Trinny and Susannah: The Pear

Trinny and Susannah’s pear shape is defined as: small tits, long waist, flat tummy, saddlebags and heavy legs.

Ok. Ummm….but what does that mean.

Basically you have big thighs. In contrast to a Cello who also has big thighs, your top half is pretty small, which sadly makes your thighs look even bigger. In fact your whole leg is likely to be …umm, well chunky. Again though that makes your top half look even more delicate by contrast.

The key to remember here is thighs. The Pear may look like she’s got wide hips but it’s actually the thighs where the width is, and the outer thigh at that. If you have wide hips you’re more likely to be a Bell or Skittle or maybe a Cello.

Dressing The Pear

It’s always all about finding balance between your top and your bottom.

Do – broaden your shoulders to offset the width of your hips and thighs.

Don’t – slouch; it will just make your shoulders seem narrower.

Do – get yourself a good push-up bra to give yourself confidence to throw your shoulders back and rock your shape.

Don’t - highlight your lower half; in fact minimize, minimize, minimize! Keep things very simple.

Clothing – what to avoid

Ashish sequined mini skirtMini skirts – It will display your legs in all their glory and make your top half look smaller besides really throwing your balance to the wolves.

Bright colors on the lower half – bright colors draw the eye and you want to draw the eye somewhere else. Try to go with darker colors on the lower half and bring interest to the upper half to offer balance.

Bias Cut Skirts - a bias cut skirt is designed to highlight the hips by lovingly draping themselves all over them. Whilst this may seem like a good idea basically they’re going to be highlighting your thighs.

Skinny Jeans – a skinny jean is going to hug every inch of your legs and the error here is that it’s hugging every inch of your legs and showing them for exactly what they are.

Ankle Strap Shoes – ankle straps cut the leg and make the leg look shorter, which makes the leg look wider. Wider is not something The Pear needs in her legs.

Stilletos – the narrowness of the heel highlights the fact that the leg above it is chunky.

Clothing – what shapes to look for

Wide legged pants

Wide leg pants : The ultimate weapon in dealing with large thighs wide leg pants are your best bet. It confuses the eye into thinking your thighs are thinner than they are. Opt for a darker colour, straight leg and flat front – a very simple style that will make your legs look longer.

Marc Jacobs Wool-Blend A-line Skirt

A line skirt: This is a fairly structured skirt which will cover your thighs and still look stylish.



Dolce & Gabbana strapless A Line DressStrapless dress with full skirt: This dress is a similar idea as the Aline skirt, offering good coverage, with the stapless bodice drawing attention to your upper half at the same time as broadening your shoulders and hugging your waist. Instant hourglass s hape!


Madison boloero CrimsonShrug: Add a shrug to the strapless dress to attract more attention to your upper half. Because it finishes just under your breasts it highlights the breasts as well, again making your upper half look wider.

Black Bear Print Long Sleeve TeeSleeveless Ruffle Blouse

High necked shirt: If you have smaller breasts go for a higher necked shirt. It will broaden your top half and de-emphasize your breasts. Go for a eye catching pattern, frills, bells and whistles, whatever you like. Because your top half is so much smaller than your bottom it’s better to add any embelishments here. Go for a cap sleeve, which draws the eye out across your shoulders and makes you look broader again.

Brown animal fur coatBelted, structured coat: A belted coat with a structured skirt will emphasize your tiny waist, add volume to your upper half and decieve the eye about the shape of your thighs and bottom – a total win-win.


Givenchy 10A3017 100

Eye catching jacket: The same as with tops, really get busy with your top. Draw the eyes up there and away from your bottom half.


Franco Sarto Women's Rider Knee-High BootStraight boots: A st raight boot will hide your thicker calves and can look stylish with practically anything..

 

 


Vega Grey Platform HeelsChunky heels: If you’re calves and ankles are thicker putting them above a delicate stiletto heel will make them look bigger again. This doesn’t mean you need to give up heels, just go for a chunkier one.

If you want to know more about Trinny and Susannah’s Body Shape Bible please click here.

About Lisa

I love clothes and in particular shoes but I'm just such a funky shape I find it hard to find stuff that works for me. I needed a little help and that led to my work on this blog. Turns out I love writing too, as well as helping people so I'm really onto a winner here!

  • http://www.fashionsewingblog.com Colleen G Lea

    Hi Lisa,
    Great article! I like the presentation, Trinny and Susannah could learn for your definition (well put!.

    Colleen

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa Rutland

    Thanks Colleen

  • http://facebook.com/number1divainthegame Ashley

    I just came across this website yesterday, and I appreciate the fact that you’re educating women on their body types. The only suggestion I have is that you not use terms such as “saddlebags” as it is very offensive and insensitive, when describing body types.

  • http://facebook.com/number1divainthegame Ashley

    And also breasts, instead of “tits.” I just picture a perverted guy when I see that word. lol

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa Rutland

    Thanks for your comments Ashley

    The terms “saddlebags” and “tits” are the authors terms. The terms come up on only those posts that relate to Trinny and Susannah.

    LISA

  • Pingback: » The 12 Shapes Of Trinny and Susannah

  • Extreme Pear Shape

    I mostly fall into the pear-shape category, BUT I also have extremely skinny calves, in relation to my thighs, which makes my big thighs stand out even more! Up top, I have extremely narrow shoulders, less than an A cup (36AA), 28″ very long waist, 40″ hips with “saddlebags” that are even bigger than my hips, but then my lower thighs and calves are very thin. So it’s like I have a slender body with a giant blob around my hips that doesn’t belong there — Consider yourself VERY lucky if you don’t have this shape! But if you do, I’ve found that dresses that are just above the knee, with HIGH CINCHED WAISTS, are the ONLY thing that look flattering! Or get a dress with no waist, and a skinny belt or ribbon to cinch a high waist on it. Never wear something that’s actually cinched *at* your waist, as this will just make your hips look like they jut out more. The high waist lets the fabric drape better.

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Thank you Extreme Pear Shape. It’s really good to hear from someone who does have this, as you say, extreme shape. It must be so difficult being so slender every where else and having the one spot that’s not. It’s great that you’ve found something that works and makes you feel comfortable.

    Also – a high cinched waist is an empire waist and it works because just under your breasts is every womans narrowest part. The fabric falls from there and skims the rest of your body.

    LISA

  • Pingback: What To Wear: If You’re A Pear Shape

  • Pingback: Help me dress for a wedding? - AuthenticForum

  • Syl

    Hi, Lisa, love your page, great fashion advice regarding shape! I’ve never been able to figure out my body shape properly…I’m quite tall (5’8”) and slender, measurements 34-24-36, so I suppose I’m more on the pear-ish side, though my shoulders are wider than my hips. I always thought my boobs were quite small, but they’re the only part of my body that sometimes can’t fit into the dress size I usually wear, while even the smallest size usually doesn’t fit my waist properly. I often wear vintage clothes, which suit me better since they seem to be more adapted to women whose bodies go in and out, esp. when it comes to slim waists. I also have a similar problem to Ms Extreme Pear Shape up there, regarding my thighs being bigger than the rest of me…it’s not a big difference, but this disproportion still irks me sometimes as the rest of my legs (and me in general) is skinny – for me, the best way of covering this up is by wearing dresses. Anyway, my main question would be – what is the difference between pear and skittle? I always thought that pear was the one with hips and a bum while a skittle just has bigger thighs, but here it seems to say otherwise…so now I’m a bit confused. :/ I would love it if you could clarify this for me, and of course any other advice regarding how to dress would be most welcome :)

    Warm regards

  • http://lisarutland.com Lisa

    Hi Syl

    A Skittle is biggest around the bottom then tapering down. They will have big thighs but big all over. A Pear by contrast is widest around the upper thighs. Thin or not they have saddlebags, which is extra weight on the outside of the upper thigh. In most Pears their waist is tiny and hips not much wider running down to distinctly wider thighs before coming in.

    It’s not necessarily fat it’s just a body shape although it is where extra fat will gather.

    LISA

  • Linnea

    I think i have got the figure pear. Or I am pretty sure that i have that figure BUT i dont look fat at all, its actually so that people told me that i am very skinny. (they didnt say it in a nice way…)
    I look pretty proportional, but i am definitly not an hourglass.
    I have got saddlebags, and a long waist an so on.
    But its so that my hips and so on are normal for my lenght but my waist smaller.
    And because of that are the tips not very helpful. I dont want to look even more skinny. I usually go for jeans and t-shirts but that i so boring and unfashionable.
    Its pretty hard to describe- i am youth and not english/american/etc and i havent slept for 30 hours so my english is pretty bad though i cant think propertly…

  • Linnea

    Hm… I read that a pear has big thighs but small calves but
    on there thing with the boots you can read “thicker calves”.
    I am a bit confused…

  • http://bluemingtonboutique.webs.com Bluemington Boutique

    Syl: A Skittle has a flat butt, but thunder thighs and large calves, along with small ankles (often giving the illusion of bowlegs). The true pear has a big butt (but not the bell’s “shelf-butt” that you see in every rap video). I give my Skittle mom grief about this all the time–she can diet into my clothes all she wants, but she’ll never fill out my jeans the way I do! (and since she’s a tall one, my midget-inseam jeans will look like floods on her, even though her legs are also short for her height). Also, the Skittle seems to be especially prevalent in Russia and eastward, so if you’re Eastern European or Asian, your family is probably full of Skittles. (Not South Asian though–those girls are mostly skinny apples)

    and for the last post…I don’t think I know any pear who likes her calves. They’re enormous on all of us, but since we also have cankles, we don’t get the Skittle’s bow-legged look. That’s why I was puzzled by Trinny and Susannah’s suggestion of knee-high boots–those would never, ever fit over my calves, unless I went to the plus-size store or something :(

  • Bluemington

    I would partially disagree with the above comment (not sure if it was even posted by anyone or just Google-captured?) – the pear and skittle are the types with large calves (whether or not each girl likes hers is a personal choice, I guess), but the Bell has markedly thinner calves than the proportions of her butt would suggest. Now, a lot of my Bell friends do complain about their calves, but not for the reason you think–they tend to wish their calves were a little shapelier, so they’d be brought into proportion with the upper thighs and butt (because the combination of big butts/upper thighs and small calves exaggerates the already disproportionate look of that body shape).