The Pear
Hips leading the tape with a clear waist above them - the pear is the shape whose top and bottom halves ask for different sizes, and every fit note below follows from that.
How the shape is read
The pear is read from one comparison and one cue: hips that measure wider than the bust, usually with a defined waist sitting between them. The lower half leads the tape, and the waist steps in clearly above it.
The conventional fit logic
The guides’ shared reasoning is a dressmaker’s routine: a garment sized to the hip will be roomy at the waist, so bottoms are bought for the hip measurement and taken in at the waistband – one of the simplest alterations on the table. Tops follow the opposite rule and fit closer through the smaller upper body.
The cuts that sit easily
- Fit-and-flare dresses
- Boat-neck and structured-shoulder tops
- Bootcut or wide-leg trousers
- A-line skirts
Conventionally passed over
- Cargo pockets and embellished pockets placed at the hip
- Clingy bias-cut skirts
- Hip-clinging pencil cuts
- Skinny trousers that taper sharply from the hip
Passed over, not banned. Each item on that list either grips or adds detail exactly where the tape reads fullest, which is all the convention is noticing – a fit observation, not a rule about what belongs in the wardrobe.
Between the categories
Real bodies sit between categories more often than inside them, and a pear reading is frequently a matter of a small margin at the hip. The finder shows its full point spread for exactly that reason: when pear shares the top of the chart with another shape, both pages apply, and the fitting mirror outranks the label.