The Disciples of Shirely Russell: Kelly Brook Pin Up/ Vintage Reproduction Collection for New Look: User Review

(The Disciples of Shirley Russell Blog posts review costumes and Vintage reproduction clothing. To see some of the greatest vintage 1950's dresses ever reproduced (and worn by the master singer/dancer/actress hourglass Ann-Margaret) please check out this piece I wrote on Shirley's unparalleled work on Ken's film of the Who Rock Opera Tommy. Shirley Russell smiles down on all vintage repro fans.)

KELLY BROOK NEW LOOK COLLECTION SUMMER 2012: AN INDEPTH USER GUIDE AND INDEPENDENT REVIEW BY SUPER AMANDA

(Kelly Brook on Brighton Pier- enviably personifying the ultimate British Pin Up life)


(Sophia Loren and Jack Hawkins in "Judith". The fine art of vintage short shorts and crackin thighs!)



(Beautiful inky florals and poppies from "Scandal in Sorrento" were borrowed for Kelly's New Look Collection)

I admire Kelly Brook's personal style and charm so I was very excited when I read that following her well received and quality Christmas, lingerie and swim wear collections for New Look that she was finally releasing a full ready to wear line. For my American friends, New Look is a UK High Street store that has no real comparison in the states for such great quality at such a great price. They manufacture mostly in Romania and even have a Green line of Fair Trade dresses. This thus far 30 piece collection for New Look is officially the first large scale High Street Pin Up inspired line ever produced.

Finally I might add!

            (It Started in Naples. Believe me folks, it really did.)

Kelly's promo has been that this collection is for 'curvy girls to showcase their assets" and that the designs are inspired by her style icons ; Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren and B. Bardot. I should add, that those three woman are not only my style icons too but my everything- especially Sophia Loren. As a Southern Italian woman she perennially personifies our culture in so many ways that go far beyond beauty. As an actress I've seen most of her 100 plus films and love Sophia's rare records as well. Bardot born a few weeks after Sophia is of course an entirely different icon and cultural figure but nonetheless is still beloved by millions. Gina Lollobrigida, like Loren, also speaks to me as an Italian woman.  A very talented actress and photographer, her style is of a very elegant Gran Signora even frequenting the same corsetier as Queen Elizabeth once did during the 1950's. Both women were a mind boggling 36-22-34.

(La Lollo: Italy's First Female Film Goddess)


   (Bardot in a daisy/sunflower print dress very similar to Kelly's collection)


So I really wanted to see if Kelly Brook went beyond just skimming coffee table books and the most well known films and was able to capture the style essence of all three mythic goddesses. More importantly, I wanted to see how and if the items were structured for curvy women. Many lines make this claim and never deliver either coming out with dowdy designs or simply cutting them for a narrow figure who just happens to be busty. Kelly (alongside Sofia Vergara) has currently the world's most perfect hourglass figure. And like Vergara, her flawless figure is down to fantastic luck and thus unrealistic for most women to use as an inspiration. She's very slim, very fine boned and yet wondrously buxom and shapely hipped at the same time. It is hard to believe that such a perfect looking woman (one who can beautifully wear skinny low rise jeans with thigh high boots as well as vintage Pin up dresses) could also create a clothing line that's would look good on a Neapolitan Amazon or just the average shapely UK woman.

All my doubts were cast aside-this is a wicked line of clothing which made almost none of the same mistakes previous designers have! And while the clothes are not specifically sized or designed for an ultra curvaceous figure the way say Shoshanna Lonstein used to cut her clothing back in the day, the collection will flatter many with curves as well as those who are slim. So far I have 7 pieces (a birthday present from my husband) 4 dresses, 1 playsuit, and the shorts/crop top set and I plan to get almost the entire line.

First things first:

Made in Europe: I'm phasing out buying anything made in China. Made in the USA and Made in the UK and Europe is where my money is going. Enough said.

The Poppy Print: A variation through out the line was lifted to glorious vintage repro- effect  from Sophia Loren's famous sweetheart swing dress from Scandal in Sorrento (see above). Inky florals, poppies and sunflowers are all lovely. I preferred prints that were smaller and the solid dark periwinkle blue. The bigger prints are still very wearable though even in the sometimes troublesome colour of satsuma.

Fit : Running very true to size with the playsuits coming up a tad smaller on taller gals (5'8 and above) as they usually tend to. For US shoppers, British sizing at New Look is roomy so when you do your conversions check the size chart first to the letter, er, number.

Stand-outs: The 39.99 dresses and the structured bra tops. The colours, the fabrics, the fit...magnificent!



The off the shoulder inky flower dress (above) is my favourite. Really flattering to a larger bust without cleavage showing while working almost any occasion.

                                                         

The Hawaiian Print was designed with both Bardot and La Lolo in mind and keeps a 50's shape while having an off -shoulder ease and drape that works on all figures.

                                                         

The satiny cotton periwinkle blue structured bust dress is very Roman Holiday. Enough bust showing to look sexy but long enough to still look classy. Comes with a nice wide belt for waist cinching. The red polka dot skirt has a vintage pencil shape and nice fit. The Black Body Con dress will work on all figures but the mega endowed may have button up issues as I did. The red polka dot structured bust top is fantastic for bigger busts though (see below for a more indepth review)

The Satsuma sunflower, daisy print dress is cut with the same structured bust as the blue dress (only a thin belt is included here) and is a lovely day time, popping down to Broadway Market/Columbia Road (I do this often, not an affectation) sexier take on the British Tea Dress.



The Peplum dress is a very popular look in the UK this entire year, popping up in digi prints, ditsy florals and scarf print silks. While the print was a tad too big for my tastes, this dress will look beautiful on all figures..

The Bust is a MUST: The structured busts on two dresses, one playsuit and two tops are fantastic and Kelly and her team created a great fit that works beyond an E cup with great support. Due to the versatility of the design smaller busts are not left out either and will actually look bigger. The secret is that the back is partially open (accommodating nearly all figures), coming up at the neck and shoulders into a semi halter shape with the wide straps opening into a sweetheart bust in the front. It feels like a harness effect which means you don't need a bra. I'm a 34G/32GG and the fit is wonderful. With the zipper closure at the lower back you've got fit. And joy of joys! The cups are not wired. So no wire to eventually poke out at you. Howard Hughes could not have done a better job if he tried. If you are going into an Hcup or bigger than a 34/36UK under bust sizing than you may have fit issues. If so then stick with the other dresses. (See below trio photo to get an idea of the back)

The skorts with attached skirt:  A clever retro look that few (if any) Vintage Repro lines ever have attempted. These are roomy but tad too short for my tastes. Still very cute for pottering around the house and garden or dog walking of course.

Shoes and handbags: All are very cute and of a very decent make. Kelly did not do any wide widths in the two espadrille wedgies and four wonderful court shoes so sadly no shoes for me but I can still wholeheartedly recommend.



Minor Criticisms:

Button down closure The crop top (see very top pic and trio centre below), the peplum camisole and the Black polka dot Body Con dress are not possible to close on big breasts but still very cute. If you are say a size 10 or 12 with a 28 or 30F or even 32G you may be in luck but 14-16 34Gs like me should stick with the aforementioned dresses. I'm getting my crop top altered professionally.

Playsuits: The two in the collection are fab but may not be long enough if you are tall. Though they are cut well and sized perfectly for larger busts, at almost 5'10, my red dot playsuit which is really mostly a bathing suit (above) just fit. And it is cotton with almost no stretch (possibly translucent when wet? Update: Yes, it is!). The New Look website incorrectly stated "100% polyester" which means "swim suit material" and "four way stretch" so when I got home the shop I was a bit disappointed as it looked very roomy on the rack. The floral playsuit was almost all gone so I never was able to try it on in my size though it looked adorable and I love the darker take on the poppy print.

Red Polka dot trousers: Were very cute but running a bit small all around and actually cut with a slight late 90's low rise making them the one joker in the pack. They'll look the best on super skinny legs like Kelly has.



High waisted jeans, shorts, tie front blouse and T-shirts (above) were cute but seemed out of place at least in fit as far a briefness was concerned. The shorts were short enough to be inspired reproductions of what Sophia Loren wore in "Woman of The River" or "Judith" (see above second photo) but those were films! I think vintage reproduction hot pants and denim is an exact science that takes a historian of fashion (like say vintage clothing expert, designer and pinup model Bernie Dexter ) to master after trial and error. I hope Kelly takes them down a few more inches in her next collection with black or raw denim and adds some blue and red floral dresses perhaps. Wide width shoes and more bags of course. And here's to her next collection!  More, more, more!

This is a WONDERFUL range and Kelly Brook and New Look should be proud of the High Street's first vintage reproduction line which can be worn by a wide range body and bust types. Looking forward to the next collection with baited wallet!

(UPDATED September 29th-2012 ) How do you get an hourglass figure? The indepth Original article by the original author. More updated information than on Answers.com

THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE: HOW TO GET AND PERFECT AN HOURGLASS FIGURE
(EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T BORN WITH ONE)

VERY IMPORTANT WORK OUT UPDATE September 29th 2012: Hello Hourglass fitness enthusiasts! This past summer I've been working with almost a dozen clients and I have a new trainer (she's mind boggling fit, educated, beautiful puts me in pain!) have some important new guidelines after receiving invaluable feedback. I'm now advising against 95% of Pilates if you are trying to create an hourglass figure. I'd still do split board, foot openers, ankles, parakeet and anything that isolates the legs without making the abs a central focus but that's it. Clients are going to Pilates even twice a week and seeing a wider waist the next day. On an already fit or very hourglassy body the Pilates abs hypertrophy won't be that noticeable but those who have a stomach to re-sculpt and weight to lose off their abs need to stick with my basic 30 waist sculpting moves (available exclusively from me following a consultation) , Gyrotonics, Gyrokinesis, basic weight training combines effective cardio, dance and or and lots of twisting and lateral movement. My recommendations for Calanetics has new guidelines also. OMIT the pelvic scoop aka Legs #1 and the 400 contractions for the hips and behind (Behind and Hips #1 and 2) and skip ahead to the stretch. When Callan Pickney says "you get the hips down to where they look like they've disappeared" she was not kidding, but we WANT hips in this programme. We do not want "childlike behind and hips" as she advocates in her best selling book. The two Hips and behind exercises create a muscle pull in that breaks up the hip lines visually and creates an indentation that looks too modern, masculine and linear for this system. The standing pelvic wave creates a flat butt via the tip up into the flat back posture. There is a way to access the abs, floating ribs, pelvic floor and the obliques by doing a similar standing posture but it is very subtle and does not include gripping and flattening the glutes into a board posture. Women did this hundreds off times a session in Jazzercise and stretch and tone classes during the 70s to the mid 90s usually lifting their butt off of the floor into a lower back irritating bridge repeated dozens and dozens of times rapidly. Ending up smaller and thinner yet with flat butts from overuse of the muscles, too much cardio and not building, sculpting and lifting the muscles instead. Once again for those who are simply fit or already hourglasses there may not be too much concern but others who are sculpting should consider the above. To learn more about how this programme can befit your specific figure, please contact me. For a 25.00 USD Pay Pal donation I can provide you with an indepth figure analysis and guide to getting started on your way to a smaller waist and shapelier hip ratio Pin Up figure. No matter what weight, body type or fitness level you are currently at you can achieve a feminine hour-glassier silhouette. This rate will never be lower and includes specific exercises for your individual body type and goals. You'll be asked to fill out an indpeth questionnaire, E-sign a standard liability waiver and then have me at your disposal for all your hourglass fitness questions and concerns. As with any exercise programme you should consult your doctor before starting.

Author's Note update June 3rd 2012: The article has been updated with a few big corrections and my now more positive take on corset training.  I receive about fifty requests a month for workout plans and advice and I apologize for not being able to respond to all of them but I'm getting caught up and establishing a place where I can take donations for my time via the launching of super amanda.com and super amanda.co.uk. The websites will have a section each dedicated solely to my Hourglass fitness programme/education, pre- and post natal waist sculpting secrets and how you can help me get the first " Hourglass Conditioning" and "Hourglass Pilates" Dvds  made. If you've posted questions in the past few weeks, I've answered now them. I've also been working with clients who want a bigger (not just toned) but bigger booty and I'm really on to something! I have a average/medium size butt in proportion to my body myself and I've figured out how some new ways to keep the legs leaner without losing your butt and how you can gain size and shape so a new essay is in the works.

Thanks so much and keep checking back. Let's get and keep the bodies we want and make all the effort pay off without buying into impossible media standards and masculine "one size fits all" forms of exercise.


My original and work all of it authored solely by me.
The most googled text article on the Hourglass Figure four years running.

I've updated and added over 1000 words regarding different body types who want to look more hourglassy and answers to fitness questions heretofore unavailable anywhere. I have been getting hundreds of emails and this is here to address many of the questions women and girls around the world have been asking me. These are only guidelines as a woman who is larger framed should follow a different workout than a woman of the the same height who is smaller boned and a physique who tends towards muscular legs should follow different regimen then a physique who's legs tend to be weak and so on and so forth.


A SMALL WAIST EQUALS HEALTH
Huge volumes of research and simple common sense says that getting and keeping weight off of your waist and not having a larger stomach, especially after having children and especially over 30. Teens will also want to avoid what I call "Perma-Muffin." A small waist is the key to better health not simply an aesthetically pleasing dividend.

NO ONE BODY TYPE IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER
So in the spirit of embracing ALL body types, I've renamed the four standard physiques with much nicer names:

Pear= Guitar
Top Heavy= Rocket
Rectangle or Ruler= Column
Apple=Diamond

I repeat, no ONE body type is better than another so it should not be just the Hourglass that has the pretty title.

All feedback appreciated and all my best,
 Super Amanda

How do you get an hourglass figure?

Determining your figure's symmetry

To get an hourglass figure you ideally should already be starting with a hip to ratio where your waist is over ten inches smaller than your waist and bust measurements or close to that number. To determine if you have an hourglass figure, you should measure your waist at it's smallest point which is above the belly button and below the ribs, measure your hips at their fullest (right across the rear, just above the pubic bone, not at the hip bones). Take your bust measurement braless or in your favourite unpadded bra and at the fullest point across your bust-line. Classic hourglass figure indicators are proportionally small ribcages and a tendency to gain weight in the hips, thighs. bust and upper arms not the waist.


For example, a 36 inch bust, a 24inch waist, and 36 inch hips= 36-24-36
38 inch bust, a 28inch waist, and 38 inch hips= 38-28-38
41 inch bust, a 29inch waist, and 41 inch hips= 41-29-41
32 inch bust, a 23inch waist, and 32 inch hips= 32-23-32

If your measurements fall into a slightly smaller bust and slightly bigger hips or a bust (eg: 39-30-40, 34-26-36 or 42-28-38 that is one to four inches bigger than your hips, then you are still an hourglass and can sculpt and almost perfectly symmetrical figure if you so desire with consistency and the correct clothing, nutrition and exercises.


If you are Rocket, Column, Guitar or Diamond Shaped

To create a true hourglass figure you do need a bust measurements that is also visually and statistically bigger than your waist measurement however if you have a small waist and big hips you can balance out a smaller bust with clever clothing choices and give the impression of an hourglass figure much more so than someone with a big bust and narrow boyish hips. Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and pin up legend Bettie Page are three examples of smaller busted, guitar shaped women who have given the impression of having symmetrical hourglass figure by accentuating their impressive hip to waist ratios and wearing padded and/or bust enhancing clothing. In fact those three aforementioned women, especially Bettie Page and her awesome wide hips define hourglass to many. One cannot be an hourglass nor create the impression of one without a small waist and markedly bigger hips. Larger breast sizes are not limited to only rockets or hourglasses. In turn, Hourglass figures can often be smaller chested.

PATIENCE
If you have a full busted with narrow hips (Rocket), have a rectangular body (Column) or a diamond shaped body with most of your weight around the middle and you want more of an hourglass you CAN , through much patience and getting out of low rise clothing, get a smaller waist. It requires time, fitness knowledge and a willingness put in long term effort. Rockets, Diamonds and Column should avoid the washboard abs style work outs because they will create a toned version of width at the midsection NOT reduce the width of the waist itself.

Keeping your boobs

I am asked often by women who write me how to lose weight without losing their boobs. I've found as a trainer and with my own figure, the slower the work you do on yourself and the more focus on sculpting the LOWER body the more you stay buxom even if like the majority of hourglasses, your boobs can tend to get smaller with weight loss. The current obsession with women training their upper body for "big guns" should be avoided by hourglass figures. Train your upper body for definition and tone just don't over do it or make it more 20% of your training focus.

There are no short cuts to getting or perfecting an hourglass figure. A plastic surgeon cannot create one and neither can crash dieting. Those who are guitar shaped or hourglass and who find extra weight on their hips, thighs and arms have to give themselves months, not weeks or days to get toned. When hourglass figures crash diet or get into extreme exercise they can burn through their boobs as well.

FITNESS AND EXERCISES FOR AN HOURGLASS FIGURE
AND A SCULPTED WAIST TO HIP RATIO


Pilates and core work myths

All those who want an hourglass figures or who are maintaining them, should ideally avoid more than an hour or two of Pilates weekly. If you want a tiny waist and a great waist to hip ratio pilates has to be approached carefully as 90% of the exercises, on or off the apparatus, are working the FRONT of the abdominal muscles and building them up into a six pack which widens the waist visually and physiologically.

Understandably most Pilates aficionados will vehemently deny this. Many claim that "extra fat" and "genetics" will cause a square torso, not core work. If you are seeking a more hourglass figure through Pilates, you should ideally look and see if your teacher has a noticeable hip to waist and/or an hourglass figure themselves and then judge the veracity of their opinions before investing money in private training or dvds. Pilates is a huge investment in time and money if you want to master the system properly and you should get exactly what you want out of it.

"Too much core equals an apple!"

The Wunda Chair, box work on the reformer (eg:climb a tree & the Hundred) and the Barrel especially can create a "hyper-trophyed" abs look and even encourage you to store excess weight disproportionally above the hips if you decide to scale back or stop training.

Even mat work moves like "side plank with twist" and "side kicks" that may seem as if they will sculpt the waist can cause the muscles to build as the amount of effort the obliques have to do to stabilize the body is so powerful . This is true with countless of the classic Pilates exercises. Moreover, the majority of pilates is also taught incorrectly by teachers who have partaken in quicky weekend "certification courses" so proceed with caution if you study pilates and request that your trainer give you FLEXION work to keep your waist sculpted. Another Pilates myth is that it can give you a "dancer's body." In actuality only DANCING can yield the results of dancers body.


The truth about Pilates

I have trained extensively in Pilates and hold a mat certification from the most reputable certifying institutions in the world. I have also invested over 20K into Pilates, Gyrtonics and personal training with strength and cardio, training extensively with four master instructors. I can say with authority that pilates will sculpt and strength you arms feet, ankles, calves and thighs in ways that no other system will. Especially once you learn to use the Cadillac and the reformer, you can change the shape and definition of your legs from toes to hip. Hourglass and Guitar figures can tend to have very wide hips and full thighs, ankles and calves. Pilates leg work on the apparatus and work with therabands, can radically and permanently re-sculpt this area for women who have not found results with weights and cardio.

Sadly and perhaps ironically, I truly believe Pilates main downside is the much ballyhooed core and abdominal work. The fact that it was invented by a man who's own body was his template and who had a clear preference for a built up trunk does not bode well for women who want smaller mid sections. Also Joseph Pilates demanded that the method be practised THREE times a week (not five times) with small amounts of reps, for 30 hours and then the client's body was reassessed. Many of these clients were professional dancers with very low body fat to start out with.

Fast forward to 2012 and much of what Pilates taught has been reinvented, made up, changed or (more uncommonly) passed down as carefully as possible. In any incarnation his core work squares off a woman's waist something fierce when done often. That's why it has become so popular, as you see results in days not weeks. I only did Pilates core work for about a half an hour to 45 mins a week and only after having a baby. I avoided side kicks, side stretch, and all planks (yes, no planks!) Now happy with the results, I've dropped it entirely unless I'm teaching. I do the footwork and leg work on the reformer almost daily. Once again, Pilates represents superiority for leg sculpting incarnate, I just never combine it with core work.

Gyrtonics is superior

Gyrotonic Expansion, also created by a man (Dancer and Yogi Julio Hovgrath) is a far superior regimen as it work on continually accessing the oblique muscles which you need to keep toned for a small waist whereas Pilates hits the Rectus Abdominus and Transverse Abdominus which are the front and deeper ab muscles, in virtually EVERY exercise. When the latter two muscles are built up, the waist becomes bigger even if you are very trim. Both methods, when taught properly have the client pull up the pelvic floor which is crucial to a woa keeping her body together regardless of what results she wants for her tummy.

Gyrtonics has a much more stringent teaching code as well, partially because Julio, the creator of the method is still alive to keep an eye on it. While it too can get as pricey as Pilates, the mat work known as Gyrokenesis is available on vhs or dvd for a low price and no equipment apart from a chair or stool is required. Gyrokenesis is a powerful form of spiral, waist sculpting yoga that all levels can do.


Rating you Pilates instructor

If you search Google images you will note that many well known Pilates instructors and core based fitness advocates (eg: Mari Winsor, Zazunna Light, Jackie Warner and Joesph Pilates himself) have slight to almost no hip to waist ratios because their abs are so built up. Women's waists were much smaller until the Core strengthening revolution which gave way to a six pack abs/narrow hips look which is now considered the most preferable by the media and fitness professionals. Neither fitness philosophy is "bad" but if one does want a tiny waist and big hips then core fitness can't be overdone.

Some Core fitness is fine but it has now been over incorporated into too many types of fitness systems that waist sculpting is being overlooked. Tracy Anderson, Madonna's former personal trainer and of a very similar body type, is so built up through the waist muscles that they actually extend out farther than her hip lines and she sports an Iliac crest similar to a man's. Once again, this is not "bad" but training in that capacity will square you off.

C sections, pregnancies and hourglass figures

If you have had a caesarean however pilates is one of the best regimens to encourage your muscles to heal in the first crucial nine months after delivery because it is so powerful. Once Pilates assists in knitting the muscles of your midsection back together, you can continue to slim it down with consistency, patience and exercise systems that are NOT (or at least less) core fitness based. Sophia Loren, mother of two who had two caesarean pregnancies, still has a small waist at 76 years old and she primarily does old school waist twists and race walking.

Ideal fitness systems and sports for an hourglass figure

For an hourglass fitness regimen, the majority of midsection sport specific work should focus on twisting at the waist and if possible lateral motion. Here are the best fitness choices for a smaller waist and mid section in no particular order.

1.Gyrotonic expansion apparatus and Gyrokenesis mat work
2. Bikram, Iyengar and Kundalini yoga
3. Ballet
4. Cycling
5. Hill walking or flats
6. Treadmill on an incline or flat
7. Walking/ Running intervals on flat terain
8. Slide board
9. NIA
10. Aerobic, world/jazz/modern dance/Zumba/hip hop dance
11. Tennis
12. ice, inline and roller skating
13. pelvic floor work
14. The FIRM dvd collection
15. Calanetics (OMIT both Hips and Behind & the Pelvic tip up aka Legs #1 moves
16. Fencing
17. Baseball/softball
18. Soccer
19.*Strength Training (see below)
20. Horseback riding
21. Hula hoop
22. Belly dance
23. Climbing and descending real stairs
24. Ball room Dancing

Limit but don't avoid:
1. Swimming
2. Cardio machines other than the Treadmill
3. Step Aerobics (the lower the box the more you build the front of the thighs and abs. Higher box and lower reps optimal or going over and across the box laterally)
4. Pilates on the apparatus
5. Lunges
6. Power Lifting
7. Shadow boxing

Completely avoid:
1. Astanga Vinyasa flow Yoga (down dog/up dog plank series)
2. Kick boxing bag classes
3. Boot camp classes
4. Heavy abdominal training
5. Pilates Mat Work
6. Planks
7. Wackie Warner Method
8. The Spacey Anderson Method (reduces the hips and legs by building the waist and shrinking the glutes)

These regimens also square off the entire torso and you should never do these fitness programs religiously if you want an hourglass shape. These regimens sculpt men nicely but not women who want hourglass curves. If you want washboard abs then by all means do them as they are very effective at squaring off the waist.

Weight lifting is crucial to a small waist...really.

As for strength training, this is crucial for all women who want to maintain bone density, muscle mass, low body fat and stamina regardless of what body type they want. 2 to 5 hours a week depending on how much weight one wants to drop, broken up ideally into 4 sessions a week is the average amount of time recommended by many trainers for women with excess body fat. Unlike Pilates where the abs are accessed in virtually every single exercise, strength training can isolate areas without using or building the abs and waist. Avoid side tick-tocks with weights, medicine ball crunches and most weighted abs machines. Limit but don't avoid ab rockers, Roman chair work and lower back machines.

Clothing: A CRUCIAL part of having a tiny waist

Clothing is a very crucial part of accentuating an hourglass figure. Finding vintage clothes from the waist conscious 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's , 1980's and early to mid 1990's can be very complimentary to an hourglass figure as are all skirts, pants and dresses that belt or hit at the real waist not at the hip. Those with an hourglass figure should also avoid low rise jeans with a long baby doll top or trapeze dresses with cap sleeves that give a long shapeless (and waist-less) silhouette and was created for very linear, thin women. Always nip in and/or belt at the waist with skirts and dresses.

Low rise jeans can give you "perma- muffin" so keep them high waisted

As for jeans, avoid ALL low rise jeans. You will not get a smaller waist if you wear ANYTHING low rise ESPECIALLY jeans. Very few high waisted jeans look good unless they are boot cut, flared, corset or sailor style, in a darker wash and have very long inseams NEVER tapered as high waisted skinny jeans will usually not flatter the backside and give the dreaded "mom jeans" effect. Throughout her career Sophia Loren has almost never worn jeans.

Hourglass figures should ideally be wearing medium-low rise (about 8 to 10) inches with a boot cut. The best jeans for an Hourglass figure are made by Bernie Dexter or vintage. Avoid any denim (even high rise) cut mid calf unless you are very tiny framed lean legged hourglass with perfect proportions like Bardot or Kelly Brook. A higher heel shoe (3 inches or higher) invariably compliments an hourglass figure because it tilts the backsides, compliments the hips and behind and gives one an 'hourglass walk."


Media Hype and Celebrity Body Lies regarding The Hourglass Figure "stats"

Celebrities known for their figures like like Diora Baird, Elizabeth Hurley, Mel B, The Pussycat Dolls, Cindy Crawford , Katy Perry, Eva Mendez, kate Upton and Nicola Mclean are not hourglasses as they have only very slight hip to waist ratios and are usually photo shopped, padded or promoted via PR as more "curvy" than they actually are. Ignore their PR machines and don't fooled or intimidated by the media when you read the hourglass stats of many famous woman as it's usually 100% fiction. Also ignore the media when they call women like Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson and Kate Moss "curvy" as this is also incorrect.

I cannot stress this enough: the "measurements" issued by PR people are almost always fake Look carefully at any famous star or model and you'll see that even if they have virtually no curves they still lie and claim a tiny waist and hips ten inches bigger.


Ultimate Hourglass Figures

Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Nigella Lawson, Meg Myles, Diana Dors, Lisa Marie Smith, Raquel Welch, Gina Lollobrigida, Lynda Carter, Brigitte Bardot, Kim Kardashian, Jayne Mansfield, Salma Hayek, Jane Russell, a young Anita Ekberg and Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Christina Hendricks, Uschi Digard, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Betty Brosmer, Mamie VanDoren, Raven Delacroix, Jessica Simpson, June Wilkinson, Keeley Hazel, Kelly Brook, Somaya Reece and Scarlett Johansson are some examples of truly symmetrical hourglass figures. They range from fuller figures, to average sized, to tiny framed, to toned dancers, to short waisted to long torsos and also to very busty and voluptuous but all have hips and busts that are about ten inches or more larger than their waist lines.


Corset Training and shapewear for an hourglass figure

Many women find that once they cease the low rise jeans and low rise yoga pants and start wearing waist accentuating clothing that their waists pull in naturally without body modification like corset training. I have changed my view on corsets in the past few months after buying my first real corset and waist cincher (shorter version of corset). The corset I wear in all my videos is a mall bought version with plastic stays but now I've graduated to steelbone,  European construction etc which looks magificent under vintage reproduction dresses. I still don't think corset training hours a day is realistic mainly because, as with wearing extreme shape wear,  if you cut off your circulation it can lead to poor muscle tone, digestion and cellulite. One need only look at some of the nude portraits from the Victorian era to get an idea of what extreme corset training can do to muscle tone. I do think if one wants to wear a corset for back support and shape a few hours a day then they are a nice edition to their Hourglass or other fitness programme.

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