Body shape
Hourglass body shape
Bust and hips about the same width, with a clearly narrower waist.
How to recognise it
- Your bust and hip measurements are within about 5% of each other.
- Your waist is clearly smaller: about three quarters of your bust and hips or less.
- Clothes that fit at the bust and hips often gape at the waist.
The rule our calculator uses: Bust and hips within 5% of each other, and waist at most 75% of bust or hips (women). See all rules.
What to wear
Cuts that tend to flatter
- Wrap dresses and wrap topsThey tie at your natural waist and follow the curve instead of hiding it.
- Belted or seamed waistsMarking the narrowest point keeps the balance between bust and hips visible.
- High-rise straight or bootcut trousersA high rise meets the waist and an even leg keeps the lower half in proportion.
Usually less flattering
- Boxy, oversized topsThey hang straight down from the bust and hide the waist, so you look wider than you are.
- Drop-waist dressesThe seam lands on the hips, the widest point, instead of the waist.
- Stiff, unshaped shift dressesWith no shaping they run straight from bust to hips and lose the curve.
These are general style guidelines, not rules. Wear what you feel good in. No shop, no sizes: just the cuts.