The Curvaceous Hourglass

'Tea-time' by Pengtao Yu

Hi Friends,

Each time I remember the hourglass, I remember, the voice-over epigraph for the soap opera, Days of our Lives, “like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives”.

The hourglass is the most proportional female body shape and certainly attractive too. The bust and hips are nearly equal if not equal in measurement. The waist is very obvious, at least 9 inches smaller than the bust and hips and sometimes, the bust may be slightly bigger than the hips.

If you are wondering the difference between the pear and hourglass body shape especially when you have small to medium sized breasts with broad shoulders, defined waist and big hips, fear ye not! The pear shape is notable for her narrow shoulders BUT there are also pear shaped females with broad shoulders who are often mistaken for an hourglass but aren't. Note to self: What is used to measure the proportionality of the different body shapes is the bust, waist and hip only.

Now, back to the hourglass, because you have a full bust, you should avoid wearing blouses with turtle necklines, unless you are a petite hourglass; turtle necks and blouses that are busy on the bust area such as blouses with frills and ruffles add volume to your bust and your bust is just perfect the way it is. Deep square necklines, u- and v-necklines, scoop and boat necklines, halter neck and sweetheart necklines and wrap-round styles flatter you best.

When getting a jacket, make sure it has a deep neckline. It should be fitted at the waist with preferably, two buttons to elongate your waist. You can also leave your jackets unbuttoned  to elongate you torso. Unlike other female body shape, you can wear any length of jacket.

Lucky for you, your body can rock just about any style of skirt and pant. Skirts fitted at the waist that flare from the hip or pencil skirts are good for you; you can tuck-in blouses with different skirts styles as long as the skirt is fitted at the waist. Pants can be straight cuts, boot-cuts or skinnies. Especially when wearing skinnies (pants, leggings, jeggings...name it), you can go for the classic look of long tops that end just above your hip bone or mid thigh or you can be daring especially if you have a flat tummy and  tuck-in a fitted blouse in your skinny to give you a chic look.

Like the pear shape, dresses were made for you. very well with any of the necklines mentioned above as well as with wrap-round and empire waist dresses.  Use a waist belt to emphasize your tiny waist but do not be dependent on a waist belt, I repeat, do not be dependent on a waist belt instead just make sure you wear dresses that accentuate your waist.

Embrace your figure Missy, you are beautiful! Get a good bra to give you a better lift and if you feel your bust is too big, you can wear dark coloured blouses or blouses with one colour to create a slim-effect instead of patterns and prints. Don't be afraid to show off your waist; as a matter of fact, most of your clothes should be fitted especially at the waist from blouses to jackets and from skirts to dresses.

Below are pictures of the lady whose vocal range is to die for, the beautiful Aituaje Iruobe aka Words Aren't Just Enough...Waje!

The Pear (La Poire)

Ipad stand that looks like a Venus figure

Hi Friends,

Venus Figurines are ancient statutes from the upper palaeolithic period which emphasize certain physical attributes of women such as the bust, hips and stomach and these figures have similar features with the pear shaped female which is the most common female body shape.

For now, let's refresh on the pear shaped female- she has a slender neck, narrow shoulders (not in all cases), small to medium sized bust, defined waist and her most attractive assets, full hips, thighs and full buttocks.

Remember that the aim of any body shape is to have a proportional body. On the bright side, the pear body shape already has a defined waist and full hips so we'll just balance the upper body.

From the top and the most important thing for you is to wear blouses with shoulder pads, puffy and fanciful sleeves to create the illusion of a wide and broad shoulder especially if you have narrow shoulders.

When it comes to emphasizing the bust, wear tops with ruffles, embellishments and patterns. Also wear strapless and mono-straps, halter necks, boat necklines, scoop necklines, v-necks and  sweetheart necklines. Your blouses should be fitted but not tight and long enough to end just above the widest part of your hip, especially when you aren't wearing a jacket.

When wearing jackets or blazers, ensure they are deep necklines with preferably one button at the waist. The length of the jacket can vary; if short, wear a top that is longer than the length of the jacket, when long, the jacket should either end above the widest part of your hip to reduce the size of your hip or be way longer than the widest part of your hip so that it covers it.

Because you have a big hip and big buttocks, you  should wear A-lined and flared skirts that flow from your hips and pants with wide legs like boot-leg cut which will balance your figure. Although with latest fashion trends, ladies with hips are found wearing pencil skirts, skinny jeans, leggings and jeggings which all accentuate the hips *guilty pleasure*. When wearing skirts and pants that make your hips more pronounced, you should make sure they are not patterned or of bright colours-stick to one colour and also follow the blouse and jacket rule above.

Dresses look exceptionally beautiful on you; combine the different necklines mentioned above with dress styles like wrap-round style, dresses fitted at the waist with little flare or A-line, empire waist and mermaid dresses.

Note to self: Wear push up and padded bra to give your bust a boost, patterned and bright coloured tops and jackets to draw attention to your upper body and when you do not tuck-in your blouses you can accessorise with different sizes of waist belts. When wearing dresses, you can wear a bright or dull colour or a patterned print. You should also go for shawls, bright coloured necklaces, earrings and bangles and high heeled slippers and shoes to elongate your legs. 

Now, I'll leave you to be inspired by the beautiful and talented Nigerian actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde.

I'm that Banana they're talking about...

Hi friends,
finally I've briefly woken up from my slumber when it comes to the continuation of the female body shape. If you are very observant you'll notice that "briefly" was written in italics. The reason being that I cant promise you when I'll post the next body shape. Yeah, yeah, call me lazy (sticks out tongue).

Back to business. We all know that girl we envy; that girl with the high cheekbones on the cover page of famous magazines; that girl catwalking on the runway; that girl that never seems to add weight; that girl that makes an ugly bikini look hot...guys wanna date her...girls wanna be her...and she goes on to rub it in by saying, "I'm that Banana, they're all talking about."

The banana body shape isn't called the ruler or rectangle for no reason, the bust and hips are very proportional and the waist is a little indented (few inches slimmer than the shoulder and hip measurement). There are different variations of this body shape and while some don't have small bust, some have big bust but they have great arms and legs. That being said, let's not forget that the goal of any body shape is to create a proportional figure; let's see how the banana female body shape can pull that off.

Starting from the top as usual, when it comes to blouses, no over-sized or clingy tops is permitted. The only exception to wearing an over-sized top is if you are going to use a belt at the waist but besides that-shaking my head; its also a no go area for clingy tops because the only job they do is emphasize how straight you look (hence the name ruler) or how much of a tiny waist you don't have. Unlike the apple shape that has to be selective when it comes to necklines, you can pull off different types of necklines such as the v-neck, off-shoulder, mono-strap and even the round-neck. The same goes for sleeves, you can afford to wear any type of sleeve, from sleeveless to a long sleeve, as a matter of fact, shoulder pads and flamboyant sleeves got nothing on you -whatever makes you happy.

When it comes to jackets, go for fitted jackets that flare at the waist. Don't wear jackets and sweaters that end under your bust or on your waist. Make sure your jackets end at the widest part of your hips so your hips look wider than your waist.

The rule of skirts and trouser is not difficult; I wont advice you to wear straight or pencil skirts because the emphasize the straightness of your figure BUT you can wear them depending on your combination. For instance, a blouse which flares from the waist can be worn on a straight or pencil skirt because the blouse is already giving the illusion of a tiny waist and hips. Also, jackets that end on the the widest part of your hip and more volume to your hips. Your best bet is A-line and flare skirts, bell-shaped and full skirts, in fact, any skirt that tends to give the illusion of a tiny waist and add to the hips is great for you. Please don't forget that with your legs, you can afford to wear skirts above the knee, if you are comfortable with dressing that way. When it comes to jeans, you can wear tight jeans and pants should be tailored and always fitted at the hips, they could be flare from the knee or fitted and end at the calf. Just remember that you can wear all types of trousers.

With dresses, your options are a little similar to that of the apple shape. While the apple shape is disguising her stomach with an empire waist dress, you are giving yourself more hips. Also go for wrap round dresses and those with drapes (pleats and gathers) because they add more volume to your figure and as a matter of fact, your shape is the only one that can really pull off wearing drapes without looking fat so flaunt dearest.

Padded bra is not an enemy, neither shoulder pads nor fashionable waist belts (thin or fat). Horizontal patterned clothes make you look wider so add a couple of those to your wardrobe. Cute and girly is adorable for your shape and I'm not talking about colours alone; let your hair down when you can, accessorize, especially with necklaces or shawls, cute purses or big bags and don't forget those heels.

Here is our popular TV Personality, Adora Oleh, host of The Adora Oleh Show and co-host of Mtn Project Fame West Africa.