No, you won't get it by working out in the gym a gazillion hours a week or by starving yourself or having liposuction. The secret is in foundation garments. I'm not talking Spanx type shapewear, either. That's pretty wimpy stuff compared to what women wore in the 1950's to wrestle their body into that curvy, wasp waisted shape.
Nowadays most women would never dream of cramming themselves into a real girdle in order to make their clothes fit better. But I assure you, if you want to wear a vintage pencil skirt, a girdle will tuck everything neatly into place, smooth out every bulge and minimize the waist nicely. And they're actually quite comfortable once you get used to them!
Here's a vintage girdle ad with a promise of looking younger and sizes smaller!
Another nifty item is the waist cincher, which does just what it's name implies. You can easily carve off a couple of inches or three with one of these handy dandy items. Great for getting into vintage dresses you thought wouldn't fit you.
Notice how the ad promises to "hide bulges" and "streamline the waist". That's exactly what a waist cincher will do. Not sure about the spelling of the name "Figure Mold" though. Makes me think of some kind of nasty fungus, as in, "Gee, honey, after wearing that waist cincher all day in the humid weather, sure looks like you got yourself a bad case of "figure mold!"
Another necessary evil needed to complete that 50's hourglass silhouette is a cone shaped, pointy bra. Of course, no self respecting sweater girl would be caught dead without her trusty bullet bra. Though they are guaranteed to lift and separate, there is always the risk of putting somebody's eye out!
Other lingerie items that play a supporting role in shaping the 50's figure are corsets, corsellettes, merry widows, garter belts, seamed stockings and bustiers. The websites listed below are some great places to help get yourself into some authentic vintage or vintage style foundation garments, if you're up for the challenge!