like to find some everyday wear that I can feel good in).

This photo shows how different the sizing is between a dress in the ASOS Design Hourglass range vs. a dress from H&M (bought years ago and never worn - I thought that if I just lost a bit more weight it wouldn't cling to my bum so much, but I guess it would also have then become very loose around the waist). They are both "size 10". The difference is quite remarkable.

Yes, there are loads of sites showing you how to do this yourself actually. They aren't that difficult (I just don't enjoy sewing).

Trousers - take in at the back with a wedge cut out on the waist. This works best with jeans with small, wide spaced, high pockets.

Do try Abercrombie Curve Love or the Peachay Aviva jeans. They are a revelation. Otherwise it is like trying to alter a pair of men’s jeans to fit a woman’s shape.

If you order from P make sure the order is below 135GBP to avoid customs charges.

Thanks @Savourycrepe, I'll probably try out Abercrombie to start with, as I'm not far from a physical store, so can figure out if it's a good fit without potentially building up a lot of delivery and return fees! Good tip on customs charges though.

I think that's the thing about alterations — there are some clothes where it's just a case of adding a few darts, or taking in the sides, but for many clothes it gets pretty complicated. If they don't fit in a few crucial places to start with, or have a lot of layers to them, it's like starting from scratch. Altering high-quality coats and jackets, for example, seems pretty difficult. As does altering jeans that are just the wrong shape entirely.