Q&A on heavy bottom half

I have a body type question - you have addressed quite a few "big on top"
questions, but I have the opposite concern...I am bigger on the bottom than the
top. What styles look the best, proportion wise? Also, what style tops look the
best to balance out a smaller upper body? I do not like empire styles, because I
also think they make me look pregnant...thanks!

Alli

Well, Alli, sound to me like you are the typical pear shape. But, you know (of course) it is no longer politically correct to call you a piece of fruit, so you are now a Triangle. YAHOO!

The key to getting the right look is searching out those pieces that bring your silhouette back into an hourglass shape. It’s all about balance and proportion. For you – we need to bring all the attention to the top portion of your body. First, let’s talk about the bottom half:

BOTTOM

• No pattern, keep everything very simple with clean floating lines. The a-line skirt is your best bet.

No pattern on the bottom (i.e. detail on skirts), it will bring the eye down to the bottom ½ of your shape

Heels, heels slim hips…sounds crazy, but it works (which is why I wear 3” heels every day of my life)

No pleats at your midsection…keep everything around your middle flat. This might mean that you need to cut out and seam shut the pockets of some pants.

Watch out for any distressing or striping of jeans. No flap back pockets.

TOP

• Poufy sleeves, anything to bring a “bigger” “fuller” look to your shoulder.
• Embellishments on the chest (things like ribbon, pintucking, ruffles)
• Peplum cuts – anything that already has a waist in it (also princess cuts)
• Boat neck styles would be good for you – it elongates the line of the shoulder, and balances the hips
• When dressing or choosing tops, think “to the center and up and out”…in other words, we want people to see your well defined waist (Center) (I have an advantage, I know you and know you have a tiny waist!) – and then we want the eye to go to our neckline (up), and then we want attention to be drawn out to your shoulders. In other words, we don’t want the eye of the onlooker to notice hips.
  

A mistake ladies with your shape make is to wear those flouncy tops (like the empire waist you mentioned), this will add unnecessary bulk (material) to your midsection, and hide your tiniest features (your waist).

I hope this helps!

-Kathy