How To Pick Your Prom Dress – Hourglass Shape

My biggest concern for hourglass shaped women, other than muffin top, is maintaining balance. If you’re an hourglass shape then you already have a great shape. However, if you draw too much attention to your top or your bottom you’ll lose balance.

This fantastic vintage-inspired dress has slight wide-set shoulder straps and a slight flare to the skirt. The higher waist keeps your legs looking long.

The second dress has less wide shoulders and a pencil skirt. It’s a little more fitted than the first dress, but it is still balanced. It also brings a lot of attention to your tiny waist. It also has a high waist for a lean leg look.

Hourglass at Prom by lizkzook featuring belted dresses

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How To Pick Your Prom Dress – Boy Shape

You don’t have to be straight-laced just because you have a straight body. I’m here to give you some curves with some flare.

The first dress that I picked for you is fun and funky. It also gives you some shape in the hips, pulls some attention to your bust and divides up your torso with some sheen at the waist.

The second dress that I found has gathering under the bust to give you some shape there. It pulls in at the waist. The pleated skirt gives you some shape in the booty and lengthens the line of the leg.

High-waist anything(like these two dresses) looks great on boy shapes because it makes your legs look like they go on forever while breaking up your torso. But you have to be extremely careful with the length if it’s a skirt or shorts. Too short looks even shorter with a higher waist.

Boy at Prom by lizkzook featuring summer handbags

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Know Your Body Type!

Take out a measuring tape. Go on. Right now.

I’ll wait.

This is how you take your measurements. You’ll need a mirror!

Bust – measure at the fullest part of your bust with your bra off. Place the measuring tape at the part of your breast that sticks out the most. Use the mirror to make sure that the measuring tape stays level as you wrap it around, under your arms, and back to the front.

Write it down.

Waist – We’re measuring your natural waist. It’s usually an inch or two above your belly button. There is a natural crease in your waist when you bend to the side. Find it, wrap a measuring tape around it.

Write it down.

Hips – again, we’re looking for the widest part. Look at your butt. Put the measuring tape where your butt sticks out the most. Wrap it around. Use the mirror and make sure to keep it level!

Write it down.

Body types are all about proportion. When I say “proportionately larger” I mean this inch difference:

If you weigh less than 150 use a 6 inch difference.

If you weigh over 150 use a 9 inch difference.

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If you are a column your bust measurement should be proportionately larger than your waist and hip measurements. However, your waist and hip measurements should be within the 6-9 inch difference of each other.

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If you are an hourglass than your bust and hip measurements are proportionately larger than your waist. Your bust and hip measurements should be within the 6-9 inch difference of each other.

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If you are a pear shape than your hip measurements will be proportionately larger than your bust and waist measurements. Your bust and waist measurements should be within the 6-9 inch difference of each other.

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If you are a boy shape than your bust, waist and hip measurements should all be within the 6-9 inch difference of each other.

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If you are an apple shape than your waist measurement is proportionately larger than your bust and hip measurements. You bust and hip measurements should be within the 6-9 inch difference of each other.

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That’s about all I have on that. Basically what I do is use geometry to balance out body types to make everyone look like an hourglass. I love doing posts based on questions from readers, so feel free to comment any that you might have.

I am an avid O Magazine reader. I love the articles. They are inspiring and helpful. I just received my January 2012 issue in the mail. I like to read before bedtime. Last night I was enjoying my O until I got to an article titled “Your Biggest Dressing Dilemmas Solved!”. It was written by Adam Glassman, an O Creative Director.

On page 110 you’ll see that Adam’s “solution” to muffin top is a soft, belted top and trouser jeans. I have two main problems with this outfit. The first being that the trouser jeans to not rise to the natural waist. The reason this is a problem is the belt is at the natural waist. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but if you put a belt at your natural waist and your jeans don’t rise that high, it can cause the shirt to cling to the trousers. That means when you walk the shirt is going to puff out in the space between the belt and the place where the shirt is clinging to the trousers. Which will accentuate your muffin top, not hide it.
My second problem is that the shirt that they put on this women is cut across the hips. What happens when a shirt is cut across the hips? It makes the hips look wider! So, not only has he accentuated this poor woman’s muffin top, he has also made her hourglass shape into a pear.

Later on in the article they come back to Muffin Top(page 113). The solution is shapewear. I disagree. You don’t need shapewear if your waist rises high enough and isn’t too tight.

On the same page they tackle the Tummy Pooch. Again, their solution is shapewear. Namely, “Briefs with elastic panels in front”. Then they put this poor woman in a tunic shirt that gives her the potato sack shape that I was livid about yesterday. No. No. No. When you have an apple shape you need to refocus the attention on the bust/shoulders and the hips/booty. You don’t just pull a sack over your shoulders to “hide” the problem.

Just a few more things I promise…

Mom Butt – They’re solution: padded panties under butt-lifting shorts under jeans. My solution: pants or jeans with flap pockets. Also, these days, they make jeans that lift the booty.

Chub Rub – They’re solution: more shapewear. My solution: better pants. Higher quality, stiffer fabrics.

Double Boobs – They’re solution: more coverage. My solution: The right size bra! If you’re not wearing the right size then you’re going to have spillage. It doesn’t matter how much coverage there is.

I don’t know what else to say. I think the article could have been better. I like to offer different solutions, not just one: shapewear. I’m a little disappointed in my O Mag this month. I am glad there are other, more useful, articles in there.

Apple Shape

I have already written a post on Apple Shaped women “Apples In Winter”, but it was in response to a specific question about layering in winter. This post is going to be the main key points of dressing for an apple shape.

If you’re an Apple Shape than you are proportionally larger around your belly than you are around your bust and your hips. Roughly 14% of women are apples.

Basically, you want to avoid anything that draws unnecessary attention to your stomach. Easier said than done, I know. I’m here to help.

When dressing, your goal is to make your waist appear smaller and your bust and hips to appear larger, or at least more proportioned.

Any shirt that drapes like this is going to make your breasts look like they are part of your stomach.  Which, in turn, makes your stomach appear larger. It also tightens at the hip and that will add further emphasis on your tummy.

You want to look for shirts that provide a clear definition between your breasts and your stomach. Even better is a shirt that provides that separation and also brings attention up to the bust. This shirt is great. I only have one suggestion and that would be to raise the tie up to accentuate the smallest part of you, which is usually directly under the bust. However, you could actually keep the tie where it is to further camouflage your bulk.

i wish this came in my size!

So, the key point to buying shirts is: Emphasize the bust, de-emphasize the belly. And make sure to separate your bust from your stomach. A great way to transform a number of shirts is to add a belt or a sash around the smallest part of you, directly under the bust.

As for bottoms…

Wide leg trousers/jeans are best for your shape. As I’ve said before, skinny leg and straight leg pants can make you look like an ice cream cone. We don’t want that. Mid-rise is best. Not only can it add a bit of tummy control, but it also breaks up your torso and makes your stomach look smaller.

If you’re going with a skirt, go with a skirt that is straight down from your waist or a skirt that flares out.

Stay warm out there, Ladies!