Q&A: Fashion Advice For Pear Shaped Bodies

Women frequently ask me for help determining their body shape, and so I wanted to share the advice that I gave to one very sweet woman I helped recently…

She asked:

Hi there,

I am 36 (5?4) and I have always been considered to have a cute curvy small frame…but at 35 I gained 10 lbs in the course of 1 year……my husband thinks I look more “womanly” at 137 v 127 and says that I am his lil’ “brick house”. My measurements are:

34 – D (bust)
28 – (waist)
39 – (hips)

I am trying to figure out what type of clothing would be appropriate..yet still sexy and my style. I am trying to camouflage my hippy and big thigh appearance…what do you suggest?

After carefully determining her body shape from her measurements, I gave her the following response…

From your measurements it sounds like you have a lovely body! I would but you in the pear shaped category if you feel the need to hide your hips and thighs though.

Stick to jeans and pants that fit comfortably through the waist and hips and go straight down from the widest part of your hips. You want a straight line all the way down to balance your proportions.

Skirts and dresses should hit at or right above the knee. Look for a-lines and avoid anything that gets smaller towards your knees. Be careful with pencil skirts. If you feel comfortable and sexy wearing them, by all means go for it! You can look classy while still showing off your curves.

She replied with the following thoughts…

Thank you so much for getting back to me. I was thinking pear from looking at the other ladies post….I am guessing that is not a bad thing….. I have always been hippy even when I was 115…….hips and thighs have always been the largest things on my body. I like that my husband is enjoying the extra cushion, but I am just not used to it and have become very self-conscious about it. I am trying to plan for my spring/summer wardrobe and I think that I will take your advice and buy dresses (a-line, babydoll) and a-line skirts to give me a more slimming appearance until I can loose this extra weight.

I decided to help her out some more with some outfit ideas and replied with the following suggestions…

Don’t feel self conscious about your weight!!! You are not as big as you think! I am 5’3″ and I weighed 139 in October. I felt a lot bigger than I looked because I still had good proportions like you do. If you hide it under baggy or poorly fitting clothes, you’ll look a lot bigger than you are. Same goes with clothes that are too tight or too small.

Pear shaped is not a bad thing. There are many celebrities that are pear shaped like Kristen Davis, Tyra Banks, Rihanna, Shakira, Beyonce, and more.


Image Credit: www.style-fix.net

One thing I recommend, from personal experience, is to avoid shorts… Skirts are so much more flattering to pear shaped bodies. Here are a few skirts you might consider for Spring:

Pleated Skirt
Full Belted Voile Skirt
Circle-Print Pleated Skirt
A-line Flare Skirt

I would avoid babydoll or empire waist dresses. This won’t flatter your curves at all… You want to accentuate your small waist. That’s an asset! Look for wrap dresses or belted dresses.

Also, if you’re looking to lose some weight, consider trying Sensa. I’ve been using the Sensa Weight Loss Program for 5 months and I’ve lost 19 pounds! I’m only 5 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight now. Sensa has helped me so much. Click here to read more about it.

To determine your body shape, just check out this page. If you need help, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to assist you in finding the style that best suits your body type!