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How to dress pear and high belly?

Chiara

Many years ago, before children and maturity I was a very slim, angular pear- broad but thin shoulders, small bust, small waist, flat stomach, with saddlebags on the tops of the thighs. At about 5'8", I have small but long bones, especially in my shoulders/arms/neck. My figure was very narrow, side on- and it still is, except for my belly! What worked then was long, fitted tops ending at the high hip, or fitted shirts tucked in, often with 3/4 sleeves and boat or V necks, worn with mid rise trousers (boot or straight), or long, straight skirts. This meant I highlighted the length and narrowness, balanced my wider thighs out.

After children, however, I no longer have a flat stomach. I still carry most of my weight as saddlebags, but I also get a high belly (that is, it sticks out from under the lower ribs to the hip bone)- it is noticeably out of proportion with my small bust and shoulders, and comes out almost as far as my bust, at hip level. Anyway, long fitted tops don't really work, but being angular, with small bones, I look swamped if I wear too much fabric.

Has anyone experienced these figure challenges and found some solutions? Any suggestions regarding things to try? I keep falling back on my old uniform, and then feel self conscious about my belly- very frustrating, and I can't afford to buy things I don't wear! But I'm stumped!

Body Type

25 replies

Latest reply was from J.J.

greycat6

Veteran

HI Chiara,

I have somewhat the same issues with small shoulders and bust and formerly flat stomach.

What works for me is things that fitted in the shoulders and sort of float down from there. Think Eileen Fisher. Her clothes can look like sacks on the hanger but she really knows how to cut clothes to make them flattering. Also, blazers can work wonders to add structure and camouflage.

I hope this helps!

Sal

Veteran

I have different issues flattery wise but my belly has never been flat!

I wonder if woven tailored fits would suit you....something not too fitted but not too large either. The fit at the shoulders and neck line is important. I also find that uneven hemlines help with tops with volume, and can be flattering on the hip area for me.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

rachylou

Veteran

I'm thinking fitted shoulders too - right on the shoulder and an a-line fall from there ...

Chiara

Thanks to all for these ideas!

Greycat, I have often looked at Eileen Fisher online but not available in Australia sadly! I think I need to try more Blazers, that's a good idea.

Kiwigal, I've tried tops with a dropped back, often looks good in profile but not great face on...I'll keep playing with the idea, though.

Rachylou, fit on the shoulder and around the line of the armpit seems to be crucial to not looking swamped, but what needs to happen below that is tricky!

Neelie

Veteran

These are my belly camouflaging tips, I have a similar issue...
1. Long drapy scarf (I love scarves, they draw the attention up and away from the belly, and the ends can float over whatever you are looking to hide.)
2. Layers - longer t-shirt or cami poking out from below the sweater or main top, can be in a contrasting colour, gives the eye different things to look at
3. Blazer or structured jacket
4. Asymmetrical (side ways, not back to front) top - again, visually interesting, in a non clingy fabric.

Good luck.

Lavender&Mint

Yes, I understand this problem completely. I'm built the same way. I used to wear fairly form-fitting shirts and tops never caused me much grief. Now, the tops that work best are tailored in the shoulders and bust but have some floatiness at the bottom or flare out a bit. Not empire waist, though! Luckily, this style of top is pretty easy to find right now. I've had good luck at Loft and Old Navy, for example.

I used to be a jeans and t-shirt girl, but I don't wear tees much anymore. The drapey ones often looks sloppy in the shoulders if they have enough give in the midsection, and I feel self conscious in tighter tees. Going to woven tops has actually been good for my style in general though, because I feel more pulled together than I ever did in my tees. Silver linings!

I get along best with tailored bottoms that sort of skim the saddlebags.

rachylou

Veteran

Oh you've reminded me... Fabric matters. For example, stiff woven collared button downs I cannot work with at all, unless they have that A-line fall which is trim in the amount of fabric used. But a silky button down is easy peasy.

Chiara

You have all been so helpful, thank you again.

Now, just to make sure that I am getting the right end of the stick here, are you talking about tops like this:
http://http//oldnavy.gap.com/b.....=344380022

In terms of assymmetry, I wondered if the idea was this http://http//www.loft.com/stru.....Color=9238 or this http://http//www.eileenfisher......cale=en_US

Thanks for those brand recommendations, L+M. And so happy to hear of others who share this puzzling figure!

Neelie, you remind me, I did do the layering thing (skinny layer on the bottom with something more block shaped, that stood away from my belly, on top) so I should get back to that (which means finding long enough camisoles...)

Rachylou, Your comment on fabric made me realise that I typically look better in stiff fabrics (because I am generally slim and angular; I don't have a natural or relaxed vibe at all :)), so silky fabrics often look a bit meh, unless they are very fitted. So I think I need to explore that a bit more, because the stiff fabrics are tricky, but so are slim silkies!

Chiara

OK, those links don't work, so I have added as images:

1. fitted to shoulder, woven, then straight

2. one kind of assymmetrical hem

3. another kind of assymmtrical hem; is this better than the red shell?

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Echo

Veteran

As a slow learner here (or at least a very visual learner), I am wondering if people could please post pics of what they are talking about. I sometimes THINK I know what you mean, and other times I wonder about the actual figure flattery involved and wonder if the top would instead look like maternity wear instead of fashion.

anne

Veteran

This thread resonated with me - I too used to have "

broad but thin shoulders, small bust, small waist, flat stomach, with saddlebags on the tops of the thighs" and now don't have such a flat stomach but still have the thighs!! And having a tummy that stick out as much as one's bust - *sigh*. My bust is only 5 inches bigger than my waist - it doesn't take much in the tummy area for the tummy to do that.

I do think some sort of structure around the shoulders and arms is the way to go.
Other than that, I agree that wovens can be good to go with what is still a predominantly straight body type. Collars are good, and in general details that pull the eye upward (eg scarves, necklaces)

I do find some of the drapy styles advocated can be hard for us really small busted woman to carry off.

I'll be reading all the suggestions on this thread with interest.

Marina

I believe that depends on how much your belly is "standing out" of your silhouette. Since you are a pear, I'm guessing it stands a bit, enough to make you avoid fitted/slim tops but not enough to be a "predominant feature".

I think you may try blouses in pliable fabrics and straight cut with large neck/shoulders lines and loose fit or with shoulder details and a slightly loose fit. Those won't show your waist so much as a fitted top or a )( cut, but they will follow your waist curve in a more discrete way without clinging to much to your belly and they won't emphasize your top/bottom imbalance as a / \ cut either - and large neck/shoulder lines will help to balance them. Imagining your description what comes to my mind are boatnecks, large no so deep V-necks, cap/batwing/3/4 sleeves. Structured shirts slightly loose and pliable shirts and button down blouses with a loose fit are probably good options too. Depending on your vertical proportions a pliable loose fit dress belted around your natural waist may work too.
Structured X-shaped blazers, jackets and coats and pashminas and ponchos will most certainly look good on you too, if you like them.

DonnaF

Veteran

Have you tried tops with ruching on the sides? Rather than adding bulk (as I originally thought they would), the gathers seem to hide a multitude of sins while still showing a bit of waist curve.

Chiara

I have thought of a way to describe my body shape- Keira Knightley is the basic shape, but with a slightly bigger bust (B cup), bigger saddlebags, and now the belly! But narrowness, length, these are all still very present. This might give you a sense of why I've generally avoided things like ruching, draping or A-line.
I have done some investigation at the local thrift store. What seems to work is to have a narrow cut, very fitted at shoulders and neck (and woven definitely better than knit!) that then goes straight to the point where you can feel the hip bone (at the front) and ends at that point. On me, that point is about half way between belly button and saddlebag. This means that the top is hanging slightly away from my body just below the widest point of my belly, but does not accentuate the low hip area. I've also gone through some of my old tops, and they definitely look better if I end them at that hip bone point, so I can see some sewing happening...
For an A-line top, it worked if it fit me very well on the shoulders, with some kind of detail that drew attention to that area, and then I did a semi-tuck into trousers ending at the hip bone or the top again ended at the hip bone. Any lower, and it started to highlight the hips, and shorten my legs!
I can also just get away with a shirt with a pretty dominant collar, tucked in, so long as the pants end at that hip point. This means that everything still seems to be going in at a narrower point, and the belly bulge is relatively concealed (it is slightly present, but not terrible!) and if I wear a jacket on top, then that will draw the focus away.

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Mellllls

Veteran

i don't think this is really my body top but i wonder if banded hems would be a useful style for you. not sure how popular they are these days.

Chiara

Banded hems would, I think, need careful handling because they might accentuate the belly if they didn't hit just the right spot. Also, most of the ones I've seen were knits, and I'm not big enough in the shoulders/bust to carry knits well, I think.

Judging by my experiments so far, these three blouses from Ann Taylor are something that would work, see how they end around hip bone level, but are narrow? The halter neck might also work, because of the way that highlights the shoulders, even though it's silky (and therefore has belly-cling potential).I wish I hadn't found the halter neck actually, because I love them and I am not.allowed.to.buy.anything at the moment!

I've come to the conclusion this combo of narrowness + shoulder structure + hip bone length, plus woven-not-knit, are the things to look for. That has just made my shopping trips so much easier! So I'm writing out the formula in case it helps others...

Thanks all, again, for your input. It really helped narrow down what to start with (and the woven-not-knit is so obvious, but I had missed it completely!).

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CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Since you mentioned having an outfit formula in the past I thought I could suggest one.

I think skinny jeans or leggings, and tunics would look great on your body type. The tunics need to hang right, not oversized but not fitted or body con either. That way the tunic will flow over your stomach which you are self-conscious about. One of the most important things about the tunic will be its length. It must end fairly long on your thighs, past your saddle bags and at a smaller point of your legs.

Column

Veteran

Hi Chiara,

I'm a petite pear with short legs, so I "get" many of your issues, even though you are much taller than I (Knightly also has short legs, which is almost impossible to tell, given her thin frame and styling aplomb). Losing the waistline is life-changing for shapes like ours, since we relied on showing off that narrow point to keep our silhouettes flattering. I actually started reading 40-50+ fashion bloggers to see what silhouettes flattered mature bodies.

The AHA moment for me was learning to dress for my vertical body, rather than just my horizontal body. Like you, I already knew that anything that bulked up my shoulders--wide necklines, jackets, scarves, necklaces and earrings--was my friend. But what I hadn't mastered was the trick of lengthening the leg line as far as possible (since the bottom half of my body is shorter and wider than the top half), which for me meant starting at my natural waist and continuing through my toes. Now, I look for wide, flared, and trouser leg pants (fitted through hip and thigh, since those are my widest points) with vertical creases paired with heels, pencil skirts, and straight maxis, so that I don't add bell-shaped width to an already larger and shorter bottom half.

I think you've hit on this concept by noticing that your tops must stop right at the start of your hip bone. This allows for tops to cover your new waistline without infringing detrimentally on the leg line. I'm finding that the new cropped tops (including sweaters) work wonders in this regard. They are boxy, which gives our waists room to breathe, while they also stop soon enough. If there is a gap between your top and your bottom piece, you can experiment with camis underneath that match your bottom piece, thus tricking the eye to extend that leg line without calling attention to your middle. As you mentioned, slouchy tees also work if you use the half-tuck in the center. I would think high-low tops also do the trick. All of this illustrates Angie's "just flattering enough" concept. Her seafoam spring post (with different bottoms for me) are a good visual:

http://youlookfab.com/2015/03/.....or-spring/

...and the BR cropped top she recommends is my new go-to (it's fabulous; I bought the petite):

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/.....aff2379092

Color is important for me, too. My bottoms are always darker than my tops...although this spring and summer, I will be experimenting with focusing on "I" on top with lighter bottoms, by which I mean wide, stripes, and brights on top to draw attention away from lighter (but still leg-lengthening) bottoms.

The low-rise skinny bottom with non-matchy-matchy-untucked-top years almost killed my fashion sense. Those trends are my worst fashion-don'ts, and so I'm glad that fashion disaster decade (for me) is over!

Good luck to you!

Column

Veteran

PS on color:

My tops are only "always" lighter than my bottoms if they aren't already tonal or the same in color, thus creating the "column of color" which has been my fashion uniform for most of my life!

Chiara

Column, brilliant summary, thanks! So much good info.

You are right, low rise skinnies with untucked tops are grim, grim, grim. We are still firmly in the grip of the skinny here, but I see that some US brands carry bootcuts or wider legs, so all is not lost.

Cocolion, I have tried the skinny leg with a tunic, but as Column points out, shortening the leg line, visually, on a pear, is not good. So I think for the skinny and tunic to work, I'd probably need to pair the skinny leg with higher heel shoes in the same colour as the legs.

Column

Veteran

Oh, good! I'm glad that was helpful. It has taken me the last three years or so to figure this out.

You mentioned needing long camis: My one-and-only is Nikibiki, one for every bottom color I own (black, brown, navy, dark gray). They are form-fitting, but sturdy, durable, thin, and long. They don't ride up, either. If you are tucking them into bottoms of the same color (with matching belt for a seamless look), or even wearing them untucked, they don't call attention to the middle as long as your focal point is on top(boxy crop, scarf, jewelry, color, stripe, wide neckline, slouchy tee with a little extra shoulder line, neon bright, jacket/topper). I buy mine at http://www.repeatpossessions.c.....ort=newest

Since you mentioned the skinny tyranny where you are, I wanted to share the Gap trouser pant/jean, whose fit I love. I am hopeful I can wear these in white this summer if I widen, brighten, bulk up, and emphasize my top half. Steaming a crease down the center of the trouser and keeping its hemline as long as possible, as Angie shows in today's flare post, also works wonders. Share some pics once you start experimenting, would you?

All best!!

Column

Veteran

Oops...Gap trousers:
http://www.gap.com/browse/prod.....=857940082

Chiara

Hi Column, Actually I have owned the Gap Perfect Khaki (bootcut) before, and they were pretty good until they shrank (stumpifying alert!) and yet simultaneously became baggy?!? In fact, your post inspired me to look at all the trousers I have been feeling dissatisfied with, and indeed the common denominator is that they are too short. They are now on the discard pile and I've ordered some from Boden- if they don't work out, then I'll try the Gaps you recommended. I wear pale colored trousers all the time- as long as the overall effect is pale, so I keep the vertical line happening, it's fine.

And thank you for the camisole recommendation!!

Photos- I have already worn more various outfits since coming onto YLF, and then reading a post about StyleBook and downloading it. So much more fun then sticking to same-old, same-old.

Anonymous

column, thank you for your advice.
I'm pretty sure I have short legs (not sure if I'm a pear yet).

I haven't tried high rise trousers, but it seems to me that a high-rise trouser in a bell-bottom/flare shape (with heels) would be another alternative to elongate the leg.

J.J.

I'm a pear with a short waist, so I empathize with finding tops that look good. I recently found Gap's 'A- line' tank, which floats away from the tummy/hips area, without being too big and overwhelming. I got the petite to make it fit right, but it sounds like you definitely would want the regular. It looks much nicer than a regular tank top, but it is definitely casual. I've been wearing it with boyfriend chinos and shorts and feeling good. I got it in black, gray, and mauve. They have some ombre ones, but they don't come in petite, so I didn't get it. Good luck!

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