What to wear if you're pear shaped

[Psylocke]

^Oh I like that one! What brand is it? Rick Owens? I think you might be right that a mermaid-like skirt could look good. And I guess I'd have to wear it with high heels though I usually prefer wearing flat boots with skirts.

 

[melfreya]

It's probably a question of do you want to accentuate the thighs or not..for example I would never wear that type of skirt, it would put so much focus in my thigh area. I'm a pear shape and I've worn many long skirts with no problem though most of them are A line or just straight up and down. Here's some examples and inspiration




examiner.com,stylebistro.com

 

[Psylocke]

^Love the ones on Gillian Zinser and the Olsen girl (sorry, I still can't tell which one's Ashley and which one's MK ). Gillian actually has a similar body type as me and she totally rocks that skirt. The green one and the blue one on Margherita Missoni look great but I know those would be really unflattering on me Thanks a lot for the pics!

 

[m.j.]

im a pear...and i never saw this thread!!!

 

[mermaidsandcats]

^Oh I like that one! What brand is it? Rick Owens? I think you might be right that a mermaid-like skirt could look good. And I guess I'd have to wear it with high heels though I usually prefer wearing flat boots with skirts.

I am very sorry, I didn't see your post until today!
Unfortunately I can't remember what brand the skirt was, saved that pic a while ago... but it shouldn't be difficult to find similar skirts atm with all the maxiskirt/dress hype ...

 

[Emma Naomi]

I'm a pear.... sort of.... I have large hips, but small thighs (in comparison to my hips that is). So I guess I'm a weird pear shape.
I've never got why people say Pears should wear A-lines though, I always find they make me look larger and frumpy!

 

[Margaret24]

I tend to avoid miniskirts that are too short and wear bootcut or flare jeans.

 

[cheepmunk]

I'm a pear.... sort of.... I have large hips, but small thighs (in comparison to my hips that is). So I guess I'm a weird pear shape.
I've never got why people say Pears should wear A-lines though, I always find they make me look larger and frumpy!

Maybe it's because you have small thighs? I think A-lines work best if you have large thighs and small calves, since they make it seem like any bulk around the thighs is from the shape of the skirt rather than the leg itself. If there's nothing to camouflage at the thigh, it can sometimes defeat the purpose.

 

[etceteraism]

I'm pear shaped too, I think I'm around 33-27-39. But I think it depends a lot on your height and where you carry your weight. I'm 5ft10, and pencil skirts look great on me (as long as they're a good quality fabric, not too thin, and are lined. The cheap ones cling and look awful). I just bought a gorgeous red pencil skirt, and it looks great-so I don't think you need to shy away from wearing color on bottom completely.

I also wear skinny jeans exclusively, but I stick with dark washes and ones that bunch a bit at the bottom (instead of a skintight jegging) so that they look more proportional-and I wear them with flats. Pears can definitely wear skinny jeans. Have any of you seen How To Look Good Naked? Gok often puts curvy girls in skinny jeans and they look great, because he knows how to style it so they stay in proportion.

My biggest problem is that, of course, pears don't look great in short skirts. But being tall, it's so difficult! Almost all my skirts I will only wear with tights because at least they make my thighs look a bit slimmer. And I much prefer wearing skirts with boots, because I feel I look a bit more balanced.

I loooove that green maxi skirt on Olivia-I think maxi skirts can look frumpy really easily, but the silk makes it very sleek.

 

[Lacroix]

bumping old posts!

Ooh, thanks Ta-Ta!

Being pear shaped can be a bit tricky. I realized only recently that this is my bodytype. I wouldn't get why skinny jeans and flats wouldn't suit me! I also look kinda awkward wearing leggings that stop in the middle of the calves.

Thinking about it, there are quite a lot of celebrities with this bodytype - I'm thinking Leighton Meester, Kate Hudson, Rachel Bilson, Eva Longoria, Lauren Conrad... A good way to find some inspiration and knowing what to avoid and what to do.

I'm posting a picture of Lauren: isn't it amazing what the clothes you choose do for/against your body?

skinnyvscurvy.com

I wouldn't class them as pear shape at all. Eva is petite and has quite a boyish figure; small hips, not much waist, same as Kate. Actually, neither is Lauren. She is curvy below and abovem quite proportioned and hourglass

Pears to me are Keira Knightly, (when she lost all that weight people classed her as having an 'athletic' figure but she is a definite pear imo.) Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kristen Davies, Mischa Barton

I think being short and pear is the worst combination for clothes. What jeans to pick? Are skinny jeans considered a no no and heifer inducing? and bootcuts look even worse despite what the mags say. Dresses look awful as do skirts, it's awful. Knightley and Barton are tall and can get away with dressing their bodies but being short is a nightmare!

I'm not pear-shaped, but I subscribe to a thread on Star Style of a socialite who is pear-shaped: Dasha Zhukova. She is very slender, but has narrow shoulders and distinctly wider hips. She seems to dress extremely well for her body type, so I recommend checking out her thread.

I have thought once or twice she might be but then I abandoned the idea since she's so slim and her legs are tiny. Having wide hips doesn't equal pear right? or maybe I'm wrong

 

[Underage]

I agree with some of the advice (wide-leg pants over cropped ones) but not others (wearing longer skirts). Plenty of pears have thin legs, and concealing sometimes makes you look bigger.

I've never been Kim Kardashian voluptuous, but I used to try to camouflage the curves I have, and all it does is make me look bigger. People have guessed me to weigh more than I do when I wear a lot of layers/loose clothing. I think it's all about showing off the waist, and if you're slim, your arms and legs. If you're a super-skinny pear, even things like skinny jeans can look good with heels. I find with pants in particular, especially if I'm not in the best of shape, it's best to look for ones that are straight through the thigh (but not tight) and looser through the rest of the leg. I can't wait until I get implants so I can become more of an hourglass.

 

[Melisande]

It's true, I guess there are so many types of pears...I'm more of an hourglass and love longer flowy skirts and bootcut jeans, but just yesterday I discovered a tight black knee-length pencil skirt that looks absolutely fabulous on my figure, even better than A-line skirts I've had in the past! So excited to discover a new shape for me Sometimes it's all about little things like a centimeter here, there...so it's worth trying things on.
That said, I've yet to find a pair of skinny jeans that suit me...

 

[vagrants]

^Dark and straight at the bottom. I live in black Genetic Shane jeans (with flats, sounds like I ignore all the pear rules)- they're expensive but so comfortable. Skinny jeans can work on pears depending on how your legs are shaped. I'm a thin pear (a friend used to call our body type 'teaspoon of joy') and I carry all my weight in the low hip. Anything bootcut, wide leg, etc, makes me look much heavier than I actually am. A well cut skinny jean reveals the curve of the leg - I can't hide the hip in any pair of pants so I might as well show off the slender parts of the leg. Might not work so well with straighter legs (whoever said carrot was spot on).

Am I the only one not so comfortable with showing off the waist? I have broad, bony shoulders, then a narrow ribcage and waist, and I find that a looser shirt/tshirt that hangs straight down from the shoulders makes me look much more evenly proportioned. Combined with the beloved Genetic skinnies and a pair of flats, it feels like walking around in pjs :-)

 

[Underage]

^ Oh absolutely, if you're in amazing shape, skinny jeans can still look good, if not better than bootcut or wide-leg jeans. Most pears have some thigh even if they're otherwise thin, which is why I'm currently avoiding skinny jeans.

I understand not being comfortable showing off the waist, that was me until I gained a little weight. Once you actually get meat on your bones, you become more comfortable with a defined waist/hips, at least I did.

 

[risska]

I find Karen Walker make a lot of lovely full skits and dresses designed to be worn on the waste which I find perfect for my pear shape.

source: karenwalker.com

 

[YoninahAliza]

Ahh... It's lovely to see other people are pears as well! I'm 5'5 and pear shape except I have a really long torso. When I sit down people have remarked that they think I'm 5'10 or more. So it makes it a bit difficult for me to find garments sometimes that flatter my shape while also being the right length. So what brands do people like shopping at that flatter pear shapes? Nothing terribly expensive either please. I don't want to dream of unattainable designers.

 

[Underage]

I have Joie pants from years ago that are flattering on me.

 

[Caramel]

Can anyone recommend a jeans brand or model that are good for pear shapes? An obvious problem is finding jeans that fit across the hips and are not too big at the waist, but I've noticed recently that the thighs are a problem for me as well.

I've tried the Levi's Curve i.d jeans and they fit me beautifully at the waist, hips and thighs, the only problem I have with them are that they are too low waisted, especially in the front...

 

[barbaraaa]

^ I'm an hourglass, not a pear, but I have the same problem (thighs/hips-waist). I have only found one pair that fit me, by Zara - however, I've owned several of their jeans in the past and they never fit. I think it might be worth it paying to get the waist taken in.

 

[cheepmunk]

Old Navy has a couple of models that might work (Dreamer, Flirt, Diva), but I don't know if you're interested in their jeans. That's the only brand I've found apart from Levi's that I can wear off-the-rack. Otherwise, I second the suggestion to have the waist taken in.