How do I determine if I am a triangle/pear body shape?
If you’re not sure that you have a triangle body shape, be sure to read my previous post about determining your body shape and sign up for access to my body type calculator.
If you have a triangle body shape (AKA pear), your hips will be the widest part of your body being disproportionately wider than your bust or shoulders. The pear figure often has a defined waist too which is a great thing to emphasize and show off.
The goal with any body type is to achieve or maintain balance. Since there is more visual weight at the hips of a triangle figure, we want to add visual weight at the shoulders or the bust. Let’s look at the elements of our style recipe and then I’ll identify the best clothes of the pear shaped body.
Silhouette
​When choosing a silhouette for the triangle type women, look for silhouettes that do the opposite of the triangle. Silhouettes that add width around the shoulders like those with shoulder pads, puffy sleeves, boat or bateau neck, or ruffle details that lead the eye horizontally around the shoulders are good picks. Flattering dress shapes for the triangle shape include styles that fit at the waist and flare out at the hip.
Line
Women with pear shapes should wear horizontal lines at the shoulders to add width to the area. Horizontal lines can also be placed at the waist to emphasize the narrowness of it. The women with triangle shapes should avoid having horizontal lines at the widest part of the hip. Shirts should be tucked in to reveal a nice waist or the hem of the shirt or blouse should end at the high hip. If the shirttail has a curved hem, that will be even better to reduce the visual width of the hip. Any lines that run diagonal or vertical over the hip area will be beneficial.
Pattern
Patterns are a great way to bring emphasis to the top portion of the body for a pear. They are the one body shape that benefits from horizontal stripes, but keep them to the upper half. This body shape should avoid vertical direction patterns on the top, however, vertical direction prints are very much welcomed on the bottom half. Other than vertical prints on the bottom half, any other patterns on the lower part of the body should be minimal to avoid the figure being out of balance.
Texture
Textures with pile or sheen are a great way for a triangle to bring emphasis to their upper body. Pants, shorts and skirts should be out of matte fabrics that garner less attention.
Color
Colors that recede should be used for skirts, shorts, pants and capris. Feel free to refer back to my Style Recipe post on color, if you’re not familiar with identifying these. Deep, dark colors recede, as well as tints that have been lightened with white. Use colors that advance on the top or for dresses. Rich and bright colors tend to “come at you”. Warm colors are more dominant that cool ones.
Proportion
Looser fitting garments can be worn on top, but avoid styles that add too much fullness to the hip area. Chunky necklaces are a good way to bring the eye up and bring balance to the pear figure.
Kim’s Recommendations
Outerwear/outerlayers
This jacket has several design elements that make it perfect for pear-shaped women. It has horizontal stripes that will add visual weight to the torso. I V-cut neckline that draws the eye to the center of the body and emphasizes narrowness at the waist. The cutaway style of the hem visually cuts through the wideness of the hip.
In like manner, the wide reveres on this coat create visual weight at the shoulder and bust. It has a belt to nip in at the waist. below the waist is smooth without a lot of bulk or detail. You would want to try this one on before committing first. If the hem hits at the widest part of the hip, either pass or make a call into your favorite tailor for a hem alteration.
Dresses
This is a great example of an A-line silhouette. The boat neckline of this dress adds width to the shoulder area and the mass, visually un-cut bodice makes the bust appear larger. The pleats in the skirt add just enough volume to skim over the hip, but not be bulky.
Identically, the dolman type bodice and sleeve combination on this dress adds width to the bust, the waist is defined and the skirt is roomy and flowy enough to accommodate the hips. The wide v-neck exposes enough of the collar bone area for a slimming effect.
Tops
This voluminous blouse might be the exception to the “no vertical stripes on top for the triangle. The fact that the upper line of the blouse and the ruffle are horizontal, overpower the dominance of the vertical lines, thus giving a widening effect at the shoulder which will do a lovely job to balance the hip.
Blouses and tops, like this one, where the bodice and sleeve are combined without a seam separating them are a great choice. They create an optical illusion that the shoulders are wider than they actually are and are a perfect match for a triangle figure.
Pants
Boot cut pants are a great option for the women with a pear body shape. The width at the ankle provides balance for the hip. The slant of the pocket on this pair of pants is very flattering as it cuts the width of the hip a little. One common problem for a triangle is that pants that fit in the hips are too large around the waist, but these pants have elastic around the waist in the back to prevent gaping.
Here is a straight cut pant option with a slimmer cut leg. It is fitted through the thigh and straight down from the knee. I believe this is about as slim as you would want to go at the ankle as anything slimmer would place too much emphasis on the hips. Again, I’ve chosen an at-waist pant. The lower the waist on the pant, the more it emphasizes the hip.
Skirts
For skirts, you want an a-line that is fitted at the waist that flares out at the hip. Be wary of a lot of gathering as this could create extra bulk in the hip area. This one adds just enough room to skim over the hips. The vertical stripe pattern will also add a nice effect.
Likewise, here is another example of a good skirt silhouette. This is a partial circle skirt. The front is sleek and smooth without detail at the hips. The wideness at the hem will also balance with the hip and shoulder.
Finally, I’d like to hear from all of my triangle-figured readers. Let me know what you think about these clothing options in the comments. Don’t forget to follow the Triangle section of my body shape Pinterest board. I hope this has been
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