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Dress to Flatter Your Short, Hourglass Shaped Figure

By Paula Darnell, About.com

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An Hourglass Shaped Figure Is Ideal

Salma Hayek in Evening Gown

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Lucky you! If you have an hourglass shaped figure , you're among the few who have this ideal shape. Why is it ideal? Although other shapes, such as the tiny rectangle, have been considered ideal in other eras, fashion's darling right at the moment is the hourglass shaped figure.

Hourglass figures can be any size; it's the shape that determines the hourglass figure type. Women who have hourglass figures always have a defined waistline with and are equally balanced top and bottom.

Petite women who have hourglass figures have more of a challenge in dressing because they are short. So if you're a petite women who has an hourglass figure, you'll want to combine flattering styles for your figure types and also dress to look longer and leaner.

Here petite Salma Hayek flatters her hourglass figure in this long dark blue evening gown by wearing

  • a solid dark color.
  • a V-neckline.
  • her dress to the floor to create a longer vertical line.
  • three-quarter sleeves to show off slim forearms and wrists.
  • a dress that flows gracefully over her curves.
  • a style that shows off her tiny waist.

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