The hourglass body shape is known for its feminine beauty, but that doesn’t mean all necklines will look equally good on you. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Because of your prominent curves, wearing the right necklines can accentuate your assets, and the wrong ones will instantly make you appear heavier than you are. Let’s first take a deep dive to fully understand your body shape and then go over everything you need to know about the necklines.
Typical characteristics
Features that characterize the hourglass body type are:
- Well-rounded delicate shoulders
- Medium to full bust
- Bust is proportionate to curves on the lower half of the body
- Well-defined waist
- Curvy hips
- Proportionate legs compared to the overall length of the body
Celebrity examples
Below are examples of celebrities with hourglass body type.
- Scarlett Johansson
- Salma Hayek
- Sofia Vergara
- Marilyn Monroe
- Christina Hendricks
Below are the best clothes for the hourglass body type.
Below are the best outfits for hourglass body type.
Women with this body type may be tall or petite, but the goal is to maintain overall balance. The hourglass body type has a naturally balanced silhouette and you have to choose necklines that will not create an unbalance on your body. The perfect necklines won’t visually widen your shoulders or add unnecessary volume to this area.
Deep V-neck
One of the most flattering neckline styles for the hourglass body type is the deep v-neckline. This is perfect for drawing the eyes towards the waistline. Remember that this is a naturally curvy silhouette with your best assets being your perfect hourglass shape.
Of course, this is accompanied by a well-balanced upper and lower body. You can make this look even better by emphasizing your narrow waistline using a V-neckline top or dress. This is a slimming neckline that’s perfect for highlighting your assets.
The V-neckline will draw attention to your lovely feminine silhouette and of course, you’ll stand out in this style. So, whether it’s a v-neck wrap top or v-neck wrap dress, you can never go wrong with this amazing neckline for the hourglass body type.
Off-shoulder
If you would like to draw attention to your shoulders and show them off to your satisfaction, you should consider wearing tops and dresses with an off-shoulder neckline. It’s no secret that the hourglass body type comes a lot with perfect collarbones.
So, there’s nothing wrong with revealing them a little and adding a huge chunk of sexiness to your outfit. Meanwhile, this works even better if you have a fuller midsection and would love to conceal it as the off-shoulder neckline draws attention away from this area.
One of the best ways to style your off-shoulder neckline is to accessorize with long pendant necklaces. This will add an elongation effect to your overall body, making you appear visually taller. Feel free to play around with different styling options to see which works for you best.
Scoop
The scoop neckline is a lower and wider neckline that’s perfect for the hourglass body type. This is the neckline style to go for if you would like to show off your bust. For hourglass women with a full bust, you’re in luck.
You can stylishly show them off without giving off a tacky outlook. The scoop neckline is a universally flattering neckline for hourglass women that would love to accentuate their upper body while also emphasizing their curves.
So, it’s a two for one combination. With this neckline style, you can show off your bust and also enhance your curvy silhouette. With this, you maintain the look of that perfect hourglass shape that’s the highlight of your body type.
Be sure to include accessories that will further beautify this area.
Sweetheart
This is another amazing choice for women with the hourglass body that love the lower and wider neckline style. This is perfect for those dinner dates with your partner where you want to look as sultry as possible while still maintaining an overall look of sophistication on your body frame.
The sweetheart neckline is always a beautiful style to admire and on you, it will definitely turn heads. One of the best ways to make the sweetheart neckline look even better on your body is to include statement earrings and pendants in your outfit.
It won’t be a good idea to leave your neck bare as this could give your outfit a dull outlook. Instead, a few statement accessories will truly spice things up.
Jewel’s neck
The jewel neck is the lower version of the crew neckline, and this is also a round neck style that is flattering for the hourglass body type. This style is usually wider and lower, which opens up your chest area and further elongates your neckline.
So, if you have a short neck, you can use this to visually make it look longer and in proportion with other parts of your body. Of course, if you want to stylishly emphasize your bust, you shouldn’t focus only on the neckline style.
You need to wear a matching bra that fits perfectly as this will offer enough support that encourages the flattering effect on your overall silhouette.
Caution with Collar neck
The collar neckline typically has a collar around the neck, with a buttoned-up front. When it’s unbuttoned, this is very similar to the V-neckline, while a fully buttoned collar neck is similar to a round neckline style.
Both styles are flattering for women with an hourglass body type. If you want to make your bust appear fuller, then you’ll love the results when you button up the collar high.
However, hourglass women with large busts who would like to downplay this area a bit can choose to unbutton the collar neck. Regardless, this will flatter your well-balanced shoulders.
While the collar neck can make the hourglass body look good, this relies heavily on your unique features. Therefore, you should still exercise caution when using this neckline style. On the good side, it can enhance your curves to create a more feminine outlook.
Caution with Boat neck
Would you like to downplay your bust and offer more coverage around the upper half of your body? Then you’ll consider the boat neckline flattering for your hourglass body shape.
However, to truly get the best out of this neckline style, you should opt for stretchy fabric that really hug your waist and bust. This is important if you don’t want to add too much width to your shoulders.
If you opt for structured or bulky fabric with boat neckline, this will visually widen your shoulders and throw your entire silhouette off-balance. The secret to getting the best out of this neckline is to pay maximum attention to balance.
Even when your bust is fully covered by the boat neck style, you still need to create proper waist definition and that emphasizes the importance of picking stretchy material.
Avoid turtlenecks
While turtlenecks can be flattering to the hourglass body type, it can be sometimes difficult to style this in a way that doesn’t add so much volume to your upper body. Therefore, I’ll recommend completely avoiding turtlenecks as a woman with an hourglass body shape.
The hourglass body type is already a well-balanced silhouette. All you need on this is to emphasize your narrow waistline to achieve a curvier outlook. However, when you wear turtlenecks that completely cover up your bust and neck, you’ll visually add more volume to this area.
With more volume on the upper half of your body compared to the lower half, it’s inevitable that you’ve created an unbalance in your overall silhouette. Therefore, your upper body will project more width compared to your lower body. You don’t need a top-heavy look.
Avoid High Necklines with ruffles
As much as possible, you should avoid wearing neckline styles with details around them. It’s no secret that details like ruffles or bows will make your neckline look fussy and extremely busy.
The last thing you want to do is wear a neckline that distracts the eyes from your natural balanced silhouette. And that’s exactly what a neckline with ruffles will do. High necklines with unnecessary details add more volume to your torso, thereby making your upper body look shorter.
If you’re a plus-sized hourglass body type, high necklines with ruffles or bow tie will draw more attention to your upper body and further emphasize an unbalanced top-heavy outlook.
Therefore, it’s always a great idea to avoid heavy statement accessories, embroidery, ruffles or bow ties around a high neckline as a woman with an hourglass body type.
Avoid Crew neck
The crew neck is a round neckline that is a common yet classy neckline style that sits close to the neck. This style is a high neckline with a narrow round neck which doesn’t look exactly great on the hourglass body type. For your medium-sized to full bust, you don’t need to add more volume to this area.
The crew neck will emphasize this size. This is possible because there’s very little amount of exposed skin between your chin and chest. Therefore, it will make your bust appear larger and that may not be flattering for your overall figure.
