Tuesday, February 07, 2017

Style Overhaul >> How To Dress A Pear Shape



My new body...



I've always loved clothes, always been a complete shopaholic but the last few years I just have no clue what to wear, what to buy or seemingly how to even style my own body.

My shape has changed a little since having kids, I have gained a fair bit of weight over the past year and now I just struggle with what to wear. Part of my problem is that I still love all those clothes that I loved as a teenager, yet I am 32 and a little long in the tooth to dress like a skater girl wannabe. I am a Mum of two but don't want to just give up on myself and my appearance because I have priorities. They are of course more important, but I have learnt that self care and feeling good about yourself doesn't get any less important just because you have kids.




I really just need Gok Wan to come and sort me out, overhaul my flailing wardrobe and teach me how to dress in a way that reflects how I feel on the inside, with the things I love, whilst making me not look like an old wrinkly teenager with a few extra rolls. Why on earth is this so hard?

I love dressing the kids, they are so easy to style and I tend to put them in heaps of colour because A, they look amazing and B, because I feel I can't wear it right now, so they get the exciting beautiful colourful stuff while I reside in my black, black and black.

So I am what is known as a pear shape, which basically means I have a lot of 'junk in my trunk', which means yes, I have a big old booty. I have always been a little bottom heavy but had a dinky waist and flat tum so never had much trouble with choosing clothes. Now though, I have a Mum tum which is fine, but anything that seems to hide that also seems to just make me look like I'm wearing a tent. My waist is still there but not quite what it was. I am happy with my body shape, it is what it is, I am working on it but for now I just need to dress the thing! 

I've been looking into style tips for pear shaped women and using these I will hopefully be able to shop for some more suitable items to suit my new shape and build a wardrobe of things I can actually wear.

Firstly I need to clear my wardrobe of the following;

  • Clothes that haven't been worn in the past year
  • Clothes that don't fit
  • Clothes that are looking old and shabby



This seems so obvious but it's amazing the things you can hold onto. I have a top upstairs that I got in Spain when I was about 16, a whole half a lifetime ago, I haven't worn it for probably ten years and yet it's still sat there - why?! I have my fatter clothes which I am desperately trying not to get back into and clothes that are up to 4 sizes too small that I desperately hope will fit some day. This is not motivating in the slightest and simply needs to go.

I'm going to keep one item from my bigger days to remind me of how far I've come, but I don't need a whole 3rd of a wardrobe of junk that I am slowly growing back into. The smaller clothes are bargains I've picked up and things I got last year when I had lost weight. I am going to pick out the best bits and pack them away in a cupboard somewhere, donate the rest and keep an up to date closet of things I can actually fit on my body - hallelujah!


How to dress a pear shape



  • Layer items to balance my shape
  • A line skirts to skim the hips and draw in the waist
  • Add interest to top half to focus attention there
  • Keep colours and prints to the top half
  • Pick the right neckline to broaden shoulders or show off bust to balance shape
  • Get clothes that fit the hourglass shape
  • Wide sleeves like kimono tops will balance out a wider hip
  • Avoid tops that end on the widest part
  • Wear decent underwear 
  • Wear dark colours on legs
  • Find a flattering cut of trouser/jean
  • Avoid details on jean pockets or upper legs
  • Avoid dresses that stick to the hips
  • Wear statement necklaces to add focus to the upper body
  • Wear a scarf to bulk out the top half or skim eyes over a tummy
  • Pointed shoes to make legs appear longer
  • Heels (if you can wear them) flatter a thicker leg
  • Brighter shoes distract from a pear shaped lower half




Going by these tips, I am currently doing a lot of things wrong. I always end my tops on my hips, I feel covering them helps but clearly not. After years of breast feeding and wearing long vests under absolutely everything I feel a little naked without that extra layer covering me now! A habit I definitely need to break. I wear short stubby tops over my vests and in turn look pretty short and stubby.

I will be keeping all these in mind as I go through my wardrobe whilst being a bit ruthless and having a good and much needed clear out. It's so depressing trying on clothes that don't fit in you own home - so no more!


What is your shape, do you have any more tips for this pear?




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