Kimberley Walsh at Cosmopolitan Awards + Tips for Pear Shapes
November 13, 2009 in Body Type and Clothes by Versus
2 in 1 post!
First request: Some of you wanted to see the beautiful Kimberley Walsh (Girls Aloud) at the Cosmopolitan Awards – well, here she is, looking stunning in long white dress.
Second request: Many of you wanted tips for curvy pear shapes – I’ve already answered in a post, but since the requests keep going strong, here they are again (taking advantage of the fact that Kimberley here is a classic pear herself). So here are some basic tips and tricks on how to dress your pear shaped figure!
What You Need in Your Closet:
- A-line skirts (but not too wide)
- belted coats, jackets and trench coats (the belt should be on your on waist, not lower)
- flat-front pants and skirts, make sure they don’t make any bulges on your hips
- you can wear puffy sleeves or more volume on top, especially on your shoulders (like ruffles) to balance out your figure
- flared jeans, classic jeans, wide-leg pants, just nothing too tight
- long boots, till the knee (with heels even better) will balance your body
- dresses! you can wear many kinds, especially the ones that hug your waist and fall nicely on your hips, A-line dresses, wrap dresses, middle-length dresses (you can even try pencil dresses IF they have slightly puffy shoulders, you might look great in them). And check out how great Kimberley looks in this backless dress right here!
- classic pumps or peep-toes elongate the legs as well, especially the nude-colored ones with thinner heels
- ideally, but not mandatory: light or bright colors on top, darker colors on the bottom (but not just black, try navy, deep green, deep violet, burgundy, browns, grey)
- unlike V-shapes, you are advised to wear accessories on top – necklaces, big earrings, scarves, etc., they will attract eyes on your top half
- ANY top that shows off your waist
See more pictures of Kimberley and more tips on the next page!
What to Avoid:
- remember never to have an horizontal line on your widest part – so if your widest part is your thigh and hip area, then avoid to place stripes, belts, chains
- avoid side pockets on your hips and thighs
- avoid wearing big prints on the bottom (they might widen you), but you can wear them on top. Skirts with small, detailed prints are great though!
- skinny jeans, especially if worn with flats
- short boots that optically cut your legs, ankle straps
- tops, jackets, blazers or cardigans should not end at the widest part of your hips – they should be slightly shorter to elongate your lower half
WOW! She is just as stunning as cheryl cole!
Love her, Definitely has the best body in Girls Aloud
I like it a lot.. great dress for pear shape.. and its white.. she sure looks fabulous.. could u post this wardrobe-to-wear for hourglass?
I’m a pear, but I totally wear skinny jeans anyway. I mean, my hips are 36″ so it’s not that big of a deal, haha
Telling pear shapes to wear boots is a HUGE mistake. Boots to the knee look horrific on people with thicker hips and thighs. Boots are for those with thin legs or who are not pear shaped. .. That is a pretty basic rule for dressing pear shapes, so it’s odd that it is advised here. The rest of the advice is pretty solid though!
I agree. And plenty of us pears are short. we do NOT need to look even stumpier with boots.
I also disagree about the flared pants – they also make you look stumpier, and hide the lower part of the leg, which is usually the thin part on a pear, and emphasise the hips and thighs, which are usually big.
The best pants I’ve found are CIGARETTE shape. Followed by straight cut, skinny and last of all bootcut, which is borderline bad. Cigarette shape balances out the too thick and thinner parts of your leg, and usually sits not too tight, giving off an illusion that you’re skinnier undernieth.
Of course, if your calves are skinny, don’t hide them in flared pants – but many pears have thicker legs, including thicker calves – those are typical pears, like Kimberley in this post. The ones that have skinny calves are not as “obvious” pears and tend to be more proportionate.
You guys have to understand that these are tips for the TYPICAL pear shape (which is why I posted them next to Kimberley). It’s basically impossible to personalize these tips on each individual pear shape and to post them all here – yes, some are short (though that’s not a rule), yes some have got thinner calves, some might even have D cup breasts (like Jennifer Love). You should all wear what works for you.
And flared jeans look great on JLo, yet another pear:
http://www.skinnyvscurvy.com/jennifer-lopez/jennifer-lopez-looking-hot-tight-jeans.html
Actually, the RIGHT boots (long, dark, made of a softer material, with heels) can make your legs thinner if you’ve got cankles (and some pear shapes do, look at Michelle Trachtenberg).
I did not mean to tell girls “hey, you MUST wear boots, not shoes / sandals”, but more like “if you’re gonna wear boots, they should be like this, and not till middle calf”.
Well, at least Trinny and Susannah agree with me
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-488236/Trinny-Susannah-reveal-12-womens-body-types–you.html
Oh yeah, and the best kind of blouse – empire waist, with flowy/loose lower part that reachers mid-thigh. It hides all the big parts, and gives off an illusion that your legs continue to be skinny under it, and longer then they are.
also – loose 80s gym style shorts. Something like this, only even looser: http://fresnobeehive.com/archives/warped8%20069-thumb-350×493.jpg
They. are. AWESOME. I end up looking like a ruler with one on. too bad summer’s over.
I agree with everything Versus said!
I am a pear and look great in flared pants, but not too wide, just right, I really look slimmer.
I look HORRIBLE in empire waist tops – their “waist” is way above my waist (which is my smallest part) and, therefore, it hides it and I look like I am pregnant – people actually asked me if I am (and I am quite slim).
Also, I don’t get why bootcut jeans are bad – bootcut are not a good idea if you’ve got love handles. But pears typically don’t. Apples do, even rulers do, sometimes hourglasses with short waists, too. But pears have long, smooth waists (normally) and I think look great in bootcut jeans.
What shape am I ??? I am 5.7″ and 128 pounds. My measurments are 35-26-30. I think I may have a figure closest to britany spears. I gain some what all over. I am pretty much toned all over ie arms and legs and have a high but not wide butt. My stomach is rather flat but not like a washboard. It’s really hard for me to get a flat stomach. I have to work extra hard. So what shape am? How should I dress HELP ME.
It is very hard to tell from your measurements alone (are you sure you measured your hips over the widest part? they sound very small, not like Britney’s) – the measurements would indicate either:
1. a V shape like Kristin Cavallari, with broad shoulders, not much waist definition, a it of tummy and thinner legs
2. a goblet like Catherine Zeta Jones with broader shoulders, high butt and waist definition, some tummy, upper-hip curves and skinny legs
3. an apple like Adriana Lima – normal shoulders, big bust, not so much waist definition, tummy and skinny legs
Britney is a ruler though, her weight is evenly distributed all over.
I wish I could advise you how to dress, but I really can’t be sure of your shape from your measurements alone – some clothes that would work in all cases: the ones that are tight exactly on your waist, but then slightly puffy or flowy on your lower abdomen: wrap dresses with smart draping (that hide the tummy), high waist dresses (because you do have a high waist). See this cut, too:
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=FOREVER21&category%5Fname=dress&product%5Fid=2068759719&Page=1
We will have a contest soon and the prize will be an image consulting, personalized file with how to dress for your shape, so make sure you enter!
Um when measuring my waist I measured like two inches belown my bellie button. Where my jeans rest. P.S my jeans are a regular fit, they are not high waisted. Did I measure in the right area???
Oh and I really have no waist definition and as I said when I gain it’s kind of a little everywhere. So I must be like Britany. A ruler???
Oh and Versus, thnx for replying to my last comment.
Oh and my legs are thin but are very toned. I would say they look similar to Blake Lively or Britany Spears or Jessica Biel.
Izzy, you should measure your waist at the smallest point. Hips, contrary, at the widest point.
Versus. Do you have any idea???
I think i am the most untypical pear shape ever. I mean, i’m around 33.5 – 23 – 34, i am a C cup, with very small shoulders, tiny waist and a butt. My legs are thicker than my upper body – that’s why i know i’m a pear – yet still thinner than most people. Usually women who have my legs are more likely apple or rulers. I definitely don’t have cankles and it’s actually only one year sincer i had the guts to wear skinnies, b/c i always hated my legs (they look big next to the rest of my body). Oh yeah, and even though i am short i have really long limbs (arms and legs). It’s IMPOSSIBLE to find clothes, whenever i find something that really fits me, i buy it, no matter what. All the blouses are too long, all the pants are too big on my waist, all sweaters are too short for my arms. Point is: don’t take tips as granted. Versus talks about typical pears, but there are people who share traits from different body types and it is quite hard to balance it out. Eventually, it’s all about knowing your assets and flaunting them…
Btw, Versus, from the discription, what do you think i am? Pear is the closest i could get to any shape, maybe you think it’s something else?
You sound very much like a skittle, not like a pear. They are both smaller on top, but the differences are that:
1. skittles have thicker thighs (that’s their “biggest” part), no saddlebags and their hips aren’t as wide as pears’ hips
2. skittles have bigger breasts than pears (usually)
Your measurements and the fact that your limbs are long also indicate that you are more proportionate than a classic pear.
Halle Berry is a skittle – do you find any resemblance with her?
Well, Halle Berry looks kinda of ok, but i resemble more to Megan Fox and Marissa Miller; Halle Berry seems to have more balanced shoulder/hips ratio, my shoulders are tiny. I checked out skittles and my legs are somehow different, i mean my thighs do not touch (i need to gain a LOT of weight to do that) and both my upper and lower hips are quite wide (again, compared to the rest of my body, b/c i’m actually very skinny). Anyway, thank you for the answer, i might possibly be between the two.
that’s funny!
I have always believed that I was a small pear but now I see I am a skittle actually – never knew that there are so many different body shapes!
Why are my comments moderated?
Sorry, they aren’t actually! I send the comments that include the word “Versus” into moderation because I want to see them and to make sure I answer your questions.
Oky, sorry, i did not know that. Thank you
I can’t find out my body type either. I have flat chest, my shoulders are the same size as hips and my hips are quite wide, I mean hip bones because I never gain weight on hips (no saddlebags). My legs are skinny and when I gain weight it looks like it goes right to my stomach, butt and arms. Legs remain slim. It’s really difficult to define my body type…
Oh ok. I did what you said. I got my measurment kinda wrong then. They are more like 35-26-33. Not 30. And I looked at somone with very little waist definition like Kristin Cavallari and someone with a little like Adrinna Lima and I guess would say I have a waist more like hers. So a little but not much. So im slightly bigger up top, narrow in a little at the waist and then come out a touch at the hips. So then what shape does this make me lol. I guess with some people it’s hard to tell. Any ideas for me or Skirmute Verus???
Then you are close to a goblet (if your shoulders are rather wide) or a ruler in case your shoulders virtually look like the same size as your hips.
You might also be a thin apple (like Adriana), but it’s hard to tell.
It’s hard to identify your shape from your description. You are clearly not “bottom heavy”, so we can eliminate all those shapes and we can also eliminate the ones that include large breasts / thicker legs. There are 2 remaining categories, you might fit in them:
1. Broad shoulders, small breasts, no waist, slim hips and long, slim legs – cornet
2. Shoulder width the same as the hips, slight waist and long legs – column (tall ruler)
I’ve always tought I’m I pear shaped, am I currect? Now that I’ve gained weight 11lbs I’m not so sure anymore…I’m 123lbs and 5,3 ft, (31-33(?)/26/37) and I’m 18 yrs old
I also wear skinny jeans veeery often, sometimes I balance them with all sorts of boots, woolen stocking etc. but I also like if people notice my body shape. I’m quite slim from the top, but I still have butt and hips
) But I hate the empire waist line, it often makes me look shorter and it covers up the smallest/thinnes part of my body…
I really want to help you all but as I’ve said before it is very difficult to identify a body shapes just from your measurements and descriptions. Things like bone structure, height, weight distribution, proportions and others are essential when making this analysis.
Anyway, you do sound a lot like a pear. I agree about the empire waist, it doesn’t work on most pears because it hides their enviable waist \ torso.
Skinny jeans can look great on some thin pears with the right shoes and tops – it’s all about what works for you.
thank you so much for your answer!
ps. It would be great to read something about the Desperate Housewives cast, which has become quite skinny nowdays…
So pretty! Love the dress! ^_^
Kimberley knocks Cheryl out of the park body wise IMO.
I would say she is a similar shape to JLO.
Kimberley is a big fan of JLO and Beyonce for being good role models for curvy girls.
A classic pear shaped woman.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01299/Girls-Aloud-Outfit_1299472i.jpg
http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o406/bayleigh94/Cheryl-Cole-and-Kimberly-Walsh-0808.jpg?t=1240666760
How about wear what you want and calm down. I’m 5′7 and 38-26-38 should i clothe my fat ass in a trash bag? I don’t stress about clothes. Wear what you like I say.
agreed
I’m pear shaped and wear/love boots!
My under legs are thinner than the upper ones.
Anyone got any ideas one some more celebs that are pear shaped so i can get more tips on what looks good on my figure like dress types etc ???
I stumbled across this post and I’m really curious as to what shape I am! I’ve always thought I was a weird apple/hourglassy shape…My measurement are 36DD/28/38..I have pretty broad shoulders but also some pretty defined hips. Versus, what do you think?
Hourglasses have a 0.7 waist-hip(bust) ratio, meaning that their waist is 70% (at most) out of the hips’ circumference (bust’s circumference as well).
Your waist-hip (and bust) ratio is 0.74, which is also very nice – so I wouldn’t say that you are an hourglass, but closer to a ruler or maybe a V-shape. I wouldn’t say that you are an apple either, since the typical apple has a tummy larger than the bust (clearly not your case).
Look in the mirror while standing straight and notice if your shoulders are wider than your hips – if they are, then I would say you could be a V shape. If they are equal in size, I would say you are a ruler.
Thanks Versus
loveing every thing about her, dress, make up , hair , attitude