Trinny and Susannah: The Vase

Trinny and Susannah’s the Vase is described as big tits, gently curving longer waist, hips equal tits and slim thighs and legs.

A vase is basically a taller, sleeker hourglass. There’s still the big curves going on at hip and breasts but the waist is long and only gently curves where in an Hourglass or Cello the waist will be small, and because of the relative closeness to the hips and breasts, seem much more dramatic.

The other big difference with between a Vase and an Hourglass or Cello is thighs. A Vase is more likely to have slender thighs and legs.

Dressing the Vase

A Vase has that same hourglass shape going on as the Hourglass and Cello so the big issue for the Vase remains working with what you’ve got. The curvy amoung us are well aware of how it tends to attract attention. The Vase along with the Hourglass and Cello is a sexy shape. Expressing that in clothes is a little more difficult.

Do – work with your shape. You’re sexy. Come to terms with it and make it part of your own particular style.

Don’t – cover up. You’re taller and slimmer than an Hourglass but you still need to make use of your waist to maintain balance in your silhouette.

Do – show your legs; they’re one of your best features.

Don’t – opt for frilly or fussy clothes. You need to keep things fairly simple.

Clothes – what to avoid

Ruffles on shirts – you have big breasts and drawing attention to them further with ruffles or anything extra will make you look bigger again and throw off your balance.

High neck shirts – polo necks are just not right for you. Neither are round necks. Your breasts will double in size and you’ll end up looking like you swallowed a couple of melons.

Baggy clothes – as with anyone proportionate your waist needs to be highlighted to keep you proportionate. Shaped clothes are a must.

Wide leg pants – a wide leg pant will disguise the width of your thighs, but since you have great thighs that deserve to be emphasized it’s not a match for your shape.

Wedge shoes – you’ve long slender legs and delicate ankles. A heavy shoe will overwhelm your leg and make you feet look clunky.

Clothes – what shapes to look for

Straight leg jeansStraight leg jeans – you have nice legs. Make use of them. You might be tempted to go for a skinny leg jean however consider your hips. You’re curvy and a skinny leg jean will highlight those curves and make you look bottom heavy. A straight leg jean will fall from your hips and still emphasize long slim length of your legs.

Armani puffed sleeve shirtFitted shirt with puffed sleeve – a puff sleeve draws the focus away from your breasts. You need a fitted shirt to hug your long slender waist. A round hemline that sits right on the top of your hips is best.


Aucca straight leg pantTrousers with slanted pockets – make use of your great legs with straight leg trousers. Pockets at the side should be good but avoid them right in front of your hips as they may pull.


Milly Tamar Empire DressHold it all in dress – you have a curvaceous shape and the best choice of dress is going to be one that echos that shape. Look for a more structured  dress that’s going to provide you with some support but also with a little drape to keep your shape fluid. Classic glamour will suit your shape.

Jacqueline blazerSingle button jacket – the button on the jacket should fit the jacket to your slender waist. Look for a lapel that’s open to break up your chest area and draw attention to your face. A rounded lapel will echo your feminine shape.


shannon-belted-knit-dressScooped neck knit dress – an empire waisted dress that gathers just under your breasts at the narrowest part is a great choice. The wide open neck opens your chest and reduces your breasts and the draping skirt hugs your long legs giving a very feminine silhouette.


Planet Ottoman Jersey short sleeve topSquare neckline top – a square neckline will show off your breasts without creating too much cleavage. Look for a variety of tops in great colours and subtle patterns because you really need to avoid any frills or gathers on your frame.


Paul Smith Black Label High Waist Pencil skirtHigh waisted pencil skirt – a pencil skirt was made for you. You have the long, narrow waist to carry off the extended waist, the rounded hips that are a signature of a pencil skirt and the long legs to carry off that much length. Have the hem finish at your narrowest part – just below the knee.

Givenchy peep toe court shoeCurvy shoes – echo your curves with a curvy shoe. Choose something sexy in keeping with your shape. You have slender legs so you can handle a slender heel. Be careful with heavier heels as they can easily become too clunky for your frame.

If you want to find out more about Trinny and Susannah’s Body Shape Bible please click here.

About Lisa

I love clothes and in particular shoes but I'm just such a funky shape I find it hard to find stuff that works for me. I needed a little help and that led to my work on this blog. Turns out I love writing too, as well as helping people so I'm really onto a winner here!

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  • Jana

    What shape am I? I always thought I was an hourglass (bust-waist-hips are 36″-26″-36″) but I have big boobs, long small waist, medium thighs, and slim lower legs. So I guess that makes me somewhere between a vase and cello?

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Jana

    I’d say a Vase.

    Lisa

  • Isabel rutten

    Hi Lisa,

    I am small ( 1,60 m.) My waist is long and sweeping but i am not sure if i am a vase. I don’t have long legs like a vase and my breasts are medium ( b cup) and wel formed.My hips are also medium .I do not have saddlebags at all so i don’t see myself as a pear , my legs are not fat or slim just average and so my calves. Wat body shape am I ?

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Isabel

    You don’t mention your shoulders, so assuming your shoulders are proportionate with your hips I agree that Vase is the best shape for you. I guess you’re just a scaled down version. If you’re shoulders are wider I’d say maybe Cornet.

    LISA

  • princess A

    I’m not sure what shape I am.
    I thought I was an hourglass because I have large hips and boobs of about equal width with a very defined waist but my waist/torso isn’t short. That sounds like a vase,right?
    HOWEVER, my waist is not long and gently curving, it’s more defined than that as the waist nips in more.
    But then I am a UK size 16.

    Help me ladieeees! xxx

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hey Princess A

    I’d say you’re an hourglass with a long waist. Remember over 3 billion women, 12 shapes: the chances of putting anyone into one slot is slim to none. Look at both ideas and then experiment until you find what works for you.

    LISA

  • Kitty

    Hi Lisa,

    I’m slightly confused as to which shape I fall into- I’m 5’9.5″, 135lbs, with a bust-waist-hips are 35.5-27.5-35. I have a long waist, hips and shoulders much the same width. I keep getting stuck between a Vase, and a Column. However, I’m not a big breasted Vase but have small to average size boobs, with a “skinny” looking top half (little coverage over collarbones/ribs) that looks “bony” in Vase style tops, and broad back/chest, straight shoulders, and longish slender legs. I do, however, have flabbier arms and upper thighs, and too many curves for the Column.

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Kitty

    I think perhaps you’re not a perfect fit for either column or vase, but a little of both. You do have a defined waist like a vase, but the slenderness of a column. Its common for women to fit into two or even three categories. Simply pick what works for you out of each and get practising.

    LISA

  • Rene

    Id love to know where to get that hold it all in dress that is pictured!

  • Lara

    Hi Lisa,
    I’m confused about my body type. My measurements are 36-25-35, I’m 5”6′ with long slim legs, which would make me a vase. However I do have broad shoulders. They’re two inches wider than my hips. I thought I was a goblet, but I have a defined waist and hips.

  • Ella

    Hello. I suppose I’m vase – my measures are something around 39inches Bust, 29inches Waist, 38inches Hips, I’m 5’9 tall and I have long, slim legs. Shoulders come out a bit futher than hips. Long, gently curving waist.

    But what disturbs me is my bulging, fatty stomach comparated to that I have somewhat small behind and such slim legs. Looking to my body from the side, it looks fat and unshaped. This is why I’m afraid of using slim fit tops.

    Is there any way try to hide problematic and annoying issue in my body, and still bring out the waist beautifully? I feel like I’m some fattyslim mongrel…

  • Ella

    Btw, what does this “Miss Moneypenny on Viagra” style mean…? It’s mentioned in some of the sourches about the vase bodyshape.

    I’m a foreigner and I have no idea what this means.

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Ella

    Miss Moneypenny is a sexy character from the Bond movies. I guess moneypenny on viagra is meant to mean extra sexy? Silly I think.

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Ella

    Avoid pleated pants, gathers, elasticized waists as all they will do is make you look bumpier. Also clingy tops.

    Look for shaped shirts – a nice blouse maybe – that will skim your curves but still retain a bit of structure over your stomach. Also diagonal lines or gathers and ruches that confuse the eye about what’s already there.

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Lara

    I think probably a combination between vase and cornet.

  • shilpa

    hey there im a 18 yr old girl.my bust-waist-hip size is 34-28-36 inches. i think am a vase.i find lots of similarities with that shape.do you think am right?

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Shilpa

    Its hard to tell from a bust-waist-hip ratio. The person most likely to know is you though.

  • shilpa

    i am not a big breasted vase though,but i do have normal thighs,slim legs and gently curving waist.i am about 159 cm tall.

  • Emma

    Hi,
    I always thought I was an hourglass but after reading this i’m confused. I have big breasts (cup E), rather long waist, medium thighs, and slim lower legs (92-70-98 and I’m 165 cm tall). Which shape am I?

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Emma

    Vase.

  • Alex

    Hi Lisa,

    I’m only 5’3 and my bust-waist-hip measurements are 39-29-41 I think I’m a vase but I’m not so sure its hard to tell.

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Alex

    I’d say an hourglass as well. The thing is you have discovered the truth a out body shape which is that sometimes its not really helpful. The way to move forward is to learn what cuts of clothes suit you. To show your bust and waist go for wide and v neck tops that are fitted at the waist. Keep colours up top and keep your bottom half more sombre to keep attention fixed up top.

  • Malica

    Broad shoulders, 38-23-37, 5’6″, quite narrow back, muscular, but not very massive legs.
    Vase?

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Malica

    Its hard to say from that. Do you have a long waist? If your bust measurement is 38 and you have broad shoulders does that probably means your shoulders are wider than your hips. You could be more of a goblet.

  • Malica

    Thank you!
    I’m not short waisted, that’s for sure, but I can’t say that it’s really long, too.
    My shoulders indeed are a little bit wider then hips, but unlike typical Goblet I do have a waist (15″ difference is pretty extreme) and I look pregnant in empire-waist dresses. I praise Levi’s for their Bold Curve jeans and I can’t find tops that fit like ever. Nobody sympathize (

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    I’d say you’re probably a mixture Malica. Most of us are. You simply cannot sum up all the body shapes women come in with just 12 shapes. Do look at clothing ideas for hourglass and vase. They’re as much about emphasising your waist as dealing with big breasts.

  • Malica

    You definitely have a point, We are all unique! )
    Thanks!

  • Becky

    Hi! I think I’m a vase but I’m not totally sure. Was wondering if you could help me? I have 37inch shoulders, 34inch bust, 25.5inch waist and 34.5 inch hips. I’m 5″7. I feel so slim! I’m not sure whether I’m a vase, hourglass or straight. Many thanks

  • bree

    I’ve had 5 kids, I’m 32 and I feel like I have lost my real shape somewhere in between. My measurements are 34-27-36. I’m 5 ft 1 and 110 lbs.. I am very small framed. I have no bum, but big breasts as a 34 D cup on my tiny frame. At times I feel very not proportioned. My legs and lower arms are my best assets. I use to have a rock hard flat tummy before all my children. Now I’m skinny, but have a muffin top :-( Even though I’m short, I’m all legs! My shoulders are very proportionate with my hips. I think I’m a cross between a spoon, vase and something else. I use to think I was an hourglass, but my bum is on the wide and flatter side, while my upper body is tiny and legs are tiny. My bum and hips are the widest part of my body. Could u please help me figure out what shape/shapes I fit into?

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Bree

    You sound like a real mix of shapes! The tiny upper body and bigger lower body is kind of pear shaped, though of course pear’s don’t usually have big breasts. I think that you should let go of trying to define an actual shape because, Bree, you are uniquely you, and that doesn’t seem to fit into any particular shape well. Focus instead on what issues you would like to address. For instance, you have big breasts, in cup size, so anything high necked is unlikely to work well for you. That’s a typical Hourglass / Vase issue. But for you it will be combined with other issues. What issues are you wanting to address?

  • elissa

    so i have medium sized breasts medium sized hips but a long waste; my shoulders are long….. i suppose vase…. but the thing is whenever i try to wear a dress it turns out…. just not right… i would really like to shorten it… is there any way?

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Elissa

    I think’s its probably easier to change the dress to suit your personal shape than to change the length of your waist:) Seriously it might simply be that your shape is not going to work with some (all?) dresses. Remember dresses are built for an archetypal shape whereas bodies come in infinite variations.

    If you’re finding that you end up looking too long through the body maybe check out Column as well. You need to break up your body to give the illusion its shorter.