The distinguishing feature of the Pear Body Shape (A body shape) is that the shoulders and waist are narrower than the hips, making the body appear like a pear. The pear body shape is characterised by a slim, defined waist, large hips, which are wider than the bust and shoulders, full or muscular legs, and a small top half.
The upper body, therefore, appears thinner (can even be bony) than the lower body and breasts are never particularly large (or at least smaller than the hips). On the contrary, the lower body is more voluptuous and has the tendency to accumulate mass and fat first. Hips make the most visually important area, and it’s common to meet pear-shaped women who are unhappy with their figure because of their voluptuous hips and lower body. more
Yet, the pear body shape is an extremely attractive figure. The secret is to know how to balance the narrower upper body with the wider lower body to create a harmonious balance. This can be achieved by paying greater attention and creating the illusion of volume on the bust and upper body while emphasising the waist and de-emphasising the lower body (hips and thighs) to create a balanced silhouette in width.
At the same time, the pear body shape is often characterized by a longer torso in proportion to the legs, which even more accentuates the roundness of the hips. Therefore, it is also advisable to balance this body shape in length. A balanced body shape in length means that your upper and lower body halves are in proportion, or your torso and legs are roughly equal in length, creating a harmonious vertical balance. This can be identified by checking if the distance from your head to your crotch matches the distance from your crotch to your ankle. If yes, you have a balanced body shape in length, while if not, there are some tricks to balance it.
Below, you will find some dressing tips for the pear body shape.
Best Clothes for the Pear Body Shape
Tops and Shirts: sweetheart neckline top, cropped top, off-shoulder top, bateau neckline top, wide round neckline top, Sabrina neckline top, ruffle shirt, wrap bust shirt, shirt with horizontal stripes, puff sleeve top, flutter sleeve top, batwing sleeve top, bell sleeve top.
As the shoulders of pear body shaped women are narrower, wide necklines (off-shoulder, bateau, and Sabrina necklines) optically widen the shoulder and bust area. If your bust is particularly small, focus on a sweetheart neckline that creates soft, rounded lines.
Voluminous short sleeves (puff sleeve, flutter sleeve, batwing sleeve, and bell sleeve) and horizontal stripes will also widen the shoulder and bust area and highlight the upper body. In order to keep the volume around your hips to a minimum, opt for tapered long sleeves with volume at the shoulder area through shoulder pads and leg of mutton sleeves.
Bright colours, flowers, bows, bold patterns, but also embroidery and Swarovski crystals, and other embellishments around the bust and shoulders will draw attention to the upper body and away from the wider hips.
Opt for tops that finish at the waist or tops tucked into skirts and pants for not making the hips appear even wider, and avoid any details, embellishments and pockets around the hips, as they would draw attention to this area.
Jackets and Sweaters: mid-waisted blazer, cropped denim jacket, cropped bomber, mid-thigh blazer, bolero, mid-waisted jumper, mid-thigh jumper.
Stick to mid-waisted jackets (jumpers), ideally at the height of the iliac crest, that accentuate your slim waist, or mid-thigh jackets (jumpers) that skim over your hip area. A short sweater knitted with a chunkier yarn will create volume on the upper body and balance the wider hips. The same effect will be achieved by horizontal stripes at shoulder and bust areas.
Coats: double-breasted belted trench coat, belted wrap coat, double-breasted A-line coat, empire line coat.
Opt for coat lengths that fall past the widest part of your hips, ideally ending at or below the knee.
Trousers: straight-leg trousers (jeans), wide-leg trousers (jeans), bootcut trousers (jeans), flared trousers (jeans).
Opt for mid-waisted or high-waisted trousers (jeans) with a full leg line or ankle length and avoid low-waisted and skinny styles that would create an unbalanced shape, widen the hips and shorten your legs. Remember that you should elongate your legs, not your torso, but a pair of low-rise jeans will “steal” centimetres from your legs. Stick to darker colours, and avoid details, patterns, creases, pleats, pockets or any other embellishments on your thigh and hip area to de-emphasize your lower body. The most flattering trousers are the longer ones, which flare slightly, covering the shoes.
Skirts: tulip skirt, full-circle skirt, A-line skirt, bias skirt.
Opt for mid-waisted or high-waisted skirts free from details and embellishments. The best hemline is knee length or between the knee and mid-calf.
Dresses: wrap dress, tulip dress, A-line dress, off-shoulder dress, X-line dress, empire dress.
A hemline no shorter than knee length for day dresses is excellent. Dresses should draw attention to the waist, as the pear body shape has a slim waist, and it looks great with wide belts. They should always be worn high-waisted (or if longer than the knee even mid-waisted are fine), as the pear body shape often has a longer torso than legs, and it’s great to “steal” some centimetres from the torso and add them to the legs with a high-waisted dress. If you wear an evening dress, you can emphasize your slim and beautiful arms with a refined pair of gloves, which should be short for petite figures and long for taller ones.
Avoid dropped-waist dresses, straight-cut dresses, mermaid dresses, and low-waisted dresses that will make you look bottom heavy.
When choosing an outfit, make sure that you always emphasize your upper body and de-emphasize your lower body to achieve a balanced body shape. Opt for feminine styles which bring out the body's waist, and stay away from straight cuts and boxy styles that hide the waist.
The upper body, therefore, appears thinner (can even be bony) than the lower body and breasts are never particularly large (or at least smaller than the hips). On the contrary, the lower body is more voluptuous and has the tendency to accumulate mass and fat first. Hips make the most visually important area, and it’s common to meet pear-shaped women who are unhappy with their figure because of their voluptuous hips and lower body. more
Yet, the pear body shape is an extremely attractive figure. The secret is to know how to balance the narrower upper body with the wider lower body to create a harmonious balance. This can be achieved by paying greater attention and creating the illusion of volume on the bust and upper body while emphasising the waist and de-emphasising the lower body (hips and thighs) to create a balanced silhouette in width.
At the same time, the pear body shape is often characterized by a longer torso in proportion to the legs, which even more accentuates the roundness of the hips. Therefore, it is also advisable to balance this body shape in length. A balanced body shape in length means that your upper and lower body halves are in proportion, or your torso and legs are roughly equal in length, creating a harmonious vertical balance. This can be identified by checking if the distance from your head to your crotch matches the distance from your crotch to your ankle. If yes, you have a balanced body shape in length, while if not, there are some tricks to balance it.
Below, you will find some dressing tips for the pear body shape.
Best Clothes for the Pear Body Shape
Tops and Shirts: sweetheart neckline top, cropped top, off-shoulder top, bateau neckline top, wide round neckline top, Sabrina neckline top, ruffle shirt, wrap bust shirt, shirt with horizontal stripes, puff sleeve top, flutter sleeve top, batwing sleeve top, bell sleeve top.
As the shoulders of pear body shaped women are narrower, wide necklines (off-shoulder, bateau, and Sabrina necklines) optically widen the shoulder and bust area. If your bust is particularly small, focus on a sweetheart neckline that creates soft, rounded lines.
Voluminous short sleeves (puff sleeve, flutter sleeve, batwing sleeve, and bell sleeve) and horizontal stripes will also widen the shoulder and bust area and highlight the upper body. In order to keep the volume around your hips to a minimum, opt for tapered long sleeves with volume at the shoulder area through shoulder pads and leg of mutton sleeves.
Bright colours, flowers, bows, bold patterns, but also embroidery and Swarovski crystals, and other embellishments around the bust and shoulders will draw attention to the upper body and away from the wider hips.
Opt for tops that finish at the waist or tops tucked into skirts and pants for not making the hips appear even wider, and avoid any details, embellishments and pockets around the hips, as they would draw attention to this area.
Jackets and Sweaters: mid-waisted blazer, cropped denim jacket, cropped bomber, mid-thigh blazer, bolero, mid-waisted jumper, mid-thigh jumper.
Stick to mid-waisted jackets (jumpers), ideally at the height of the iliac crest, that accentuate your slim waist, or mid-thigh jackets (jumpers) that skim over your hip area. A short sweater knitted with a chunkier yarn will create volume on the upper body and balance the wider hips. The same effect will be achieved by horizontal stripes at shoulder and bust areas.
Coats: double-breasted belted trench coat, belted wrap coat, double-breasted A-line coat, empire line coat.
Opt for coat lengths that fall past the widest part of your hips, ideally ending at or below the knee.
Trousers: straight-leg trousers (jeans), wide-leg trousers (jeans), bootcut trousers (jeans), flared trousers (jeans).
Opt for mid-waisted or high-waisted trousers (jeans) with a full leg line or ankle length and avoid low-waisted and skinny styles that would create an unbalanced shape, widen the hips and shorten your legs. Remember that you should elongate your legs, not your torso, but a pair of low-rise jeans will “steal” centimetres from your legs. Stick to darker colours, and avoid details, patterns, creases, pleats, pockets or any other embellishments on your thigh and hip area to de-emphasize your lower body. The most flattering trousers are the longer ones, which flare slightly, covering the shoes.
Skirts: tulip skirt, full-circle skirt, A-line skirt, bias skirt.
Opt for mid-waisted or high-waisted skirts free from details and embellishments. The best hemline is knee length or between the knee and mid-calf.
Dresses: wrap dress, tulip dress, A-line dress, off-shoulder dress, X-line dress, empire dress.
A hemline no shorter than knee length for day dresses is excellent. Dresses should draw attention to the waist, as the pear body shape has a slim waist, and it looks great with wide belts. They should always be worn high-waisted (or if longer than the knee even mid-waisted are fine), as the pear body shape often has a longer torso than legs, and it’s great to “steal” some centimetres from the torso and add them to the legs with a high-waisted dress. If you wear an evening dress, you can emphasize your slim and beautiful arms with a refined pair of gloves, which should be short for petite figures and long for taller ones.
Avoid dropped-waist dresses, straight-cut dresses, mermaid dresses, and low-waisted dresses that will make you look bottom heavy.
When choosing an outfit, make sure that you always emphasize your upper body and de-emphasize your lower body to achieve a balanced body shape. Opt for feminine styles which bring out the body's waist, and stay away from straight cuts and boxy styles that hide the waist.
While choosing fabrics and patterns for the pear body shape, the main purpose is to achieve a balanced silhouette by enhancing the upper body and de-emphasizing the lower body. For this reason, thicker and lighter fabrics in bright colours for the top of the body, and thinner and darker fabrics in more opaque colours for the bottom of the body are recommended. Sweaters or jackets made of thicker fabrics such as tweed, flannel, fleece or wool are a great option for cold weather, because if you wear them with a pair of high-waisted denim jeans, they will nicely balance your top with you bottom. If the weather is warmer, you can choose a skirt or a pair of trousers made of very lightweight fabrics such as batiste or chiffon and a top or shirt made of cotton or linen. As you have generous hips, more
skirts in flowing, sheer fabrics (but fitted at waist level) are particularly suitable.
When it comes to patterns, opt for those that include medium to large elements and are showy or contrasting for the upper body. Patterns like horizontal stripes, animal print, polka dots or floral will accentuate the curves of the pear body shape, thus it’s advisable to choose them for the upper body. Instead, opt for patterns including thinner stripes, vertical lines and small and dense elements with a low contrast between them for your lower body. As the pear body shape is characterized by a curvy, rounded figure, polka dots, swirls and floral patterns will add softness and femininity to this silhouette.
At the same time, you can check your best patterns based on your sub-season after taking our Seasonal Colour Analysis Quiz, choosing our professional Online Seasonal Colour Analysis or performing a self-colour analysis at home with the help of our Self Seasonal Colour Analysis Guide.
When it comes to patterns, opt for those that include medium to large elements and are showy or contrasting for the upper body. Patterns like horizontal stripes, animal print, polka dots or floral will accentuate the curves of the pear body shape, thus it’s advisable to choose them for the upper body. Instead, opt for patterns including thinner stripes, vertical lines and small and dense elements with a low contrast between them for your lower body. As the pear body shape is characterized by a curvy, rounded figure, polka dots, swirls and floral patterns will add softness and femininity to this silhouette.
At the same time, you can check your best patterns based on your sub-season after taking our Seasonal Colour Analysis Quiz, choosing our professional Online Seasonal Colour Analysis or performing a self-colour analysis at home with the help of our Self Seasonal Colour Analysis Guide.
As you have a pear body shape, your goal is to broaden your shoulders and bust and balance your hips. To achieve this, the ideal swimsuits are those with horizontal lines or cuts, such as strapless bandeau bras or Bardot necklines for your bikini top. Pear types typically have small breasts, so if you want to make your breasts appear larger, always choose thin straps and enhance the bust with padded cups and push-up bras. Wide straps will make the cup appear smaller. Any details and appliques, fringes, flowers, sequins, embossing, ruffles and any kind of volume and movement are also great for the bikini top.
As for bikini bottoms, opt for high-cut or medium-waisted briefs, which will minimize your hips, unless you want to emphasize them. Vertical lines will make your bikini bottom look thinner, more
As for bikini bottoms, opt for high-cut or medium-waisted briefs, which will minimize your hips, unless you want to emphasize them. Vertical lines will make your bikini bottom look thinner, more
creating the illusion of a more elongated lower body. At the same time, avoid the shorts, as they have the effect of shortening your legs and tend to be unflattering for wider hips.
Two-piece swimsuits are more comfortable and flattering on the overall body proportions of pear-shaped women, because one-piece swimsuits are often too tight below or have halter necks, which create lines towards the inside of the bust, thus visually narrowing the shoulders. You can pair bottoms and bras of different colours and prints: for example, you can opt for a retro-style polka dot bra for your top and a single-colour brief for your bottom. The bottom can be smoother and darker if you don’t want to accentuate your curves.
Two-piece swimsuits are more comfortable and flattering on the overall body proportions of pear-shaped women, because one-piece swimsuits are often too tight below or have halter necks, which create lines towards the inside of the bust, thus visually narrowing the shoulders. You can pair bottoms and bras of different colours and prints: for example, you can opt for a retro-style polka dot bra for your top and a single-colour brief for your bottom. The bottom can be smoother and darker if you don’t want to accentuate your curves.
As you already know, the pear body shape is often characterized by a longer torso in proportion to the legs, which even more accentuates the roundness of the hips. Therefore, women with this type of figure need to refine and lengthen their legs to balance the figure in length. You can opt for pointed-toe shoes, which slim the silhouette and lengthen the legs. Almond-toe shoes, with a toe resembling a tapered oval, are also an excellent choice for a pear body shape, because their design elongates the legs, creating a balanced silhouette.
At the same time, medium heels, or wide and high heels, are perfect. Even the wedges are fine, because they refine the ankles and shape calves and thighs. All knee-high boots will camouflage heavy legs. For pear-shaped women, more
At the same time, medium heels, or wide and high heels, are perfect. Even the wedges are fine, because they refine the ankles and shape calves and thighs. All knee-high boots will camouflage heavy legs. For pear-shaped women, more
sandals and shoes with vertical lines, such as T-strap shoes including a vertical strap that runs up the ankle, or flip-flops that run linearly along the foot, elongate the legs and create a slimmer, more balanced appearance.
Conversely, heels that are too thin or kitten heels would make the calf appear bulkier due to the scale proportions and are not a good option for the pear shape. In general, it's best to avoid anything that breaks up the lower leg horizontally and shortens the foot (gladiator sandals, shoes with wide horizontal straps, two-toned shoes, and mid-height ankle boots). Flat shoes such as ballerinas or moccasins will not elongate the leg much, thus it’s better to opt for a slight heel, which lengthens the ankle and has a different effect on the pear-shaped women and their walk.
In order to elongate your legs by creating a colour continuity, wear nude shoes close to your bare feet’s neutral colour in summer and darker tight-fitting knee-high boots that match the colour of your tights or pants in winter.
Regarding bags, pear-shaped women should opt for shoulder bags that have square, rectangle, oval or inverted trapezoid shapes and short straps. Wear the shoulder bags (small or medium) at the height of the bust ideally or not lower than the waistline, to draw attention upward and balance the volume of the bottom with the top. Overly long shoulder straps will even more verticalize the torso, which is often longer than the legs of pear-shaped women. Thus, by shortening the shoulder strap at the height of the bust, you will add volume to the top and balance the silhouette. Cross-body bags will visually elongate the torso, and those resting on the hips will add volume to the lower part of the figure. The clutch, as it is small and not very bulky, is worn under the arm or carried in the hand at waist level. The goal is not to accentuate the hips.
Conversely, heels that are too thin or kitten heels would make the calf appear bulkier due to the scale proportions and are not a good option for the pear shape. In general, it's best to avoid anything that breaks up the lower leg horizontally and shortens the foot (gladiator sandals, shoes with wide horizontal straps, two-toned shoes, and mid-height ankle boots). Flat shoes such as ballerinas or moccasins will not elongate the leg much, thus it’s better to opt for a slight heel, which lengthens the ankle and has a different effect on the pear-shaped women and their walk.
In order to elongate your legs by creating a colour continuity, wear nude shoes close to your bare feet’s neutral colour in summer and darker tight-fitting knee-high boots that match the colour of your tights or pants in winter.
Regarding bags, pear-shaped women should opt for shoulder bags that have square, rectangle, oval or inverted trapezoid shapes and short straps. Wear the shoulder bags (small or medium) at the height of the bust ideally or not lower than the waistline, to draw attention upward and balance the volume of the bottom with the top. Overly long shoulder straps will even more verticalize the torso, which is often longer than the legs of pear-shaped women. Thus, by shortening the shoulder strap at the height of the bust, you will add volume to the top and balance the silhouette. Cross-body bags will visually elongate the torso, and those resting on the hips will add volume to the lower part of the figure. The clutch, as it is small and not very bulky, is worn under the arm or carried in the hand at waist level. The goal is not to accentuate the hips.