Pear shape styling help - YouLookFab Forum

I have been in an on line style/body shape course for 5 months now wherein they indicate that pear shapes should not wear tapered pants/skinny jeans. I am struggling with this and trying to feel stylish and not frumpy. I have been taking many selfies and understand why these don't look the best on my shape but was wondering if other pears have found a way to wear them without accentuating the hip area. I do understand there are different degrees in the pear shape and often blogs I find for pears are for plus sizes. I am a size 6.

Also, I am supposed to accentuate my small waist and minimize my hip area. The proper shirt length is designed to make me look curvy yet I tend to like it a bit longer and have more of a straighter silhouette. Any thoughts on this?? I am still trying to train my eye to proper proportion and more fitting clothes as I was wearing things too large before.

First post on this forum and would love some feedback. Look forwarding to learning more. I just love Angie and her common sense approach.

7 years ago

Christina F.

Veteran

I'm a pear and I find the style prescriptions for my body type a little restrictive. I certainly wear skinny jeans, though I learned to stay away from jeggings. I think every woman is different in terms of what works on her body or what looks good to her eye. I also like midi skirts for instance, though I'm a bit short, most would say. But they show off my slim calves and anyway, my legs are long for height. Similarly, I think not all pears are created equal, as stuff like length of torso and size of chest will come into play. So long story short, people will probably ask you to post pics so they can have a better sense of what works on you in particular.

Anonymous

What Christina said.
If you think tapered pants look best, you're probably right! (I like tapered pants on all body types. )

The other thing that this blog taught me: you are a combination of body types. So you can be a pear/rectangle, for instance.

There are also other body modifiers that affect what you wear. I have slightly sloped, narrow shoulders and this affects the type of shirts I like to wear.

I definitely think you need to use a combination of the body-type "rules" to suit your particular body.

Lastly, a lot of the time, you can throw all the rules out the window and wear what you like. This is what's known as "just flattering enough" or JFE on this forum.

Joy

Welcome, Sandy.
I was once more of a pear shape and a bit of shoulder padding and careful fit in the shoulder was the best hint I had. Boot cuts, even with a small flare, do a great job balancing things out, but a straight slim pant can be just flattering enough. The length of the top is important. No high contrast forming a horizontal line at your widest part.

Jenni NZ

Hi Sandy I am a pear and always have been even when I was slim up until my mid 30s, now pear/apple as gained weight around the middle. I have embraced skinny pants and am likely to never give them up. I am also petite and I wear longer tops or tunics to flow over my mid section and then great shoes. Also gilets or jackets with slightly wider shoulders to create balance. Maybe find some forum members with similar shape to you and look at their WIWs to get ideas?

Also, I forgot to say welcome! I only started posting in January and it is like gaining a whole load of lovely new friends!

JAileen

I've always thought I was a pear but Angie said no just the other day. So maybe post some pictures to verify. Anyway, I like bootcut jeans.

lozz_oz

Welcome! I'm a newbie too!

What works for me as a petite 157cm 5'2 pear is:
A-line or empire dresses; a-line shirt dresses over jeans; skinny jeans with a top that skims the 'issue' area; gilets + trenches that are not too stiff or structured.
A good haircut + accessories (scarves, jewellry + earrings) draw the eye upwards too.

Please send some outfit photos - rest assured the advice here is positive, constructive +friendly!

rachylou

I feel the hemline of one's top more important in terms of visual balance ... and the substantialness of the shoe. I think a curved hem is more flattering (draws the eye up) and thin sole shoes are less flattering (thin tiny shoes can make a person look a little tweedle-dee in my judgy side's eye...).

Bijou

Hi Sandy, I am a pear and I love to wear skinny jeans with ankle boots to balance out my legs. Like you I am a US size 4 to 6 - so I am relatively slim but with larger thighs. I actually quite like my shape, having larger thighs does not bother me (so maybe that is why I am happy to wear skinny jeans). Mother "Looker" skinny jeans fit me really well and I find then flattering in most colours and washes and incredibly comfortable. I have a long gilet that works beautifully over skinny jeans. Wearing a column of colour also helps to slim down my shape. However, all rules are meant to be broken and most of the time I just wear what I love.

sandy

Active Member

Thank you so much ladies....So appreciate all your input and love the JFE!!! I have added some photos for feedback.

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You look amazing in all of these! I don't even see this pear shape? In the photos your shoulders and hips look fairly even? I will wait for other's opinions as I may have missed something...

Nomad

Like Jenni NZ, I'm also seeing pretty even proportions, but I can't tell if that's because you're balancing out with clothing proportions, so I'll defer to the ladies with more refined eyes for shapes. Regardless, pear or not, you look lovely!

It looks to me like you're an hourglass.

Emily K

(website)

Experts rely on different methods of analyzing one's figure. Angie uses the shoulder measurement rather than the bust measurement. (Bust measurement is then considered as a shape modifier.) Viewed in this way, you'd be proportioned more like an hourglass than a pear. I like the straightness that you created in outfit #2.

Suz

First of all, a big welcome!

Secondly, you look fab!! Especially love your cropped pants outfit and the white denim.

All shapes are beautiful, and I don't see pear here, I see hourglass. Your shoulders seem to balance your hips very nicely. That's hourglass.

Some of the dressing tips are the same for pear and hourglass, of course. But I also agree with those who say you can sometimes throw it all out of the window and decide that conventional figure flattery is not your main priority.

Liz

I also don't think you're a pear ... you might even lean toward being an inverted triangle (hard to tell with the angle of the photos). Anyway, not a pear.

You have a lovely figure, and I'd love to gift you with the confidence to wear whatever you feel best in (no matter what the "guidelines" or "rules" say). .

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