The hourglass is the most coveted body type, because of its beautiful curves. However, when it comes to jeans, the hourglass faces unique challenges, since your waist is significantly smaller than your hips. In this detailed guide, we’ll help you understand your body features fully, and find the most flattering jeans for your shape accordingly.
Main Considerations
One of the most coveted body shapes is the hourglass figure due to its voluptuous and well-balanced silhouette. Hourglass shapes have a small and very defined waistline that flawlessly bridges through curvy, big hips.
Well-Defined Waist
Since your small waist is one of the most defining features of your hourglass body shape, it’s quite important to choose jeans that highlight and emphasize this asset. Considering waistbands that feature a snug fit and a supportive rise are just some of the style factors you may want to look for when it comes to giving your well-defined waist a nice hug.
Big and Curvy Hips
Hourglass shapes have significantly bigger and wider hips which makes your small waist more apparent. With this said, you need to find jeans that feature a curvy fit and enough legroom to fully accommodate your curves without overwhelming your figure.
Shapely Legs
Your legs are not necessarily slim or toned but are shapely enough to seamlessly blend with the curves of your lower body. This is where leg shape becomes relatively important when it comes to choosing jeans for the hourglass body type.
Remember to choose a pair of jeans that will bring out your figure’s best features and to do that, you have to consider a number of factors. This brings us to the following styling points I’ll discuss to make sure you’re getting the best pair of jeans for your gorgeous figure!
FIT
While the natural frame balance of an hourglass body shape makes it easier to style, it is still not without its issues. One of them is the significant size difference between your smaller waist and bigger hips.
Due to this apparent difference, there’s a higher tendency that you’ll end up having a gap in the waist if you go for the wrong pair of jeans. Wearing curvy-fit jeans can efficiently help counterbalance this concern because their structure and stretch soften the curves running from your waist to your hips.
Curvy-fit jeans feature a contoured waistband, which is specifically designed to follow the natural curves of your hourglass figure. This type of waistband provides a comfortable fit and prevents potential tummy spills.
Curvy-fit jeans with contoured waistbands can effortlessly enhance the overall shape of your waistline. Apart from the fact that they are great for highlighting your waist and hips, the stretchy material of curvy jeans also contributes to bringing out your shapely legs.
LEG SHAPE
Not all leg shapes that jeans offer are suitable for hourglass body types. Despite the fact that your shapely legs are considered an asset, there are certain leg shapes that work better in enhancing the beautiful proportions of your lower body.
There are two main things to remember when it comes to choosing the right leg shape for your jeans: 1) Its ability to accommodate your bigger hips, and 2) The leg-opening size of the hem.
Straight-leg
Straight-leg jeans are pretty much a foolproof style option for hourglass figures because they provide a balanced and proportionate look for your lower body. The straight cut from the hips to the ankles neatly maintains a streamlined silhouette that doesn’t overwhelm your natural curves.
This is also a good way to keep the focus on your defined waist if you’re looking into donning a minimal ensemble. Unlike tapered jeans, straight-leg jeans don’t taper tightly around the calves or ankles so this allows the eye to be drawn towards your waistline instead of the tight fit of the jeans’ leg opening.
Bootcut
If you want a pair of jeans that offer more shape and dimension on the legs, bootcut jeans are an excellent option. It offers a slight flare from the knee down to help bring more shape to your legs while still highlighting your curves.
The great thing about bootcut jeans is that the flare they have isn’t too dramatic, so they still make a great choice even if you want something minimal for your outfit. The structure of its leg shape also visually extends the length of your legs to balance your curves and give you a taller appearance.
Flare
Flare jeans have a more pronounced and bigger flare that starts from the upper thigh (sometimes even higher) and widens gradually down to the hemline. They give the same flattering effect as bootcut jeans, only more dramatic and retro.
Because of its dramatic flare, it significantly adds width and volume to the lower leg, making the shape of your lower body curvier and more dimensional. This type of jeans also has an elongating effect that gives you a taller and leaner frame.
Skinny
Here’s an exquisite option if you’d like to fully showcase your hourglass curves – from your well-defined waistline, curvy hips, and shapely legs. Skinny jeans are not always the easiest to pull off, but the right fit and stretch can be very flattering for an hourglass body type.
Skinny jeans typically feature a form-fitting leg shape that skims over your legs while also gently hugging the curves of your waist and hips. In addition to this, they help create a sleek and visually elongated look by showcasing your legs without excess fabric or bulkiness.
Because of their minimal look and slim fit, they are much easier to layer with other clothing pieces. Again, hourglass shapes have very prominent features on the lower body so you may want to take some extra caution in wearing skinny jeans.
Wide-Leg
Wide-leg jeans have enough space to accommodate your big hips without overpowering your shapely legs. In fact, they provide a proportionate and well-balanced look by adding width and volume throughout the leg.
This helps to create a flattering silhouette that complements the curves of your hourglass body shape. Additionally, the wider leg opening efficiently balances out the curves of the hips and thighs to create a more streamlined effect.
Because of the consistent shape of wide-leg jeans, they also draw invisible vertical lines that visually extend your height by making your legs look longer. Wide-leg jeans also typically have higher waistbands, which make them an excellent option in terms of bringing superior definition to your small waist.
RISE
Considering how high the waistband of your jeans sits on your waist is essential in keeping the balance of your hourglass body shape intact and stable. The goal of choosing the right level of rise with your jeans is to help enhance your well-defined waistline without breaking the seamless line that connects the curve of your waist to your relatively bigger hips.
High-rise/High-Waisted
As a woman with the coveted curves of hourglass body shape, opting for high-rise jeans will always be your best choice. High-rise jeans sit right at your natural waistline (or sometimes slightly higher). a feature that perfectly draws attention to the narrowest part of your figure.
This ability to cinch the waist alone can bring a variety of style benefits to your figure, including enhanced waist definition, the illusion of longer legs, and emphasis on your natural curves. They also offer a more secure and comfortable fit that smooths out any potential hourglass shape concerns such as the possible presence of a gap or tummy spill.
In addition to these style advantages, high-rise or high-waisted jeans feature a nice amount of coverage and support in order to fully shape your lower body. This provides a proper hold to ensure that the jeans stay in place and flatter the curves without sliding down or bunching up.
Mid-rise/Mid-waist
Mid-rise jeans basically share the same visually flattering effects as high-rise jeans. However, they can be especially helpful if you have an hourglass body shape with a shorter torso.
When you have a shorter torso, high-rise jeans may be a little tricky because they take up more space on your upper body. In cases like this, your smarter style option is to go for mid-rise or mid-waist jeans.
WASH
Dark Wash
Dark wash denim is a versatile and universally flattering option for most body shapes, including hourglass frames. Dark washes such as black or indigo feature a slimming effect that creates a sleek and polished look for your figure.
In addition to this, dark wash jeans can also help streamline the appearance of the hips and thighs while still giving notable emphasis to the curves of your hourglass body type.
Rinse Wash
This is considered the most basic type of denim wash which also explains why it’s very versatile and easy to style. They are somehow similar to a dark wash but with a softer and less intense shade.
Rinse wash jeans can be a great choice if you’re looking for a more casual and minimal look or when you want a more subtle contrast with your tops, accessories, or shoes.
FABRICS
You may think that since jeans only come in denim fabrics, then they must be all the same. This is a total misconception as there are a variety of denim fabrics that provide different functions.
For hourglass body types, high-quality denim that features a nice amount of stretch, such as curvy-fit jeans, should be your best choice. Your jeans don’t necessarily have to possess too much stretchy fabric as this can also look unflattering for your figure.
Find a denim fabric that’s thick enough to have some structure while still offering enough stretch to hug your curves.
STYLES TO AVOID
To come up with the right choice of jeans, it’s also quite important to know what to avoid. The following jeans styles may be trendy, but they’re not really the best at bringing out the beauty of your hourglass body shape.
Baggy Jeans
Think of this: one of your hourglass body shapes key features are your voluptuous curves! Certain jeans styles that are too loose and shapeless can instantly erase this beautiful feature of yours!
Baggy jeans create horizontal creases that give you a wider and heavier look. This can be especially problematic for your big hips as the bagginess and shapelessness of your jeans will absolutely make your hips even bigger, resulting in an obvious imbalance in your overall frame.
Boyfriend Jeans
Boyfriend jeans are designed to have a relaxed and slouchy fit. From its slouchy structure alone, you can easily identify the reason why hourglass shapes won’t find this type of jeans too friendly.
It’s basically a more toned-down version of baggy jeans, which means they shared the same attributes that can affect the enhancement of your curves. The loose fit and usually low-rise waist of boyfriend jeans don’t accentuate the narrowest part of the waist, which can be especially problematic since this is one of your best assets.
Low-rise Jeans
I have to be completely honest – everyone should probably just stay away from low-rise jeans, not just hourglass figures! Other than the fact that low-rise jeans are so outdated, they also tend to cause a break in your silhouette that instantly creates an imbalance in your figure.
Hourglass body shapes will find low-rise jeans unappealing because they cause a significant gap between your small waist and big hips. This also opens more possibilities of squishing your lower abdomen too tight which can lead to a muffin top.
