The hourglass shaped women are known for their beautiful and balanced curves. Even though it is the most sought-after body shape, the hourglass comes with its own set of challenges in terms of styling, especially if you happen to have a short waist. Because of your bigger bust, having a short waist can make it harder for you to find the right clothing that suits your shape. In this detailed guide, we’ll first take a deep dive to fully understand your unique features, and then walk you through everything you need to know on how to dress your shape.
Traits
- The distance between your shoulders and waist is short. This is what it means to be short-waisted, which could also mean that you have a short torso. Having a short waist may also mean that even though you have a well-defined waistline, it may not be as apparent as to those with longer waists.
- Your shoulders and hips are very well-balanced. The width of your shoulders and their curved edges are nearly similar to each other. With this said, they look visually symmetrical in a single glance.
- You’ve got shapely and generously sized breasts. You have a prominent bust line that’s clearly remarkable in your overall silhouette.
- Your waistline is narrow and defined. This is one of the most distinctive and most coveted characteristics of hourglass figures. There’s a considerable difference between the measurements of the narrow waist and wide hips so the transition line that connects the two is very curved and apparent in hourglass-shaped girls.
- You have shapely legs. Hourglass figures typically have slender and shapely legs, which further enhance the overall appearance of their curves.
- Your buttocks are ample and well-shaped. Since you carry a nice amount of volume in your lower body, this also means that your bum is well-pronounced and curvy.
TOPS
Wide V-Neck Tops
Note how I mentioned wide V-neck tops instead of the typical V-neck – it’s because the usual V-necks usually fall at an awkward spot for short-waisted women. It may look too loose, too plunging, or just generally ill-fitting overall.
So for short-waisted hourglass girls out there, look for tops with wider V cuts as they effectively create the illusion of a longer and leaner upper body to balance out your silhouette’s proportions.
In addition to this, wide V-neck tops can also draw attention to your gorgeous decolletage area, which is deemed to be one of your figure’s strongest points. It gives a touch of sensuality and naturally highlights the curves of your upper body.
Structured Sweetheart Neck Blouses
Sweetheart necklines are generally very flattering on hourglass figures because of how their heart-shaped design beautifully highlights the chest and traces your bust’s cleavage. This efficiently leads the gaze to your upper body and counteracts the potentially unflattering appearance of your short waist.
Wearing a structured top that has a sweetheart neckline can also bring visual balance by complementing the fullness of the bust with the curves of your hips, enhancing your symmetrical proportions even more. This can seamlessly soften the transition between the chest and waist, which can be very helpful for short-waisted individuals.
Tailored Peplum Tops
Peplum tops feature a fitted waistline and a flared overskirt that starts just below the waist, which is designed perfectly for short-waisted girls who are trying to have the waist curve more apparent than the fact that the waist is short. The waistline seam in peplum tops accentuates your natural curves and creates a more defined and visually appealing waistline.
Short-waisted individuals often (although not always) have a shorter torso in relation to their legs and this is something the peplum silhouette can help you out with. By adding extra length and volume to the upper body, the torso appears to be longer, therefore creating a more proportionate ratio between the upper and lower body.
DRESSES
Neutral Form-fitting Dresses
It’s not always easy to pull off form-fitting dresses, but hourglass-shaped women are just some of the few lucky ones who can effortlessly pull off such dress style! Form-fitting dresses cling close to the body, so it allows your natural hourglass curves to really shine!
Additionally, having them in neutral colors creates a streamlined appearance that will make your hourglass figure look flawless while also minimizing the focus on your short waist. The vertical lines created by a form-fitting dress also help visually elongate the overall appearance of the body and therefore give you a more balanced look.
Cotton Wrap Dresses
The adjustable nature of wrap dresses is what makes them a perfect match for short-waisted frames as this allows you to customize the fit according to your liking. Short-waisted hourglass figures typically have a waist that’s placed a little higher than usual so it’ll be beneficial if they can tie the belt or sash higher or lower on the waist to suit their proportions.
Wearing a cotton wrap dress emphasizes the narrowness and definition of the waist while also allowing the fabric to drape over the hips and bust to create a balanced and harmonious look. This balance is especially important when you are short-waisted as it visually extends the waistline and creates the illusion of more evenly distributed proportions.
Dresses with Center Ruching
Short-waisted individuals have a shorter distance between the bust and the natural waist so a seaming detail such as a center ruching can visually tweak the appearance of your torso and make it look longer and more in balance with your lower body. In addition to its visually elongating effect, ruching also adds texture and dimension to the dress to give you the illusion of curves, making them more prominent and appealing.
Just remember that when choosing a ruched dress, you have to ensure that the ruching is well-placed and not too tight, because overly tight ruching can create unflattering bulges on your midsection area. Also, opt for fabrics that have some stretch to them to make sure that the dress gives a more forgiving and comfortable fit.
Button-down A-Line Dresses
When you’re short-waisted, you’ll find vertical patterns very beneficial because your figure will need to maintain verticality to maintain the balanced length between your upper and lower body. This is why a button-down A-Line dress can be a perfect match for you because they often have a vertical line running down the front in the form of buttons.
The vertical line created by the button-down A-Line dress can visually elongate the body and this is especially advantageous for short-waisted hourglass shapes who want to create the illusion of a longer torso. In addition to its elongating effect, A-line dresses also naturally emphasize the waist by flaring out from the waist and this makes your hourglass curves even more accentuated.
JEANS
Curvy Fit Jeans
Curvy-fit jeans are incredibly flattering for short-waisted hourglass girls who want to fully showcase the beauty of their silhouette. Hourglass figures have a very well-defined waist but this can be potentially disrupted by a short waist, as there won’t be enough space in your torso to actually let your waistline curve show up.
This is something curvy-fit jeans can fix because they are specifically tailored to adapt to your body, making sure that the waist is snugly cinched to perfection. Not only do curvy-fit jeans accentuate your highly coveted hourglass curves, but they also have a flawless way of making your legs appear longer.
The stretchability of these jeans balances the appearance of your curvy hips and enhances the overall symmetry of the hourglass shape.
Structured Tapered Jeans
Structured tapered jeans combine a tailored, structured fit around the waist and hips with a gradual tapering down to a narrower leg opening. This makes the jeans somewhat form-fitting, but not as tight as skinny jeans because of the structured denim material they’re made of.
This snug fit accentuates your well-defined waist, one of your hourglass body shape’s best features. It showcases your curves and highlights the natural balance between your bust and hips while maintaining a minimal and streamlined look.
Retro Flared Jeans
The distinctive flared leg of retro-style flared jeans adds an instant touch of vintage charm to your look! But more than this stylish retro vibe, the wide-leg opening in these flared jeans perfectly balances out your curvaceous hips and draws the eye down to create a visually elongated silhouette.
The way these jeans elongate the frame helps counteract your short-waisted appearance and make your torso appear longer and more proportionate. In addition, the fitted waist and hips of retro-style flared jeans highlight your well-defined waist, a hallmark of your hourglass shape, before gracefully flaring out at the knee.
This particular design showcases and further accentuates your curves and creates a harmonious balance between your upper and lower body.
PANTS
Structured Bootcut Trousers
Structured bootcut trousers are a versatile wardrobe staple that every short-waisted hourglass girl should have in her closet. Its silhouette and slightly flared leg shape from the knee down not only add drama to your ensemble but also draw the gaze downward to give you a longer and leaner appearance.
Additionally, structured bootcut trousers also offer a tailored and polished look in which their clean lines and structured fit cinch at the waist to fabulously accentuate your hourglass natural curves. Also, the strategic design of bootcut trousers can give you more styling options – whether you go for something casual or more business-appropriate, this style is a wardrobe classic!
Tailored Mid-rise Pants
I would generally recommend high-rise pants for hourglass figures but when you’re short-waisted, I have to say that you have to take extra caution as it can visually shorten the torso even further. On the other hand, mid-rise pants strike a balance as it sits just on the right spot of the waist, providing a comfortable and flattering rise that doesn’t overpower the proportions.
More importantly, mid-rise pants feature a waistband that sits at or just below the natural waist. This complements and emphasizes the narrowest part of your torso and therefore fully accentuates your very coveted waistline definition.
SKIRTS
Wrap Skirts
Wrap skirts are designed to be adjustable and you can tie them right at the spot in your waist where you want to. This means you have control over where the skirt sits, which can help counteract the appearance of your short waist.
In addition to this, the way wrap skirt drape and flow can be very complementary to your curvy hourglass figure. The gentle folds and lines seamlessly follow the curves of your body, therefore emphasizing your gorgeous frame!
Fitted Mermaid Skirts
Mermaid skirts are quite charming in their own element and their fitted silhouette that hugs the hips and thighs, along with its distinctive flare can be very flattering on hourglass shapes. This style beautifully showcases the natural curves present in your hourglass figure, emphasizing the balanced proportions between the bust and hips.
When choosing the right mermaid skirt for your short-waisted stature, make sure that the length is proportionate to your height. A skirt that is too long might overwhelm a shorter frame, while a skirt that’s too short could disrupt the flow of the silhouette.
OUTERWEAR
Tailored Single-Breasted Blazers
Single-breasted blazers typically have a lower button stance (where the buttons are located), and this structure is quite beneficial for short-waisted girls out there. It’s because it can create the illusion of a longer frame that’s more in balance with the lower body.
Moreover, tailored single-breasted blazers are designed to cinch in at the waist and this perfectly complements your natural waistline. They also have simpler lines and fewer buttons, so single-breasted blazers create a cleaner, unbroken vertical line that helps maintain the symmetry in your hourglass figure.
Belted Coats
It’s not new for short-waisted women out there to face the struggle of balancing their proportions. Thankfully, this is something belted coats can fix due to their ability to establish definition right at the proper spot in the waist to create a harmonious upper-to-lower-body ratio.
Belted coats snugly cinch the waist which perfectly indents the naturally curvy sides of your hourglass figure. This cinch also causes the coat to flare out over the hips to optically tweak your frame into having a longer waistline.
