The pear shaped women come in all height and sizes. It is quite possible you have a shorter waist but at the same time have a typical pear body type. If that is you, it is important to find the right clothing styles that can emphasize your best assets and distract from your weaknesses. In this detailed guide, we’ll take a deep dive to understand your unique body features and walk you through the most flattering styles for your shape.
Traits
- The distance between your shoulders and natural waist is short. This is what it means to be short-waisted and this could also mean that you have longer legs.
- You have a narrower shoulder line. They are relatively less pronounced compared to your lower half so there’s an obvious imbalance between your upper and lower body.
- Not too much waist definition, unlike most pear shapes. Usually, pear-shaped women have a very defined waistline. However, since you’re short-waisted, there’s not much room for the transition curve in your waist to show up.
- Most likely have a smaller bust size. It’s not always the case with all pear shapes, but it’s most likely possible that your bust line isn’t as prominent especially when in comparison to the larger proportion of your hips and thighs.
- You have wider hips and thighs. This is where you carry most of your excess weight, which makes your figure bottom-heavy.
- Your arms are slim. Since you don’t have much upper body prominence and volume, you also don’t gain much weight in your arms.
TOPS
Spaghetti Tops with Adjustable Straps
As mentioned earlier, being short-waisted means that the distance between your shoulder line and your waist is relatively shorter than usual. Because of this, certain clothing may not fit properly due to this disproportionate factor, such as spaghetti straps.
Spaghetti strap tops are great for pear-shaped bodies because how they bring your relatively narrower shoulders into prominence in order to attract enough attention to match your wider and larger hips and thighs. Although spaghetti straps may be a constant struggle for short-waisted pears because of how they may constantly slide down to the sides, it’s ideal to go for adjustable straps for a customizable fit.
Boat Neck Tops (Sabrina Neckline)
Boat neck tops have a wide, horizontal neckline that extends from shoulder to shoulder and this visual line can effectively give you the illusion of broader shoulders to balance out your proportions. This horizontal line that boat neck tops make will make the upper body appear more in line with your wider lower body.
The wide cut of this neckline also elongates the neck in a way that can help counteract the shorter torso characteristic of short-waisted pear shapes. This is also a good style option if you’re looking for a top that offers modest coverage but still exposes enough portion of your neckline for a flattering overall look.
Structured Tops with Shoulder Pads
Because your shoulders are naturally narrower compared to your wider hips, the shoulder pads in structured tops will help add volume to your less pronounced upper half to create a silhouette that’s more visually in balance with your wider hips and larger thighs. This helps visually align the shoulders with the hips while also making the waist appear more defined, especially because short-waisted pears may not have much of that waist curve.
Moreover, the structured design of the top often comes with vertical lines or seams that visually draw the eye upward for a more elongated upper body. This will enhance the proportions of your figure by making the drastic contrast between your upper and lower body look more minimal.
JEANS
Mid-rise Jeans
Usually, I would recommend high-rise jeans for pear-shaped beauties out there. However, this becomes a different case when you’re pear-shaped and short-waisted at the same time, because high-rise jeans may take up too much space in your shorter upper body.
To prevent this awkward look, the safer option is to go for mid-rise jeans as they won’t exaggerate the imbalance that you already have between your upper and lower body. They feature a waistband that sits at or just slightly lower on the waist which causes a separation that’s quite symmetrical from top to bottom.
Jeans with Elastic Waistband
Elastic waistbands can be very helpful for pear shapes who are also short-waisted because jeans with this type of waistband can be adjusted to fit your unique body shape. They provide a more customizable fit compared to fixed waistbands, as well as give your waist a proper cinch to ensure that it’s beautifully accentuated.
Jeans with elastic waistbands also offer a more comfortable fit, which is why it’s a perfect casual wear piece for every day! Its flexibility will also provide more room to accommodate your wide hips and big thighs.
Dark Wash Wide-Leg Jeans
Dark wash jeans are generally very slimming and this is something you would want in order for you to downplay the wide and thick appearance of your hips and thighs. Combine this with the flattering shape of a wide leg, and you can give your legs a longer and leaner look.
Wearing dark-washed wide-leg jeans can also look very sophisticated as it can give you visually lengthening strides. The wide leg of the jeans can create a graceful, flowing movement whenever you walk and this effect adds a touch of elegance to your overall look.
PANTS
Pleated Straight-Leg Trousers
Pleated straight-leg trousers are known for their minimalist vibe and they bring a multitude of benefits, especially for those with short-waisted pear body shapes because of how the pleating details and leg shape can work together to bring your body shape into better proportions.
For short-waisted pear-shaped individuals, the pleats on these trousers can help you achieve a sense of elongation, which can be absolutely beneficial to give you a taller and leaner appearance. Also, the added volume around the hips and thighs will create a more streamlined silhouette which can tone down the prominence of your bottom-heavy figure.
Structured Dress Pants
Short-waisted pear shapes may have a shorter torso compared to their hips and thighs so wearing a pair of pants that offers a clean, tailored look will help you achieve a more balanced visual effect. The defined lines and sharp tailoring can lead the gaze upward to elongate your upper body and therefore make your upper and lower body more proportionate.
In addition to that, these pants are designed to sit at the natural waist, which is perfect for short-waisted ladies as this won’t create an awkward fit. This will further elongate your legs, which can offset the largeness of your lower half.
Mid-rise Flared Pants
The flared silhouette can give a graceful and balanced contrast to your wider hips and thighs to give you a more well-proportioned look. The gentle flare from the hips down brings the lower part of your legs some volume and sense of movement to promote a harmonious flow that complements your narrower waistline.
To add to these flattering style benefits, the wider hemline of flared pants creates a dramatic effect when paired with heels! This style combination not only adds height but also helps minimize the attention from the natural imbalance your body shape possesses.
SKIRTS
Midi A-Line Skirts
As mentioned earlier in this article, short-waisted girls have a shorter distance between the shoulders and waist so going for the right silhouette and length such as wearing midi A-Line skirts should help you address this. A-line skirts are flattering in a way that they gently flare out from the waist to create a more balanced silhouette by adding volume to the lower body while also visually elongating the torso.
The A-line shape of this skirt skims over the hips and thighs without clinging tightly so it provides a comfortable and flattering fit without emphasizing the wider hip area. Meanwhile, length is also an important factor, and midi skirts typically fall just below the knee and sometimes mid-calf, so this length can create the illusion of longer legs and taller frames.
Wrap Skirts
Wrap skirts can be adjusted to fit the waist snugly, which is why it makes a great style option for short-waisted pears as this style allows for a customized and comfortable fit to accommodate your heavier bottom half. This is particularly advantageous for short-waisted girls as it ensures that the skirt sits at the right point on the waist, creating a balanced and harmonious overall look.
Moreover, since wrap skirts can be adjusted to sit at different points on the waist, you will have some control over the length of the skirt as well. This means you have the freedom to choose a length that flatters your specific proportions to make your legs appear longer and leaner.
DRESSES
Flowy Off-the-Shoulder Dresses
We all know by now that pear-shaped beauties typically have narrower shoulders and a wider hip area, so wearing off-the-shoulder dresses can be ideal because of how they broaden the shoulder line. This additional shoulder width can visually balance out the hips to make the very obvious imbalance between your top and bottom less apparent.
One more style benefit is by exposing the shoulders and neckline, off-the-shoulder dresses can neutralize the appearance of your overpowering features such as your big hips and thighs. This helps to shift the focus to areas that are more balanced and also helps give you a more elongated torso.
Empire Dress with Broader Waistband
Before we dive into the specifics of this style, note that I’m pertaining to an empire waist dress that features a broader waistband, not the usual one most of us know (because those can make you look pregnant!). The high-waisted design of an empire dress, coupled with a broader waistband, works so well together in giving your waistline more accentuation and curve.
This effect also visually lengthens the torso, which is particularly advantageous for short-waisted pear shapes such as yourself. Also, the design of an empire dress with a broader waistband drapes loosely over the hips and thighs, which efficiently minimizes the emphasis on the wider lower body, providing a more streamlined appearance.
Dresses with Higher V-neck
A higher V-neck just falls at the right spot on the chest of short-waisted pear shapes so it creates an elongated vertical line in the upper body without the awkward exposure in the middle (which is something you may always encounter with the usual V-necks). This elongation helps visually counteract the shortness of your waist to give you a longer and leaner figure.
Also, the cut of a higher V-neck helps draw attention upwards toward your decolletage and therefore properly balances the proportions and makes the upper body appear more in harmony with your lower body.
OUTERWEAR
Tailored Long Blazers
Long blazers can be a great outerwear choice for short-waisted ladies because they extend the vertical line of the torso to lengthen your upper body to be more in line with your longer legs. This also helps counterbalance the shorter torso and allows you to achieve a taller appearance.
Moreover, tailored blazers are designed to fit well and follow the natural contours of your body so this type of structure will create a smooth and streamlined look that complements the curves of a pear-shaped body without adding bulk. The blazer’s length also draws the eye downward to steer the gaze away from your heavier hips and thighs.
Belted Coats
It’s very apparent that belted coats cinch at the waist, and this style detail alone is enough reason for you to try this wardrobe piece out! Belted coats create a defined waistline, which is especially helpful when you are pear-shaped and short-waisted.
The belt detail also draws attention to the waist to give you a more consistent and defined waist-to-hip ratio. This gives your frame the illusion of an hourglass curve as the curved line that separates the upper and lower body becomes more distinct in a flattering way.
