How Do I Dress My Petite Pear Body Shape?

by Laura Otero
(Colombia)

How do I dress my petite figure with wide legs and hips?

When I was little I used to be very thin, but as I grew, I got a little bit less thin, and so I'm really confused about what to wear, because I remain being little but I have wide legs and hips.

I would appreciate very much your help!

PS: You've got an amazing website, and I'm totally obsessed with it! It's an amazing guide!



Are saying that you're petite-thin or petite-short as in below 5'4 (160cm)? It sounds like your figure grew into a pear body shape. A pear shape is considered curvy with killer hips which many men find attractive (just look at Beyoncé and Shakira) :-)

Since you're indicating that you're unhappy about your curves let me give you some basic rules on to how make them look slimmer (minimizing your hips can also help make you look visually taller):

Choose wider hems


From top left to bottom right: maruione, oldnavy, AE, Michael Kors/theoutnet, AE, gap, wetseal, liberty (uk)

Opt for A-line skirts and shorts (and dresses), straight leg, boot cut (classic), flare, wide leg and trendy boyfriend jeans. The wider hem balances your body by streamlining your figure so that your wide hips become less obvious.

I might also want to advise you to choose slim shaped wide leg pants because really big ones can drown your petite frame :/


Find ways to visually widen your upper body


From top left to bottom right: Kate Spade/nordstrom, fantasyjewelrybox, forever 21, topshop, Chloé/net-a-porter, bardot (aus), D&G/net-a-porter, forever 21


Do you wear skinny jeans and/or pencil skirts? If you do, you might have discovered that these type of pants make your hips, thighs and legs wider? You don't have to completely cut them off from your wardrobe -- there are several ways to make slim and tapered hemlines to work for you body shape.

Like for example:



• Wear a light (white, light gray) or bright colored (red, electric blue, anything that 'pops') top or sweater


• Wear details and embellishments like a nice statement necklace or a pair of large earrings


• Choose tops and sweaters that visually add more volume and width to your upper half (shoulders and bust), like for example scoop and boat necks, horizontal stripes, ruffles, shoulder pads, embellished shoulders, puffed sleeves, tube tops and dresses, heart neckline, etc.



Basically the trick is to balance out your body shape -- fill and widen where there lacks volume so that your wide hips appear less prominent. I call this the enhance and minimize trick

Note: Some of the details mentioned (scoop necks, horizontal stripes) can shorten your height, so you need to counter the shortening effect by adding one or several of these details:

- A long pendant necklace
- Wear dark colors from top to toe, or go monochromatically by wearing colors in the same shade
- High heels
- Pointy shoe toes
- etc.


Shoes that slim down your bottom half


From left to right: wetseal, Dolce Vita/nordstrom, heels, dorothy perkins

Shoes are definitely a vital part of your everyday life :-)

It's a no-brainer that high heels make you look taller and leaner. High heels with a little bit of a pointer toe can impact your body figure -- making you look taller, and hips slimmer. Also, the more skin you show on your feet (ex. open toe sandals) the leaner your bottom half (hips and legs) will look.

I also want to suggest you to avoid ankle straps as they can shorten your figure.

• How to buy the perfect denim jeans


• How to buy the right pair wide leg jeans + outfit ideas