Christina Hendricks sparks an increase in sales of curvy clothes at Debenhams

Add to My Stories Samantha Cameron's stony-faced reaction to super-skinny models at London Fashion Week was not the only sign that Britain is sick of the craze for being as thin as possible.Purchasing trends are also signalling a change in the perception of what the ideal woman looks like - demand for clothes that give an hourglass silhouette at Debenhams increased by 225 per cent last year.Part of the credit for this shift in fashion trends must be attributed to curvy Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks who has been topping best-dressed lists at awards ceremonies since last year's Emmys.

Trend setters: Curvy Christina Hendricks (left) is being credited for an increase in sales of clothes that give a Fifties-style sihouette like Marilyn Monroe's
Her popularity marks a return to old school preferences when curvy was in and hourglass actresses like Marilyn Monroe had the ideal figures.Nigella Lawson, Scarlet Johansson and Selma Hayek are also spearheading the trend that will see women up and down the country breathing a big sigh of relief.
Debenhams spokeswoman Michelle Dowdall said: 'It looks like big busts, big hips and narrow waists are on their way back.

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'We're returning to an age when all women looked like Jane Russell, Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth.
'It's bad news for stick thin models - but great news for ordinary women on the street with healthy, fuller figures.'
The Fifties look is being replicated throughout the music world too withsingers like Duffy, Adele and Paloma Faith all modelling their style onthe golden er! a.

Unimpressed: Samantha Cameron looked disappointed by the skeletal frame of models at LFW's Erdem showBut perhaps celebrities are following the trend rather than leading it. Afterall there isevidence to suggest that the definition of feminine beauty is cyclical.
Nude body forms chosen by artists and painters across the last two centuries have alternated between thinner and fuller figures every fifty or sixty years, experts say.
Thin female bodies have been popular since the 1960s - perhaps we are on the cusp of a change?A preference for fuller figures would have a dramatic impact upon the clothes and fashions worn by women in the future.
An hourglass figure demands sharp, tailored clothes which define the body's curves rather than hide it. Debenhams expects sales of pencil skirts, fitted jackets and strapless dresses to increase - a major shift away from today's boyish, androgynous styles.
Deep v-neck sweaters, tight fitting blouses - and good underwear hiding bumps and lumps - will also become wardrobe staples.Dowdall said: 'We're watching this development very closely.
'If hour glass figures are going to return - and current evidence suggests that they are - then we need to begin planning for that major change now.'