Go Figure | Hourglass Proportions

Illustrious artistes such as LL Cool J, Sir Mix A Lot and DJ Assault (in his delightful ditty Ass ‘N’ T*tties) have enthused about the more voluptuous or curvy girl. While this is high fashion code for having entirely too much jelly, there’s a reason 2010 and now 2011 is shaping up well for ladies with hourglass proportions. Indeed, it’s a a tiny waist, a luscious bust and a big ol’ behind that’s made Christina Hendricks, Beyonce and reigning curve queen Kim Kardashian some of the most talked about and lusted after celebrities of the last year.

Want to get in on some of that action? To give the illusion of Kim’s curves, Beyonce’s butt and Christina’s ample bosom, you’re in the right place. Stylesiren is here to show you how to achieve that classic hourglass shape.

FIGURE FACT: Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) is considered a key component of attractiveness, with über sex siren and hourglass queen Marilyn Monroe reportedly rocking a sizzling 0.6 ratio.

So what is an hourglass shape?

An hourglass figure is all about the curves; technically speaking, you should have the same measurements on your bust as your thighs (with another inch allowed on the bust), and with a waist at least nine inches less. According to Diet Blog, just 8.4 per cent of women lay claim to the shape.

However, that’s without any cheats, or as we like to call it ‘creativity’. Like the countless good, good celebrities out there, we’re a resourceful bunch and have mastered this particular deadly art of illusion. So as Valentine’s Day creeps upon us and you want to devastate your someone special with your curvature, or indeed the general public, here’s our top tricks.

YOUR ARSENAL

Corselette
Despite what Bridget Jones might tell you, there is absolutely no need for unattractive shapewear. It’s like using a grotty, holey Dunnes plastic bag when you discover a pretty little Cath Kidson shopper that’s been within your reach the whole time. It’s like a new dawn, a revolution in feeling shapely and sexy. Not a mad dash for the bedroom to whip off your Spanx if you do happen to pull.

I’m a big fan of the corselette for a variety of reasons, not least because it gives you all the hold you need in the right places and you look just as good, dress on or dress off. Most corselettes have built-in underwire (no padding though!) so you may not need to wear a bra. The Vargas corselette dress from Kiss Me Deadly will hit all the right spots beneath any wiggle dress or pencil skirt, smoothing out your waist, firming up your butt and keeping your boobs nice and perky. Team with seamed or fishnet stockings, and resistance will be futile.

Corset
We all know what a corset does, or at the very least you should, soldier. Every women in her life should know the agony that her sisters before her suffered. We’re not saying they’re comfy but if you’re after a nipped in waist, this will certainly provide it. There’s a few different types available but you need to aim for at least steel boned for it have proper magic pully-in properties. Because of this, avoid carbs for a few hours before putting it on and enlist a friend for help, as you’ll need someone for the first time anyway, to pull you into shape. Bending over, standing and general breathing will all be tough tasks, but no pain, no gain.

Dita Von Teese can apparently squeeze her adorable proportions right down to a fairly shocking 16 inch waist, and corset devotees swear you can reduce your waist size by wearing your corset day in day out. This, of course, is not recommended as we have jobs and lives that (probably) don’t involve stripping daily, but bringing it out on special occasions can never hurt, or at least only for a few hours.

The right kind of corset — for example a What Katie Did corset, can be worn underneath a dress or outfit for that true ‘in-and-out’ pin-up shape. It can be worn as outerwear, but try to minimise the potential for a Momsen/streetwalker look by teaming with a pencil skirt or wearing under a crop shirt with cute capris, heels and pop a flower in your hair and you’re more than halfway there for a foxy little 50s look.

TIP: You should go for a corset about two to four inches smaller than your current waist size.

Waspies
Like the little sister of the big bad corset, a waspie or waist cincher is also generally boned but instead of giving you the dreaded ‘boob shelf’ a corset can give, it cuts off below your boobs, accentuating your slim and shapely waist and making your baps look only massive. These come highly recommended as they’re super versatile and will up the ante of most outfits. Again, they can be worn under or over, but be aware of your excess flesh. If you go from a 28 to a 24 waist, those four inches have to go somewhere, so take care in case they end up sitting atop the corset or waspie.

Girdle
As women, we know a good thing when we see it. So when all those years ago in Ancient Greece, when Odysseus and the other lads were using girdles as back support and to conceal their weaponry (I’m not even kidding here), some clever madame somewhere decided that would do nicely for keeping our tummies in and our bottoms nice and shapely. We all owe her a debt of gratitude. A girdle is basically a very tight short lingerie skirt worn around your waist covering your bum, made of material to keep you in. Girdles traditionally come with suspenders hooks, so they’ve the added benefit of being both sexy and functional.

BAD FORM

Got a shape problem? We’re here to help you ‘figure’ it out.

Problem: small on top — big bum
Gok will bang on about bangers, but not all of us are blessed in that particular department but it’s really all about proportion. First and foremost, invest in a ‘helpful’ bra. We recently did a feature on the triple gel bra La Senza produced, so consider going down that line. Otherwise, most department stores or even Penneys stock padded bras. No one’s going to be measuring your exact hourglass proportions — it’s mostly about appearances, so wear cleavage-enhancing tops to pull off your pin-up shape. Waspies and waist cinchers were made for you as it’s all about exaggerating what you’ve got; corsets will flatten your chest further as they don’t lend themselves to wearing with bras easily. Instead team your waspie with a pro cleavage top, and get some eye popping proportions.

Problem: big on top — no bum
While most of your mates are probably jealous of your cleavage, the hourglass look is all about balance. If you’re planning a career move to hip hop honeydom, you can pad your bottom out with these, but otherwise the main thing is to slim your waist down and your breasts slightly if particularly buxom, and it’ll give the impression of an hourglass shape. Corsets are your best friend as they’re nipping you in, elongating your torso and forcing out your bum and thighs into a voluptuous look by proxy.

Problem:… straight up — straight down
The main area for discussion here is your waist, or creating the impression of a curve or change in proportion from your bust/hips to waist. The easiest way to do this is by identifying where you should be nipping in, so choose the slimmest part of your torso, probably below your ribcage, a couple of inches below your breasts. If you’re very tall, you’re more likely to have a waist further down your body, but if you weren’t blessed in the height department you’ll be cinching in directly underneath your breasts. A pretty girdle and bra combo would be ideal for undies, and remember to slip a cinch belt over your wiggle dress or top to keep the hourglass illusion in place.

Trisha Doyle for stylesiren.ie

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Tags: Beyonce, boobs, bums, Christina Hendricks, hourglass, Kim Kardashian, pin up shape, shapewear, tums, underwear

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