Dressing for a Pear

FASHION! Doncha' love it?

I wish I had more money to buy more clothes.. I'm trying out this thing where I figured that not all of the pieces in my closet get love, so after I do laundry, I sort them out and then don't put them back in my closet, thus forcing me to wear the items that get less love.. and this ultimately helps me sort out what to donate and what to keep.

I'm usually a BIG online shopper.. walking through the store and trying things on is a chore. BUT before you can shop online.. you have to know your BODY TYPE. Who wants to get a bunch of things.. then find out that they don't fit or that they just.. don't flatter you? I've sent back many-a-package.. usually like half of what I buy.. and it's just a pain, plus it costs you more money if the company doesn't include a return shipping label.

If you've ever watched WHAT NOT TO WEAR (which I think is a pretty terrible show) I'm sure you're well aware of your body shape. If not, there's LOTS of websites out there that can tell you. Hourglass.. board.. pear.. skittle.. etc.

MY body type.. is a pear. Imagine in your head what a pear looks like to you.. smaller at the top, larger at the bottom. Yup, that's me! I have the classic small asian chest and the not-so-classic larger hips and thighs. MOST asians, I think, are more of a "board" shape.. straight up and down: bust, waist and thighs about the same measurements.

You can dress however you want, but there are certain types of clothing that you should look into in order to MOST flatter your own body type. Of course, there are tons of people who don't really care and who don't follow any sort of rules and are happy--or just look amazing without even thinking about it.. but if you're anywhere in between like me, you want to know. You want to look the best you possibly can but you just don't really know how or where to go!

So, out of MY boredom and items I was looking at online.. here we go. Please note that you don't have to listen to me at all.. and if you find this boring.. please move on. I am not forcing you to stay here and read my opinions! :P

IMAGES PULLED FROM WETSEAL.COM

I mostly browse the site because I'm still a SealDeal card holder (after realizing that I spent most of my online browsing time on a few websites, WetSeal included). I don't totally agree with most of their items and their website layout annoys me, but I still find myself typing in their URL into my address bar. So bear with me.

I sort of dig this outfit.. not entirely sure why.. maybe it's because of the boots, or the fact that the top is shiny (oo shiny!) and that I looove love love dark jeans. However, I realize that this is not a GREAT look for a pear. Yes, the metallic part around the bust is pretty good--drawing attention there--but the fact that it's so long (a tunic) means that it hugs your hips. Shiny on your hips when you're trying to downplay the size of your hips is bad.

Plus on my not-so-good days, I worry about the width of my shoulders--they are broad. So, again, probably not very flattering IMO. But I still like it somehow..

Floaty tanks. I have a love-hate relationship with them.. I love them because they make me feel like I don't have to suck in all the time.. but at the same time, they make me flat (around the chest) and really concentrate on my shoulders, since it's really the only place that has structure. I do like how long it is, since I have a long torso, and the "floaty" aspect WILL minimize your hips since the fabric will probably float around them instead of hugging them.

I still like them, and will probably continue to purchase them in all honesty, hahaha.

Fitted button-downs. Something I looove. I don't wear them all the time and the one that I do have is a terrible material and makes me feel itchy.. yet I can't seem to let it go. Anyway, I love the elbow-length sleeves or three-quarter length sleeves.. minimizes the arms. Fitted means that it'll hug your bust, which is usually a good thing. You can also wear this with a tank inside and leave the top open.. pretty versatile. Having a pattern up top and wearing darker jeans will bring focus up to your upper body and AWAY from your hips and thighs.

All good things. Yet I can't seem to find ones that I like.. and it's not something I usually reach for in stores, unless it's more of a floaty-tunic type. I don't know why.

Dresses! They tell you to go for "A-Line" cuts.. as in it's smaller at the top and it sort of flows out. This will bring attention to the smallest part--your bust--and the flower detailing will help draw attention there. At the same time, the fabric will just skim over the rest of your body, in effect "hiding" it without being too baggy or without shape. I adore this dress.

Of course there are times when I feel like tube-dresses make my shoulders feel huge.. or that I absolutely hate wearing strapless bras.. I still love this dress. And if I have money any time soon, I'll probably get it because I don't have a white summery dress yet :)

These two dresses follow along the same rules. Detailing at the top and flows out towards the bottom. I'm not a HUGE fan of denim dresses, but I do like the style so I ignored the material. One's casual and sweet, and the other is fun and flirty.

I do have to mention the shoes.. if you have chunky calves like me, they say it's better not to have that LINE across the ankles because it stops the eye instead of making it more streamlined from your calf to your foot. I don't know if I agree or disagree with that, but I like her shoes anyway. You don't have to follow ALL of the rules!

IMAGES TAKEN FROM FOREVER21.COM

I like looking through f21.. but I hate browsing through the stores.. always so many people and it's soo hard to find anything! So usually I try to find things in bunches online.. buy it.. if I can only find one or two things I give up. Good way to save my wallet :P the online store is OK.. annoys me less than wetseal.. still not perfect. But what site is??

LOVE this skirt.. saw one similar to it on walmart.com.. really wanted it but couldn't justify only getting one thing from there.. so unless I can convince my parents to go get it for me, since the closest Walmart to me is 30 min away (not worth it!).

Been wanting a semi-high-waist skirt for awhile.. the navy is cutee.. pleats/slight flair is very flattering for pears.. I WANT!! I do think the Walmart ver is slightly longer.. by 1.5 in.. so it may be worth it for me to ask my parents, haha.

I don't know why I like this skirt so much! I imagine it looking hot on someone with hot legs.. I don't have hot legs.. but I think this skirt is really cute anyways. It has enough detail to be able to wear it without it looking boring with a white tee.. again, slight flair.. very flattering. Both people I've shown it to though don't seem to like it, haha. Ahhh, well.

I loooooove a good vneck!! I don't like scoop necks.. seems to emphasize the fact that I'm flat and emphasizes my shoulders too.. really don't like crew necks, I think that it also makes me look flat (looong distance between my neck and my chest). Vnecks are the most flattering for every body shape I think.. shows just enough chest.. covers up just enough.. super comfortable.. if you get the right material and whatnot, it just skims the body and you can dress it up or dress it down. I'm surprised I only have 3.. I usually get mine from a place in Tustin/Irvine that sells them for $3.99/ea.. so I might just go down there again :P

I have wayy too many of this style.. loose sleeves.. "kimono" style if you will. The problem with this style is that it doesn't really hug the body as much.. so it makes you seem BIGGER.. I def have pictures of me in this style (though this particular shirt seems OK with being semi form sitting) that make me look HUUUUUGE.. I immediately untagged myself from pics.. hahaha! This is definitely one of my guilty pleasure type shirts. The third one (tank) I have a few of.. usually I wear a cardigan over and belt it. Makes it much more flattering on me IMO :)

Quick and easy fix is to wear a belt around the smallest part of your waist.. adds emphasis to your bust and narrows your figure, creates more of an hourglass shape.

Hope this kept you guys interested! :P let me know if you want to see more fashion posts.. or if you just prefer makeup and swatches.