STYLE GUIDES · BODY SHAPE
Pear body shape.
Your hips measure noticeably more than your bust, and your waist is defined. Also called a triangle or spoon shape.
Updated · By the Delve to Life editors · Editorial standards
THE QUICK ANSWER
A hem as wide as the hip keeps one unbroken line, so nothing has to stretch across the widest point.
IF YOU WANT TO TRY ONE DRESS FIRST
If you want to try one dress first, start with an A-line. The skirt releases above the hip and falls past it, it works from the office to a wedding, and it is easy to find at every price.
Body-shape names are a shorthand for proportion, not a rule about what anyone is allowed to wear. Everything below describes what a cut does to the line of an outfit, so you can choose the effect you want rather than follow a prescription.
How to tell if you are a pear
Your hips measure noticeably more than your bust, and your waist is defined. If you are close to the line between two shapes, read both pages — the advice overlaps more than it conflicts. Not sure? Use the body shape calculator: type your measurements and it compares them for you. No tape measure? Take the six-question quiz instead.
Dresses that suit a pear shape
Each of these releases above the hip, so the skirt falls past it rather than over it.
Skirts that suit a pear shape
A skirt that flares from the waist skims the hip instead of gripping it.
Pants that suit a pear shape
A hem as wide as the hip keeps the leg line straight from waist to floor.
Necklines that suit a pear shape
A wide neckline draws the eye along the shoulder line, which reads as even against the hip.
The best dress length for a pear shape
A hem draws a horizontal line wherever it ends, so the question is where you want that line. On a pear shape the widest point is the hip and upper thigh, and a hem that ends well below it, just under the knee or at the ankle, lets the skirt fall past that point in one piece.
Knee to midi length in an A-line or fit-and-flare skirt is the easiest place to start. A maxi works when it flares from the waist rather than following the hip. A mini works in an A-line cut; a tight mini puts the hem line just under the widest point.
Each ends below the widest point of the hip, in a skirt that moves away from it.
If your tummy is fuller as well
Pear describes how bust and hips compare; it says nothing about the middle, and plenty of pear shapes also carry weight around the tummy. Bodies vary a lot here, so treat this as a starting point rather than a rule.
What changes is where the seam sits. A waist seam pulled tight at the natural waist sits right on the tummy; an empire seam under the bust, or a wrap tie set a little higher, lets the fabric fall past the middle instead. Fabric with some weight, such as crepe, ponte or heavier jersey, tends to fall straighter, and thin stretch jersey tends to follow the body more closely, though the cut and how much ease it has matter as much as the weight.
A seam above the middle, or one you can set yourself, with a skirt that keeps falling past the hip.
Prints and patterns on a pear shape
A print draws the eye to wherever it sits. Many pear shapes put the busier part of an outfit on top, a print bodice or a patterned top with a plain skirt, so the eye travels along the shoulder line. A large, high-contrast print on the skirt makes the skirt the focus, which is a fine choice if that is the effect you want.
A small all-over print reads as texture and works anywhere. Vertical stripes, and a print that runs right down to the hem, keep the line long; wide horizontal stripes across the hip widen it.
Dressing a pear shape over 50
Age doesn't change which cuts work for a proportion, and nothing here assumes you want to cover up. The same A-line, wrap and fit-and-flare cuts apply at 50 as at 25.
If what you want from your clothes has changed, those are choices within the same cuts: any sleeve length you like, a hem you can walk, sit and cycle in, and a fabric with some body, such as crepe, ponte or cotton poplin, that keeps its shape through a long day. Choose by the occasion first, then by the cut.
Questions people ask
What dress is best for a pear shaped body?
An A-line or fit-and-flare dress, because the skirt releases above the hip and falls past it. A wrap dress works for the same reason and adds a defined waist. None of these is required - they are simply the cuts that keep one continuous line.
What should a pear shape wear on the bottom half?
Bootcut, flare, wide-leg or straight-leg pants, and skirts that flare from the waist such as A-line, circle or skater. The common factor is a hem at least as wide as the hip.
What dress length is best for a pear shape?
Just below the knee to midi length, in an A-line or fit-and-flare skirt, is the easiest place to start, because the hem ends well below the widest point of the hip. Ankle length works when the skirt flares from the waist.
How do I dress a pear shape with a fuller tummy?
Move the seam above the middle: an empire waist, or a wrap dress tied slightly high, with a skirt that keeps flaring past the hip. Fabric with some weight, such as crepe or ponte, tends to fall straighter than thin stretch jersey.
What should a pear shape wear to a wedding?
An A-line, fit-and-flare or wrap dress at knee to midi length suits most daytime dress codes; for black tie, an A-line or ball-gown skirt to the floor. Check the invitation's dress code first.
Do maxi dresses work on a pear shape?
Yes, when the skirt flares from the waist or from just under the bust, so it falls past the hip. A narrow, stretchy maxi follows the hip all the way down, which is the less easy version.
One last thing worth saying plainly: none of this is a rule. These are the predictable effects of a cut, and knowing them makes shopping faster. If a style that isn't listed for your proportions is the one you like, that is reason enough to wear it.
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