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Body type guide

Dressing an Hourglass

An hourglass carries balanced shoulders and hips around a clearly defined waist. The single rule that matters: never lose the waist. Everything else is a variation on where you place volume.

Silhouette principles

  • Define the waist first — wrap, belt, or seaming — then let the rest follow.
  • Keep volume symmetrical: if the sleeve is full, keep the skirt clean, and vice versa.
  • Choose fabrics with body and recovery so curves are traced, not flattened.
  • Vertical seams and princess panels follow the natural line better than darts alone.

Garments to reach for

  • Wrap dresses and belted shirtdresses
  • High-rise tailored trousers with a clean front
  • Bias-cut slip skirts in silk or heavy viscose
  • Fitted knitwear with a defined ribbed waist
  • Structured jackets nipped at the smallest point

Cuts that fight the frame

  • Boxy, straight-cut shifts that erase the waist
  • Drop-waist silhouettes that lower the visual centre
  • Heavy stiff fabrics that bridge across the waist
  • Oversized outerwear worn open with nothing defined underneath

Fragrance layering for this frame

Floral-ambery compositions mirror the curve of the silhouette — rose or jasmine over a warm amber base gives the same sense of considered balance the outfit already carries.

Generate your personalized Aura Blueprint

Answer a few questions about your body, your intent, and the room you are walking into. Aura composes the silhouette, the palette, and the fragrance layering into one coordinated blueprint.

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