Best Dresses for an Hourglass Body Shape
Your bust and hips are balanced and your waist is defined, so the goal is a dress that follows that line instead of hiding it.
This guide is for the hourglass body shape: bust and hips within 5% of each other, with a waist at 75% or less of the wider of the two.
Look for
- Wrap dresses, which cinch at the natural waist and skim the hips
- Fit-and-flare and belted shirt dresses that mark the waist without adding bulk
- Stretch or ponte fabrics that move with your curves rather than standing away from them
- Sweetheart, scoop and V necklines that echo the width of your shoulders
Skip or adjust
- Boxy shift dresses, which can hide the waist and make everything read as one block
- Thick, stiff fabrics that overpower a defined waist
- Dresses cut for a straight body: if the waist gapes, have it tailored rather than sizing up
More for the hourglass body shape
Dresses for other body shapes
These are starting points, not rules. If you love a style that isn’t listed, wear it.