Pear Shaped Body Outfits: Formulas (Plus What I’d Avoid)

Do you struggle with dressing your curvy hips and bottom?

You’re not alone — and most importantly, you don’t have to.

Hi friend, I’m Alessia, the writer and founder behind Italy with an Italian.

For most of my life, I felt exactly the same way. If you’ve seen photos of me, you might think, “What is she talking about? She’s petite with an hourglass figure.”

But that wasn’t always how I saw myself.

Throughout my teenage years and most of my twenties, I tried to hide my curves under long shirts and oversized coats. I experimented with workouts and diets, constantly chasing a “dream body” that I thought would finally make me feel confident.

I wish I had known then what I know today — and that’s exactly why I’m sharing this with you.

You may have already read some of the tips I’m about to share. Maybe you’ve even tried them. But consider this your gentle reminder: you don’t need to change your body to love it.

You can look and feel beautiful right now. The key is learning how to dress in a way that complements your shape.

And today, I’ll show you exactly how to do that — with outfits that truly flatter a pear-shaped body… and a few that don’t.

Are You Really Pear Shape?

If you are in doubt about this, you can easily check it with a measurement tape. But if this triggers you in any way, please don’t do it.

When you do it, you don’t need to focus on the numbers. You just need to confirm that the width of your shoulders (measure from one end of one shoulder to the other) is really smaller than the width of your hips (measure from the largest point on one side to the other).

You don’t really need to measure your waist, because you can usually see if it’s smaller than your hips and shoulders, but feel free to do so. But should you want to, you just measure the smallest part of that area (usually 1.5 inches above the belly button).

That’s all you have to do. You don’t have to measure how long your torso is or how long your legs are. Many guides suggest that pear-shaped bodies have a shorter torso than legs. And while that can be true for many pear shaped women, it’s not like that for everyone.

What does your body shape mean?

Rather than looking at one body type as being worse than another, let’s look at what it really means.

Being pear shaped means you are smaller on top and larger on the bottom. That gives you two options:

You can embrace your curves, love them, and choose to celebrate them in the way you dress.
You can learn to balance them out, in order to create more harmonious outfits.

The choice is yours. In this post, we will, however, focus on choosing outfits that balance your body shape.

When I say balance the body shape what I mean is that we are trying to create a more hourglass body, because that’s the most harmonious one, at least according to the body image we have been exposed to since the early days.

5 Pear Shaped Body Outfits Formulas That Create Balance

Remember how I told you that if you are pear shaped there’s a way not to struggle with getting dressed?

This is that way.

Knowing your outfit formulas, those that can help balance your body shape and flatter your curves are key to feeling and looking your best.

In this section, I am going to list 5 common outfit formulas. I have included the most common types of clothing, and also included swimwear at the end, because I am pretty sure it’s the one you struggle with the most. Am I right?

BEST DRESS STYLE FOR PEAR SHAPE

I am starting with the piece of clothing that can be your best friend but also your worst, depending on how you feel about it and which style you choose.

Let me go straight to the point. A-line dresses are your best dresses, any type that flares out from the waist down is overall fine – even empire style and wrap style.

However, if you want to create an hourglass shape, you need to choose an A line dress with emphasized shoulders/sleeves.

Avoid body con dresses, sheath dresses and even shift dresses. Even if the latter are more flared, they are usually sleeveless and not so roomy, which will show more of your actual shape and emphasize you are very small on top and very large at the bottom.

PS: Of course, these are general guidelines and especially targeted at those women who have a very high contrast between the top and the bottom (very hip heavy). If you are a pear shape with small hips, you might be fine with wearing all of these dresses, provided you style them correctly.

BEST TROUSERS LOOK

Next, let’s move to what’s likely your most feared piece of clothing – trousers.

For so many years I struggled with buying and wearing pants. They wouldn’t fit my hips, or they would be so large at the waist, they would fall, unless I wore a belt. However, wearing a belt would mean emphasizing more my hips. At least that’s how I saw it back then, but that was because I wasn’t wearing the right trousers.

Even today, when my body is closer to an hourglass shape, I still struggle because my waist is very small compared to my hips and bottom. I have learned to dress in a way that flatters them, so much so that when I go into a shop and a shop assistant tries to help me out, she is always surprised by my size. I look smaller than I actually am, or at least that’s how it was until a few years ago.

If trousers scare you, try wide leg trousers next time you go shopping. You can try different styles, but I am sure you will fall in love with palazzo pants, because they are the ones that flare out the most and have the most fabric to harmonise your hips.

How do you wear wide leg pants with a pear-shaped body?

You can wear anything on top, as long as it’s tucked in and cinches your waist. But the best is a top that adds volume to your shoulders. If you want to pair it with a jacket, go for long jackets. In the case of a blazer, you want long and oversized blazers that balance the flared trousers, cropped that show the waist, or A line shorter blazers.

Very important: your jacket shouldn’t end at your hips, otherwise you are making your entire body look like a square.

PIN IT FOR LATER

BEST SKIRT LOOK FOR PEAR SHAPE

It’s exactly the same as for dresses. You want to opt for A line, don’t be afraid to show your legs, and avoid anything that’s too tight around or below your hips.

You can try the Italian outfit formula, as I like to call it – the midi A line with the button up shirt tucked in, just try to go with a puffed sleeve or a larger sleeve, or even a wide neckline to let the top take more space visually and balance the wider bottom.

However, that’s not a hard rule. Wear the top you love the most as long as it’s not boxy or wide, not worn over your skirt, or too long.

BEST JEANS FOR PEAR-SHAPED BODY

Similar to pants, your best jeans look is wide leg jeans with a top tucked in.

Here are different options for styling wide leg jeans to flatter your body type:

You could try an oversized tshirt tucked in so the shoulders are voluminous but tucking it in gives you the cinched waist we want.
You can go for anything with larger sleeves.
You can wear cropped jackets; consider tweed jackets.
If you are really self conscious, you can go for longer jackets like trench coats and coats, or even oversized blazers that are longer than your hips.
In Summer, try tops with cap sleeves or off the shoulder tops that are tucked in.
You could also try a peplum, as long as it’s a short one.

BEST SWIMWEAR FOR PEAR-SHAPED WOMEN

Is planning your beach outfits your worst nightmare?

It definitely was and still is for me. Luckily, I don’t like swimming and being in the heat, so I don’t have to worry about it.

However, if you are a beach babe who loves tanning and floating in the sea (or the pool), you don’t have to miss out.

If you are really self conscious about your larger bottom half, the safest and most flattering swimwear option is an A-line swim dress. You can also opt for just an A-line swim skirt. I own the latter, but I never got the chance to wear it. I must say it’s really flattering and looks gorgeous.

Sarongs are your best friend, so make sure to use them. The same holds for beach dresses; you can choose oversized, shirt style, A line, and so on.

When it comes to tops, I find balconette bikini tops the best, especially if you are also heavy chested. If you are not, you can still wear them, but you might need a little push up. Having a thicker strap helps balance the top and bottom.

Anything with straps, ruffles, off the shoulders, and even a halter neck, is a great idea. If you are surprised by the halter neck, I was too. However, this is why it works: because it moves the eyes towards your neck, it draws the attention away from your small top large bottom imbalance. You can try it and see how it looks on you.

You should also try swimsuits that have more detail on top and an elongating higher leg cut.

Finally, if you want to wear a normal bikini bottom, the best option is to wear a high leg one with a thicker waist band. Just make sure the waist band doesn’t sit on the wrong spot – just above or below your hips. The best is that it covers them without creating any upper or lower bulges.

More Styling Tips:

Other than the type of garment you wear, color also matters a lot, especially if you are wearing something that’s going to emphasize your lower body more. In this case, you want to wear a darker bottom, as that will help with slimming, elongating, and drawing the attention away. You can keep the color for your top garments.

I’d like you to experiment with monochrome and tonal outfits. The idea is that wearing one color will avoid cutting your body into multiple parts, and will make you look taller and leaner.

If you have gorgeous legs, don’t be afraid to show them, as long as you do so with class.

Don’t forget to wear heels. They complement your curves beautifully, making you look even more attractive and feminine. And they also help you look taller, which we all know makes us look thinner.

Finally, make sure to use accessories and jewellery to your advantage. Wear big necklaces, or earrings, maybe both, to help you draw the eyes away from your problem area (if that’s how you see it).

Avoid bags sitting on your hips, as that will emphasize that area even more.

Pear Shaped Outfits I Spotted In Milan: Right & Wrong

In this section, I want to share outfit ideas I saw real Italian pear shaped women wear in Milan.

Spotting them wasn’t as easy as it would be in Southern Italy, as Northern Italian women tend to be less curvy and more hourglass shaped.

I am also going to show you a few wrong outfits, those that didn’t flatter the women wearing them. That way, you can avoid the same mistakes.

Enjoy the inspiration.

You can see how the outfits above focus on flattering the lower body, and drawing the eye on top or on the legs. The same can’t be said about the following three looks.

This is not a bad outfit but all three main garments break the woman’s body into three parts. That definitely doesn’t elongate it. The cropped boots paired under the midi skirt shorten the legs, which in turn makes the hips larger. On top of that, the coat is sitting at the wrong spot.

This is the perfect example of an outfit that makes you look like a square if you are a pear shape.

That hoodie does no justice to that that outfit. It hides the waist, adds no style, and again, would make a pear shaped body look like a square or a rectangle.

My Favorite Clothes For Pear Body Shape

I already gave you plenty of outfits inspiration, but I thought it would be helpful if someone you could relate to would share their favorite clothing pieces.

So, I am going to look back and think what I would wear to feel my most comfortable, but also my best when my lower body was at its widest. That was throughout my teenage years, during my University years, and during Covid. I have attached pictures for reference. I have been much wider than that, but I can’t find digital pictures.

A-line dresses made me feel the most feminine in a way that didn’t make me hate my curves.
Black trousers have always been my favorite piece of clothing. They are still the one piece of clothing I reach out for on a day when I don’t feel my best, or when I know I have gained weight. I shared about that recently in one of my newsletters. Are you already subscribed?
Longer jackets and coats, that go past my hips but stay above my knees; that’s important for me because I am also short.
Black culottes. I have this pair of black culottes I have had since probably 2014, and they are still in perfect condition. They are just a size too big, but I still wear them. I have always found them so flattering, comfortable, and perfect to wear for travelling or going out in Summer with a comfortable pair of heels.
Long shirts and tops. This is something I lived in when I was a teenager, but it’s not very flattering when you are petite. If you are tall, you can make it work. However, you need to be very careful how you wear them. I try to wear this type of tops only if they are shirts cinched in at the waist and just longer than my hips, and when I do wear them it’s with more fitted trousers. That helps me avoid looking like a short square.

How My Body Shape Changed Over Time

You might be wondering how I went from being more pear-shaped to looking mostly hourglass today.

The truth is, my body has changed a lot over the years. I started dieting very young after being told I needed to lose weight, and that shaped my relationship with food and my body for a long time.

In my twenties, I finally stopped chasing diets and focused on building a healthier, more balanced lifestyle — one I could sustain. Over time, my proportions shifted, especially around my hips and lower body, which is where I’ve always carried more weight.

But here’s what I want you to take from this: my confidence didn’t come from changing my body. It came from understanding it.

And whether your shape changes or stays exactly the same, learning how to dress your proportions will always matter more than the number on a scale.