• You carry most of your volume on the bottom (hips, booty, and legs).

• You have a smaller bust and narrow shoulders in comparison to your hips.

• You tend to have thicker thighs although you can have hip dips with this body type depending on your muscular structure.

• You can (but not always) have a fuller butt.

• You tend to gain weight around your lower stomach or your upper thighs.

This body shape is frequently referred to as a triangle shape or pear. If you are not sure if this is you, here is an easy test you can do if you don’t want to measure yourself: If you go to the store to buy a two-piece swimsuit, do you choose one size larger for the bottom? Or when buying bottoms, do the pants and jeans fit you through the hip, but are usually too big at the waist? Then you most probably carry more volume on the bottom half of your body (butt, hips, and thighs).

DO’s

• Create more balance between the upper and lower body by bringing the eye up while keeping a defined waist. 

• Choose accessories that stretch (high heels) and balance (choker and maxi earrings) your figure.

DON’Ts

• Try to conceal your hips by covering them up in oversized pieces. This hides the narrowest part of your body (waist) and makes you feel big and boxy.

• Wear garments that accentuate the lower body, like frills, ruffles, or prints. They only add unnecessary bulk.

Must-Try Tops & Jackets

The objective is to balance out the silhouette by adding volume to your top half.

• Boat necklines or round necklines balance your body by making your shoulders look wider.

• Blouses or shirts with attention-grabbing details like big patterns, stripes, graphics, or puff sleeves add volume to the top.

• Since you probably have a smaller bust and long neck, you can go for high or closed necklines like crew necks, turtlenecks, and mock turtlenecks.

• Be careful with too-open necklines, like a deep V-neck. If you are very small-busted, you'll end up looking even smaller on top making your body look disproportionate. 

• Military-style jackets or a blazer with shoulder pads.

• Jackets and blazers should fall below the hip or above, never on them as it draws the eye to that area.

Must-Try Dresses & Skirts

• A-line dresses as well as fit-and-flare dresses are a great choice since they give definition to your waist and hide a heavier bottom by balancing out the proportions of your body.

• Go for strapless, off-the-shoulder, tied or cross-front dresses that draw the attention up and define the waist.

• Look for skirts that are fitted in the waist and have some volume over the hip and thigh, like A-line skirts, or pleated styles. Be aware that pleats look better if they're stitched down from the waist to your hips. 

Must-Try Bottoms

• Fit: Choose pants with a curvy fit, which are cut for a smaller waist and wider hips. These pants solve the problem of a gaping waistband and prevent the fabric from puckering at the hips. Since not all brands offer curvy-fit pants, consider alterations to the waist. Straight-leg, bootcut, or slightly flared pants are ideal. Boyfriend jeans can be a casual alternative to conceal wider hips.

• Fabric: Avoid fabrics that are too heavy.

• Colors: Dark colors are best, especially with tighter or slim-fitting pants.

• Waist: High-waist or mid-waist. Avoid low-waist pants, especially if your hips are an area you are concerned about.

• Details: Avoid darts or details in the hip area.

My Secret Styling Tips & Tricks

One of my favorite tricks for raising the waistline to fit it to your natural waist is to shop the petite section for tops and dresses. If you're struggling with sizes, a size medium is too small but a size large is too big, try a petite size L. Although this trick works best in the summer when sleeves aren't a concern, it is worth a shot all year round.

In order to define your waist, consider tucking or half-tucking your tops. If you're wearing skinny bottoms and prefer your tops untucked, be careful about putting horizontal lines across the widest part of your hips. Make sure you are either above or below the widest point.

A jacket's lapel should be inversely proportional to your shoulders' width. If you're a woman with very broad shoulders, opt for a jacket with a narrow lapel or none at all. In contrast, if you have narrow shoulders and wider hips, you can emphasize the shoulders with a wider lapel or shawl collar. 

Sheath dresses can be challenging. If they fit at the hip, they gap everywhere else. Instead, I recommend trying a matching skirt and top set. In this way, you can customize the fit by wearing a smaller top with a bigger-sized skirt. 

Women with wider hips and booties often struggle with their seam pockets sticking out to the side. One way to fix this is to make sure that your pants are a curvy cut. If you still have that problem consider sewing them closed. It's not as convenient, but it prevents them from sticking out. You can also look for pants that have a diagonal pocket from seam to waistband or a horizontal welt pocket.