What to wear if you're pear shaped

[daniellat]

sort of, my hips used to be wider than my shoulder but not that much and my waist small, now after gaining some pounds i put them on my butt but not as much as i did on my chest and waist so now i am more proportioned but on the curvy side as well, not really curvy but yeah.

 

[melfreya]

bump! anyone has any recommendations for jean shorts on a pear shape? should I go mid thigh or bermuda style?

 

[Psylocke]

I'm pear shaped too and I own a pair of tight and low rise knee lenght bermudas and let me tell you that's the last thing you should wear when you're pear shaped I love them, but I every time I'm wearing them people asked me if I gained some weight.

I've found loose mid thigh shorts to be the most flattering on a pear shape, and they should always be mid rise (I prefer my jeans to be low rise, but with shorts it doesn't look good when you're pear shaped). And I also love mini shorts

 

[melfreya]

good to know that about bermudas..haven't tried a pair since I was 18 and I had a very different body then! So I guess this is the type I should search for..

denimology

I like it but I hope I can find some cheap versions of them since these are Alexander Wang and the like..very pricey. I hope Zara or Topshop carry similar styles. Thanks for the advice psylocke!!

 

[Psylocke]

You're welcome!
Your examples are great, especially the first one and the one of Kate look awesome. I definitely think these would work on a pear shape (of course it also depends a bit on your legs and all). I'm sure there are some less expensive shorts in that style, I've seen lots of them in the sales everywhere.


(In the last pic - is it Rachel Bilson? - why the heck is she wearing a top with huge shoulders with those loose shorts? Makes her look really short.)

 

[melfreya]

^^yep it's her! I thought it was a bad top choice too!

 

[JaneBond730]

In order to be pear shaped your hips have to be wider than your shoulders.

 

[cyberfruit]

You know, I've always said I was a pear because when I was younger and an athlete I had noticeably bigger hips and thighs with a small bust and waistline, but I've always had broad shoulders and never gain weight in that area.

Now, I'm reading that pears have shoulders that are smaller than their hips, which leaves me confused. I guess after a certain weight, yeah, your hips will inevitably be larger than your shoulders, but does that also ring true for thinner women?

 

[Psylocke]

melfreya Well it's always good to also have example of how not to do it

cyberfruit I don't think there's an exact definition of what pear shaped is. I keep hearing different things. Some people say you're pear shaped as soon as there is more than a 9" difference from the circumference of your hips to your waist and your bust is smaller than the hips. Others say it depends on the hip to waist ratio. Other say you're automatically pear shaped if your bust is smaller than your hips. never heard anything about the shoulders having to do with it before. But IMO it's not even that much about measurements. My measurements aren't exactly typical for a pear shape, yet when I look at myself I can totally see that I look tiny on top compared to the lower part of my body.

 

[JaneBond730]

Bust size has nothing to do with it. You are suppose to determine your shape based on bone and weight gain. In order to be a pear you have to gain most of your weight below the waistline and have hips that are wider than your shoulders. You also are supposed to have a small and defined waist.

 

[cyberfruit]

JaneBond730: I don't think it's that black and white because then that leaves a lot of women like me in limbo in regard to what their body size is. Also, I disagree because the bust has a lot to do with what shape you are determined to be. I've read countless articles and the inflection points are always the same -- bust, waist, and hips. Shoulders are almost never a part of the equation.

I gain most of my weight in my hips and thighs, period, and I have always had a small and defined waist line. My broad shoulders are genetic as my mother has the same kind of shoulders and body type, and it would sound like we're possible hourglasses, but I know for sure that we aren't. My arms have always been stick skinny and I have a very prominent clavicle because fat doesn't get stored there.

 

[Yasmin]

For me you're pear shaped if you gain weight primarily in your hips, butt, and thighs, not your waist and not so much your breasts. If you also have very large breasts then you're probably hourglass. The classic pear shape will wear a larger pants size versus their smaller shirt, dress and/or skirt size.

If you have large shoulders (bone/muscle), but still only gain weight below, I still think you are technically pear-shaped but you are lucky because your broad shoulders balance out your lower part. (Which is why I am hoping to broaden my very delicate, sloping shoulders...)

The main thing I imagine is the problem for anyone with wider hips/bum/thigh and narrow waist is finding good fitting pants!

 

[audreyhorne]

For me you're pear shaped if you gain weight primarily in your hips, butt, and thighs, not your waist and not so much your breasts. If you also have very large breasts then you're probably hourglass. The classic pear shape will wear a larger pants size versus their smaller shirt, dress and/or skirt size.

If you have large shoulders (bone/muscle), but still only gain weight below, I still think you are technically pear-shaped but you are lucky because your broad shoulders balance out your lower part. (Which is why I am hoping to broaden my very delicate, sloping shoulders...)

The main thing I imagine is the problem for anyone with wider hips/bum/thigh and narrow waist is finding good fitting pants!

is me, phew. i swear i only gain weight in my HIPs. not even thighs

 

[aquamarine]

I think I might also be pear-shaped (funny how this occured to me only recently...). Although my chest is not small for my size, my hips/thighs are the dominant region on my body and my upper body is in generally smaller than my lower body. To make things more complicated, I'm only 5' and my measurements are about 35-27-37, which makes me *almost* an hourglass, but not quite. My lower body just looks a lot heavier than my upper body, and my legs aren't long or slim either.

And I swear when I gain weight it goes to my WAIST first and then on my thighs, although I'm definately NOT apple-shaped- never was.

I guess I don't fit into a category... Maybe my body's just weird.

 

[ultramarine]

Trinny and Susannah (from BBC's "What not to wear") did the definitive Body Shape Bible imho ... they looked at the overall body in order to trick the eye and even had two different types of pears .. "the pear" and "the skittle" (as in a bowling pin) which depends on how big your calves are and such ... so you shud be careful about it ...

About skinny jeans ... they say its a big no no (and show a pic of Halle Berry to prove it) THO I think it can be pulled off if wearing heels ... and sometimes I think high waisted jeans/pencil skirts can work, too ...

One very good trick which I dont find mentioned in here is for the top to have sleeves that cut up in he arm in order to broaden the shoulders .... and you can never fail with a brighter top

 

[Lapin de Lune]

Fifties style dresses, nipped in at the waist look so beautiful on pear shaped figures (and anything that emphasizes the waist). I love the contrast of the curvier lower section and the petite top half. I'm not pear shaped myself, but I really like this body shape.

 

[amberandrea]

Pear-shaped ladies, what are you wearing right now? Seems like everything trendy is about playing down the waist and showing off the legs--exactly the opposite of what's good for us! Any examples of outfits that work for you but don't look dated?

 

[cyberfruit]

What am I wearing now? Henleys/V-neck tops, skinny jeans, and flats, lol. I live in skinny jeans even though most fashion experts say its a no-no. I prefer to dress simply, maybe too simply because I rarely wear accessories.

Yeah, I really stay away from any style that either downplays the waist or my hips. I love boyfriend style sweaters but will only wear them if they stop at the hip and they must be v-neck (I am a big fan of clavicle p*rn )! Then, the sweater must be paired with skinny jeans. I don't want to completely cover my figure. Nothing revolutionary on my side of things.

 

[Psylocke]

Anyone have any opinions on the maxi skirt trend and how pear shaped girls can pull it off?

I really like all these sheer and semi-sheer maxi skirts we've been seeing on the runway and on models but I'm not sure what type to go for. I like the straight ones and the flowy ones but I'm not sure either of these would look good on me. I'm not a voluptuous pear shape, it's just that my hip bones are rather wide compared to my waist but I have skinny legs and am not that short (5'7") yet from the skirts I tried on I thought the flowy or voluminous ones drowned me completely and made me look short and stumpy
Do you girls think it's possible at all to pull off floor length skirts when you're pear shaped?

 

[mermaidsandcats]

I am just a bit taller and a pear, although my legs are not skinny. I think it is best to go with slim/fishtail type skirts that show our "curves" when choosing maxi skirts. I think as a pear it looks best to option for some kind of defined silhouette on the bottom half of the body, no matter if you're wearing pants or skirts. Just my personal preference.

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