The hourglass body shape is blessed with beautiful curves and a slender waist. Even though these are the body features every woman wishes for, they can make it challenging for you to find the right work clothes. The reason is you probably know you don’t want to wear tight-fitting styles to the office, but anything that’s loose can make you look bulky.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about the most flattering work style for your body type.
TOPS
V-Neck Blouse
Your voluptuous hourglass shape will greatly benefit from the flattering structure of V-neck blouses because this particular neckline exposes a portion of decolletage, showcasing your collarbones and shapely bust line. As long as they aren’t extremely plunging, they can be very flattering for your highly-coveted figure while still being suitable for work.
They open up enough space on your upper half to elongate your torso and therefore prevent looking too cramped or top-heavy. V-neck blouses are also very versatile and you can effortlessly layer them with blazers, vests, and coats without adding unnecessary bulk to your figure, all thanks to its open neckline.
Structured Tops with Belt
The best thing you can do to fully emphasize the beauty and balance of your hourglass shape is to make sure you accentuate every curve on your body. By going for a belted top, you are giving your beautifully defined waistline the recognition it definitely deserves.
The belt should further highlight the narrowest region of your hourglass frame, which creates a natural division between your curvy and well-balanced upper and lower body. Additionally, these tops that are made from structured fabric can also provide enough support and shape to keep your rounded shoulders, prominent bust line, and curvy waist perfectly accentuated.
Peplum
Peplum tops do an exceptional job of cinching the waist to further accentuate the natural curves of your hourglass body shape. A well-fitted peplum top features a snug waistline and a flared overskirt that skims over the hips to make the curved transition between these two regions very apparent.
Its structure creates a visually balanced silhouette by tracing the natural curves of your hourglass figure, not to mention its very dainty and feminine design that will surely level up your office attire. In some cases when hourglass shapes tend to have some extra weight around the midsection, wearing a peplum top can also help camouflage this with the help of the flared overskirt.
Tailored button-down shirt
Here is another work wear must-have because of its sophisticated structure and figure-flattering features – tailored button-down shirts! Tailored button-down shirts feature streamlined seams that conform to your natural figure while also drawing the eyes vertically with the help of its single-row button placement.
This type of button-down shirt efficiently highlights the balance you have in your figure while also managing to highlight your narrow waist. As these are considered basic pieces, you can freely pair them with so many different workwear ensembles without worrying about overwhelming your hourglass figure’s best features.
BLAZERS/JACKETS
Schoolboy
Schoolboy Blazers feature a classic structure that flatters many different body shapes, including the curves of hourglass body shapes. They often have a tailored fit that has a nipped-in waist made possible by its streamlined side seams and front buttons.
These design elements are very flattering on hourglass body shapes because of how they work strategically in accentuating your every curve. Most schoolboy blazers come in a slightly A-Line cut and are also shorter in length (usually around the hip level), which are key factors in complementing your natural curves without adding an unnecessary amount of bulk.
Single Breasted
Since you have a full, prominent bust line, the best thing to keep this enhanced is by not adding voluminous or visual-heavy details on your upper body region, that’s why single-breasted blazers can be an excellent choice to flatter your hourglass figure. Unlike double-breasted blazers that create the illusion of wideness and volume, single-breasted blazers are more minimal and streamlined – just enough to enhance the great features you already have.
In addition to this, the structured silhouette of single-breasted blazers brings better balance to your proportions as it traces the curves and shape of your bust, waist, and hips, without injecting too many details into your ensemble. They also typically have a clean horizontal seam that traces the shoulder line to make sure that it’s proportionately aligned with your curvy hips.
Fitted (Nips in the Waist)
As you may have already noticed, it’s very important to highlight your highly coveted hourglass waistline, simply because it’s undoubtedly one of your figure’s best features! This is one major reason why you should flaunt that workwear ensemble of yours channeling fitted blazers or jackets.
Blazers that are specifically tailored to nip in the waist and follow the natural contours of your hourglass figure will gracefully enhance your voluptuous and well-balanced figure even further. This particular waist cinch will also help draw attention to the narrowest part of your frame and therefore create a very distinct and symmetrical division between your upper and lower body.
PANTS/TROUSERS
Pleated Dress Pants
The best part about pleated dress pants is the extra fabric at the waist that creates folds or pleats. as this design detail effectively draws attention to the waistline. Because your body shape features fuller hips, you will find the additional room pleated dress pants typically have right in the hip area to give you a comfortable and flattering fit.
The extra room created by the pleats effortlessly accommodates your curvy hips, while maintaining the natural shape of your lower body without making it look bulkier. These pants are very versatile and you can easily mix and match them with your semi-formal to formal business coordinates.
Tailored Wide-Leg
Wide-leg pants can also be very flattering for hourglass body shapes especially if you are looking for bottoms that are more relaxed and slightly voluminous. Since they offer a wider leg shape width, they flawlessly skim through your hips, thighs, and legs to create a consistent amount of volume from the waistband to the hem.
In addition to its comfortable fit and structured design, the way the pants drape down your lower body also creates the illusion of height to give you a taller and leaner frame that’s well-balanced from top to bottom. Tailored wide-leg pants are perfect if you are thinking of wearing form-fitting tops and fitted blazers to give your office ensemble a more put-together look.
Structured and High-Waisted
The high waistband design of pants naturally accentuates the distinct curve of your waistline, which results in a voluptuous and balanced silhouette. As high-waisted pants sit right above the natural waist, these can attract attention to the narrowest part of your hourglass figure and therefore instantly pull your entire ensemble together harmoniously.
In addition to the high-waisted feature of these pants, the structured nature of the fabric material helps maintain a clean and polished appearance highly suitable for your workwear. The tailored fit and firm fabric provides a smooth and streamlined look to compliment the evident curves of your hips and thighs, while the structured waistband also prevents any sagging or bunching to ensure that your ensemble stays cohesive and sophisticated.
SKIRTS
Bias cut
The diagonal cut that goes across the bias skirt allows the fabric to smoothly drape and flow along your curvaceous lower body. Bias-cut skirts feature a fluid, form-fitting silhouette that can highlight your fuller hips and thighs in a way that they will look pleasingly balanced with your prominent upper half.
In addition to its ability to accentuate your natural hourglass curves, the diagonal lines of this type of skirt also create a sense of frame elongation to make you look taller and more slender.
Form-Fitting Mermaid Skirt
You are definitely going to turn the heads of your co-workers if you flaunt a form-fitting mermaid skirt on your hourglass figure! This particular skirt silhouette hugs your figure in all the best ways possible as it enhances your curvy hips and thighs while also making the smooth transition from your waist to your legs very apparent.
Another great thing about form-fitting mermaid skirts is the flare of the fabric that starts from the knees or mid-calf, down to the hem. This effect also brings more femininity to your look while also drawing the eyes downwards to showcase your shapely legs.
Flowy A-Line
The A-Line silhouette balances your fuller hips with your prominent bust to keep their proportions even and flattering. Apart from this, A-line skirts also help elongate your frame because of the visual effect brought by the gradual widening of the skirt.
I can’t emphasize this enough but every hourglass babe out there should always cinch your waist to maximize its definition. The fitted waist of A-Line skirts can help with this styling goal by giving your waist a snug hug, resulting in a more obvious indentation of the sides of your waist.
Pencil Skirt
Pencil skirts are excellent for hourglass body shapes because of their form-fitting nature that hugs your curvaceous hips and thighs. They typically cut close to your figure, and then taper towards the knees, which further accentuates your natural form.
In addition to its tailored and snug fit, the narrow shape of the pencil skirt flatters your fuller hips and bust without adding unnecessary volume. As a result, you get a streamlined and polished look that enhances your body’s contours without overwhelming the overall shape.
DRESSES
Wrap Dress
If you’re slightly in doubt about what to wear for work, here’s your foolproof fashion solution – wrap dresses! We all love the universally flattering structure of wrap dresses which ticks all the boxes when it comes to flattering your hourglass figure.
These dresses feature an adjustable self-tie belt that efficiently cinches the waist to ensure that its curve is exquisitely defined. What’s awesome about this particular feature is that you have full control over how tight you want your waist cinch to be, and so you can tie it in a way that gives a flattering yet comfortable fit.
They typically come in V-shaped necklines too because of the fabric overlap that goes across the body. This particular neckline gives you the perfect chance to flaunt your beautiful decolletage and gently sloped shoulders.
Square Neck Fit and Flare
Aside from the V-neck, square necklines can also be tremendously flattering for an hourglass-shaped woman’s work wardrobe because of how it modestly exposes your neckline and a portion of your bust line, which are just some of your figure’s best features. Have the square neck combined with the fit and flare silhouette, and you’ll absolutely enhance your proportions even more.
Fit and flare dresses feature a fitted bodice which makes it a perfect match for your prominent and voluptuous upper half. This type of dress also cinches the waist and flares down to the hem, gracefully skimming over your hips and thighs to maintain your frame’s natural balance.
Form-fitting Sheath Dress
If you’d like to keep things modest and minimal for your work attire, you need to have a couple of form-fitting sheath dresses in your wardrobe. The design of sheath dresses features no frills or any additional detailing, only a structure that conforms to the natural shape of your body without excessive flaring.
Your hourglass figure can greatly benefit from this because form-fitting sheath dresses follow the natural curves of your body without extra bulk and detail. As a result, you will have a more put-together look that’s also very versatile in terms of styling or layering it with your other office wear pieces.
Three-fourth Sleeve Dresses
Three-fourth sleeves provide more coverage without cramping up your upper body with too much fabric. As hourglass figures tend to have very noticeable curves, you would want to be more careful with how much fabric coverage you’d like to incorporate into your outfit to prevent looking top-heavy.
With this said, three-fourth sleeve dresses can be a perfect workwear option for those looking for proper coverage without overwhelming your hourglass figure’s features.
SHOES
Nude Pointy-Toe Pumps
Pointy-toe pumps visually draw a vertical line on your lower body to keep your frame elongated and neutralize the overall curves of your figure. This shoe style in nude colors can also create a seamless transition between your legs and feet, giving the illusion of longer legs and a taller frame.
Ballet Flats
Well, you don’t have to be in heels for work all the time! Fortunately, ballet flats can come in great favor with hourglass body shapes because of their minimalist look.
Ballet flats often have a rounded toe which visually adds to the curves of your hourglass figure. This will further accentuate your gorgeous figure without incorporating too many details in your ensemble.
