Body type / rule 04 of 05

Hourglass body type

Bust and hips sit within 5% of each other, the waist measures at most 80% of the hips, and the high hip stays at or under 95% of the hip.

  • Bust ↔ hips ≤ 5%
  • Waist ≤ 80%
  • High hip ≤ 95%
Rule 04 / 05

01 / Classification

How this pattern is classified

Bust within 5% of hips, waist at or under 80% of hips, and high hip at or under 95% of hips.

The condition

Bust ↔ hips ≤ 5% · Waist ≤ 80% · High hip ≤ 95%

  1. Check upper and lower balance

    Bust must fall within 5% of the hip circumference.

  2. Check waist definition

    The waist must measure at or under 80% of the hips.

  3. Check the high hip

    The high hip must stay at or under 95% of the hips.

  4. Confirm the earlier checks

    Apple does not apply, and this rule is the first complete match.

The rules run in order and the first match determines the result. This label follows Bodytype's four-circumference rule. Other guides may use shoulder width, different measuring points, or different thresholds.

Near a threshold. Close to the waist or high-hip line, the result can move toward Rectangle. Remeasure before treating the label as stable.

See the full rule order

02 / What to wear

Cuts that follow the proportion

Use the line, length, and fabric details as options rather than rules.

  1. 01

    Wrap dress in a matte jersey that ties at the natural waist and falls to just below the knee.

  2. 02

    High-rise straight-leg trousers with a waistband sitting on the natural waist and a hem that breaks once at the shoe.

  3. 03

    Single-breasted blazer in a mid-weight wool blend, nipped at the waist, ending at the top of the hip bone.

  4. 04

    Fine-gauge ribbed knit top with a scoop neckline, tucked into a mid-rise skirt rather than worn loose.

  5. 05

    A-line skirt in a crisp cotton twill starting at the natural waist, ending 3–5 cm above the knee or mid-calf.

  6. 06

    Belted trench coat in water-resistant cotton, belt fastened at the natural waist, hem at mid-calf.

  7. 07

    Fitted bodice with a V neckline in a stable ponte fabric, paired with wide-leg trousers that fall from the hip.

  8. 08

    Knit midi dress with a defined waist seam and side split starting below the knee for walking room.

03 / What to avoid

Lines that work against it

These are optional considerations, not restrictions on what you can wear.

  1. 01

    Straight-cut shift dresses that hang from the shoulder and skip the waist: they hide the waist-to-hip difference that defines this proportion and make the torso read as one column.

  2. 02

    Boxy cropped jackets ending at the fullest part of the hip: that hem adds a horizontal line exactly where the silhouette is widest.

  3. 03

    Dropped-waist trousers with a low, loose waistband: they move the visual waist below the natural waist and shorten the leg line.

  4. 04

    Stiff, heavily padded shoulder styles that widen the top of the frame: they compete with the balanced bust-to-hip relationship already present.

  5. 05

    Thick elastic waistbands worn outside a top: they create a second horizontal line across the middle and blur where the natural waist actually is.

04 / Related patterns

Nearby patterns and measurement error

Close to the waist or high-hip line, the result can move toward Rectangle. Remeasure before treating the label as stable.

05 / Measure it correctly

Use the same four tape lines.

Open measurement guide Common questions about the result

Test the rule

Find your own result.

Four circumference measurements, calculated locally in your browser.

Open calculator