Finding a pair of fashionable, affordable and comfortable shoes remains a challenge. It’s especially problematic in Summer when shoes are strappy, unsupportive and generally less soothing on the soles. Closed shoes tend to be more comfy (at least when we pad them up with insoles they can be).

I like to grade a shoe by the amount of time that you can walk in them. “8-hour shoes” are shoes that you can walk around in comfortably the whole day. 8-hour shoes do not pass the grade if you wear them the whole day sitting at your desk. In order to qualify, you need to put a pair of shoes through their paces, which means running errands,  shopping, commuting on foot, watching children and running around at work. Below are styles that have been tried and tested the full 8 hours (either by myself or by my clients) and pass with flying colours. I hope that you derive as much joy from these painless shoe options as I have. Who says that you can’t rush around in style when you have fussy feet!

Onex wedge mules (these shoes are as soft as butter), Clarks espadrilles and Franco Sarto metallic sandals.

Converse All Stars (my favourite shoe to run around in), Converse Mary Janes and Me Too peep toe flats (especially good for wide feet).

It isn’t always easy finding a pair of jeans when you are a pretty pear. Here are three important style features that will help to narrow your search:

• A contoured waistband which starts higher on your bottom and dips down lower in front is essential. This feature will mould your curvy bottom and prevent baggy fabric buildup at crotch point.
• Just enough ease on the thigh area for a flattering “skimming effect”. Too much ease on the thighs will make you look bigger than you are so keep your fit fairly snug.
• Boot cut or flared leg openings automatically balance out your larger bottom with your smaller top. Straight and tapered leg openings will have the opposite effect, so stay clear of them.

If the back waistband of your jeans still stands away from the small of your back, invest in having them altered. This can cost anything from $13 to $30. It’s worth the expense because when they fit you perfectly you’ll feel fabulous every time you put them on.

After dressing many pretty pears, below are my recommendations for the best American jeans brands and fits for this body type. Bear in mind that pretty pear-shapes are not created equally. Some woman carry their curves on their thighs, others on their bottom, and some in both areas. You might find that you’ll need to try on a few of these brands before you find that perfect pair:

• Lucky “Easy Riders”
• Lucky “Sweet ‘n Low”
• AG “Club”
• Paige Premium  “Robertson”
• DKNY “Soho”
• Calvin Klein “classic boot cuts”
• Joes “ the honey”

If you have a brand and cut that you would recommend for pretty pears, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Enjoy your deliciously feminine physique!

Lucky “Easy Riders”, AG “Clubs” and Paige Premium “Robertsons”, all available at department stores.

The “it” item this season, celebrities can’t stop wearing them and dress departments are full of them. The sack (or shift) dress is a ‘60’s inspired boxy mini that’s looks… well… like a sack. It’s muu-muu quality makes it comfortable, but at the same time enormously shapeless and difficult to pull off with style.

Sack dresses in soft draping fabrics like sateen, chiffon and thick jersey are a little more flattering, but still not ideal. Matching them with leggings, skinnies and straight leg pants gets a look going, but does little for your silhouette.

The only way I’ve felt fab wearing a sack dress is by belting it at the waist over a pair of slim fitting pants. And a wider belt works better than a narrow one. This combination gives you the volume and the shape. Try reining in that sack dress (without the pants if you have great legs). You might prefer this high fashion look if you do.

Left: Satin shift dress is easier to pull off because of the draping fabric.
Right: Sack dress paired with a wide belt for extra  shape.

The roomy look is sticking around for at least another season. I adore this marvelously feminine trend. Voluminous sleeves, baby-dolls, sack-dresses, wide-leg pants and trapeze jackets have revived a look in fashion that we haven’t seen for years.

But the voluminous look hasn’t been easy to put together. A voluminous top worn with a voluminous bottom is shapeless and unflattering. The trick is to sport one voluminous piece at a time. Here are guidelines that will help you pull off volume with style:

• Wear wide pants with fitted and tailored tops. It’s essential to show your waistline with an A-line silhouette.
• Keep the silhouette long and lean underneath a trapeze jacket. Slim fitting tops and boot cut pants, straight legs or skinnies will have you looking your slimmest in this type of jacket.
• Sack dresses and boxy tunics are best worn with straight cut pants, tapered walk shorts (mid calf length and no longer) skinnies or leggings.

If you wear volume on top, keep it slim at the bottom; if you wear volume at the bottom, keep it tailored on top. Easy!

Left: voluminous gauchos worn with a tailored top.
Right: voluminous tops worn with slim bottoms.