If you have a pear shaped body, you tend to have generous curves in your bottom half and a relatively smaller top. Therefore, it is important to find the right styles that can create a more balanced silhouette and make you feel confident at work. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the most flattering work clothes for the pear shape.
TOPS
Cap Sleeve Tops
Pear shapes typically have narrow shoulders which significantly contributes to the lack of upper body prominence. Because of how your shoulders tend to droop or slouch, you’ll need a bit of additional visual width within your shoulder line and one way to add some broadness to your shoulders is to opt for cap sleeve tops.
Cap sleeves cover just the uppermost portion of the shoulder which also slightly extends on the shoulders, creating a subtle puff effect. This effect efficiently broadens your shoulders to catch up with the wideness of your hips just a bit and therefore creates a more pleasing upper and lower body balance.
Blouse with Shoulder Pads
Just like the visual style benefit of cap sleeves, wearing blouses or tops that have shoulder pads can amplify the appearance of your narrow shoulders to look more proportionate with your wide hips and thick thighs. Shoulder pads have been present in the fashion scene since the 70s and it is very true that they are more than just a vintage/retro fashion element – they can absolutely level up your pear body shape too!
To maximize its figure-flattering benefit, don’t just simply look for anything that has shoulder pads but be also mindful of the structure and neckline they go together with. V-Neck blouses or tops with wide lapels can look very flattering with shoulder pads to complete your sophisticated work ensemble.
Sweetheart Neck
One of the main concerns of girls with pear body shapes is the fact that they tend to have a smaller bust line, which can get easily overwhelmed due to the substantial size difference between the upper half and the bottom half. If you are looking into giving your decolletage more emphasis and your breasts more shape and prominence, you can simply opt for tops with a sweetheart neckline.
The sweetheart neckline has a shape similar to the top part of a heart, which also traces along your cleavage. This visually pushes up your bust to make them seem fuller and more shapely.
This visual effect adds prominence to your upper body to steer the vision away from your relatively wider hips and thicker thighs. The sweetheart neckline also gives a very feminine and elegant look which is perfect if you’re trying to put together a dainty-looking work ensemble.
Tops with Bold Statement Prints
With the natural imbalance between your smaller top half and larger bottom half present, your upper body would really need certain designs or patterns to catch up with the relatively larger volume of your hips and thighs. If you go for tops that have loud and big prints, this can help create that much-needed upper body volume.
In addition to this, these bold statement prints will attract more attention, and therefore visually neutralize the big size discrepancy between your smaller upper body and heavier bottom half. For your work outfit coordinates, tops with bold statement prints will nicely compliment tailored blazers and solid-colored trousers.
BLAZERS/JACKETS
Single Breasted
The single and vertical row of buttons placed on single-breasted blazers helps create emphasis on the upper body by drawing the eyes upwards. As a result, this particular structure helps shift the attention away from your hips and thighs which are both relatively larger than your upper body.
Additionally, your pear body shape has a nicely defined waist curvature thanks to your big hips. With this said, you should always keep your waistline fully accentuated and this is something streamlined single-breasted blazers can do for your figure.
Because of the tailored fit and neat seams of the single-breasted blazer, it perfectly nips in the waist. This creates emphasis on your waistline, which is one of the best features of pear shapes.
Tailored Long Blazer
Your pear-shaped figure can absolutely benefit from the fit and length of tailored blazers because of their ability to tone down the thickness of your hips and thighs. If you are keen on camouflaging your heavier bottom half for a more balanced look, try to go for long blazers that end at your upper thigh level.
This length is the most flattering for your pear figure in a way that it seamlessly camouflages the hips and thighs, but not completely covering them up. In addition to this, the structure and fit of tailored long blazers can efficiently elongate your figure for a leaner and more proportionate frame.
Belted Jackets
One of the most notable features that you have in your pear body shape is your well-defined waistline. Because of the relevant width difference between your midsection and hips, the transition curves on the sides of your waist are very apparent so what you would want to do is fully accentuate this with the help of a belt.
Belted jackets often have a structured fabric that helps the garment keep its shape and therefore slightly amplify the prominence of your paper body. And of course, the belt accent cinches the waist to create better balance and bring definition to your overall pear-shaped figure.
Structured A-Line Jacket
The A-shaped silhouette of this type of jacket flawlessly skims through your upper body with just the right structure to give your upper body more shape and volume. Apart from the fact that it helps amp up your upper body, the way this type of jacket gently flares out also gives your waist a nice cinch.
The key to rocking your structured A-Line jacket in the office is to make sure you find the perfect fit. If you somehow end up wearing something that is slightly bigger or smaller, it can significantly influence the proportions within your pear frame and may also not be able to cinch your waist well.
So when choosing a structured A-Line jacket, it should land seamlessly on your shoulder line and must be snug enough to give your waist additional definition.
PANTS/TROUSERS
Black Bootcut Trousers
The best thing about bootcut trousers is their flared leg shape that subtly widens out from the knee right down to the ankle. This particular pants silhouette can visually create a sense of balance in your lower body.
The modest amount of volume that was added to your lower leg helps counterbalance the wideness and thickness of your hips and thighs. Having your bootcut trousers in dark colors such as black, can also help slim down the bottom half and therefore create a more proportional silhouette from your upper body to your lower body.
Straight Leg Suit Pants
This is a classic option if you are looking for a pair of pants that goes along with pretty much any workwear piece you can think of! Straight-leg suit pants offer a consistent width from the waistband to the hem, which makes them quite versatile and very easy to pull off.
Suit pants can absolutely be a great pair of bottoms to complete your sophisticated work wear. They typically have a straight, streamlined leg shape that can be very beneficial when it comes to balancing the proportions of your lower body.
Pleated Wide-Leg Pants
Here’s a very effective pants structure that can effortlessly camouflage your wide hips and thick legs without looking too overwhelming. Just like straight-leg pants, wide-leg pants also feature a consistent leg pant width from the hips to the ankle so it subtly conceals your heavy bottom half.
In addition to the style benefits of wide-leg pants, opting for those that are pleated can also add more visual advantages. With the particular structure of pleated wide-leg pants, they can also elongate your legs for a taller and leaner appearance.
SKIRTS
Dark-colored Midi Skirts
Skirts that go past your thighs can also look quite flattering for your pear body shape. The length of midi skirts, which can range from knee-level to mid-calf, is very ideal for bringing a harmonious balance to your figure.
This longer skirt length doesn’t highlight the hips and thighs too much, and if you opt for darker colors for your midi-skirt, it can further enhance the slimming effect. Taking off some visual weight from your hips and thighs will allow you to naturally downplay these areas without underwhelming your figure’s best features.
Skirts with Asymmetrical Hem
Asymmetrical hemlines are not just stylish but also visually helpful in attracting attention. Because of their unique and uneven nature, the eyes are naturally drawn to them and therefore taking attention away from your big hips and thighs.
They can also be great in adding a sense of movement into your work ensemble without looking overboard. As they tend to be the focal point of your outfit, it’s better to pair them with simpler tops and blazers that don’t have too many details.
Streamlined A-Line Skirt
One of the good things about A-line skirts is that they typically have a defined waistline that emphasizes and defines your waist. This definition gives you additional depth and a silhouette similar to the hourglass body shape.
Additionally, the gradual flare of A-line skirts effortlessly camouflages the hip area by gently skimming over the hips and thighs to minimize attention on this wider region. A-Line skirts create a more forgiving and flattering drape that conceals these concerns and results in a smoother and more streamlined appearance.
DRESSES
Dresses with Ruffled Bodice
As we know, pear-shaped figures usually have a smaller bust which significantly contributes to the lack of prominence in the upper body. Dresses with ruffled bodices can add volume and create the illusion of a fuller bust, which also helps balance out the proportions of your upper body.
In addition to this, the ruffles can also create curves and provide a more feminine and voluptuous frame. The ruffled bodice draws attention upwards and this diverts attention away from the hip and thigh area.
Coat Dress with Wide Lapel
Coat dresses with wide lapels efficiently draw attention upward to counterbalance the wider hips and thighs and bring a more balanced upper and lower body ratio. Because of their tailored fit and streamlined seams, they also create the illusion of broader shoulders, which enhances the upper body to achieve a more proportionate silhouette.
Moreover, wide lapels relevantly provide structure and definition to your neckline, which pear shapes typically lack. Coat dresses are very sleek and elegant so if you’re looking for something to accompany you to your important business meetings, this is it!
Puff Sleeve Dress
Puff sleeve dresses are great for your pear-shaped figure because of how the voluminous puff sleeves add visual weight to your upper body. This sleeve detail helps to broaden the shoulders without overwhelming your frame.
However, when choosing a puff sleeve dress, try not to go overboard with the volume of the puff to maintain a pleasing balance. Additionally, it’s always a better choice to keep designs and details to a minimum, especially at work.
Knitted Wrap Dresses
Wrap dresses will always be a smart fashion choice for pear body shapes because of their symmetrical silhouette and adjustable waist tie. This waist tie gives you complete control in regard to the level of tightness you want your waist cinch to be.
For your work wardrobe, you may also want to try soft knit fabrics for they are very comfy and cozy! In addition to this, knitted fabric is often form-fitting but not in a way that it’s too tight, so it showcases your best features without looking too overpowering.
SHOES
Open Toe Wedges
Open-toe wedges provide additional width and volume to the lower part of your body to neutralize the attention from your areas of concern. Also, the wider base of the wedges makes it convenient especially for work wear.
They also effectively draw attention to the slimmest part of your figure, which is usually your ankles. Highlighting this part of your frame helps create a focal point that is higher up on the body, detracting attention from the wider hips.
Patent Nude Pumps
Nude pumps create a seamless and uninterrupted line from the legs to the feet which can be helpful for bottom-heavy pear shapes. This visual continuity elongates the legs to give you a taller and leaner appearance that’s well-balanced from top to bottom.
Having them in a patent finish can also add to the elegance of the shoes, making them perfect for formal to semi-formal business attire. By extending the leg line, patent nude pumps can also draw attention away from your wide hips and thick thighs.
