Monthly Archives: July 2013

Shorts for a Pear Shaped Woman

July 16, 2013What I'm wearingAnn Taylor Loft, DSW, espadrilles, jacket, Kohls, Lee, pear shaped, shortspacificnorthwestpear

Shorts. I think they have been the single most difficult thing for me to find for my body. If they are roomy enough in the rear and thighs, then they gape so much at the waist that you could fit another entire person in there. I’m not sure what it is about shorts, or why they seem to be made so different from pants, but this has been my experience consistently across almost every brand I have tried. Most summers I just try to avoid them by wearing skirts and sometimes capris (which are almost as difficult to find), but this summer I decided I was going to search until I found something that worked without needing a ton of homemade alterations.

What I found is that shorts with a partial elastic waist band, or a “tummy control” feature, tended to nip in more at the waist and were more likely to fit the way I needed them to. Some of the brands advertised things like “slightly curvy” which I found to be not at all and not even close to working.

Unfortunately, it seems that you must shop for shorts sometime in the month of June, because when I looked in May the inventory was not there yet, and now in July it’s almost non-existent. Next year I’ll have to target June as the month to shop for shorts if I want a decent color in my size.

The pair I’m wearing in the picture below are classic Bermudas by Lee and I found them at Kohls. Here are links to a few others that I found that worked:

Lee Blitz Knit Waist Easy Fit Walk Short – Boscovs $19.99

Gloria Vanderbilt Mara Cuffed Short (the only colors left are blue and pink) – Kohls $21.99

Shorts, Jacket, and Espadrilles — How to put together an outfit with shorts.

Where to get the look:

Lee Classic Fit Jackie Bermuda Shorts (only colors left seem to be yellow and white) – Amazon $26.99

Sunwashed Tee – Ann Taylor Loft $12.00

White Mountain Mandarin Wedge Pump in Beige – DSW $29.94

Black Linen Pants

July 14, 2013What I'm wearingAnn Taylor Loft, clothing, Denim jacket, fashion, linen pants, Me Too, pear shaped body, shopping, Silver bracelet, Trouser legpacificnorthwestpear

Last weekend I was ecstatic when I stopped into Ann Taylor Loft and discovered the “Julie” pant. These pants were made for people with curves on their lower half and felt like they were tailored for me. On top of the pure joy of finding pants that actually fit and were flattering, they were on clearance and on sale on top of that! (I always appreciate a good bargain.) I ended up buying 2 pairs of these linen trouser style pants, one in black and one in khaki. I also found a pair of navy capris in my size in the same “Julie” style that fit like a glove with just enough stretch and room to comfortably move.

Here is how I decided to wear these to work. I paired the trousers with a black and white striped tee I bought at Talbots years ago, and a collarless blue jean jacket. I also thought they’d look better with a bit of a heel (I typically wear flat shoes) so I grabbed these Me Too sandals with a T-strap.

Black Linen trousers Ann Taylor Loft — Black Linen Trousers from Ann Taylor Loft paired with a striped tee and a cropped collarless jean jacket

Where to get it:

Black Linen Trouser pants – Ann Taylor Loft (In store, clearance section)

Bracelet – Dana Buchman @ Kohls $15.60

Striped Tee (similar) – JCrew $45.00

Silver necklace (similar) – Banana Republic $39.50

Sandals were Me Too: Humble Wedge, sold out on DSW

Striped swing skirt

July 14, 2013What I'm wearingAnn Taylor Loft, cardigan, Crocs, Flip Flops, Kadee, Old Navy, pear shaped, pear shaped body, striped skirt, Summer skirtpacificnorthwestpear

We had a lovely warm end to the week and after a morning out on the boat, I grabbed this striped swing skirt from the closet and paired it with a simple white tee and an old flower cardigan from Old Navy. I also threw on my favorite flip flops from Crocs so I could comfortably run some errands. I find that skirts are a great way to even out my proportions and are so easy to throw on for a summer weekend.

striped swing skirt from Ann Taylor Loft, white Tee and Cardigan — Striped swing skirt, tee and cardigan.

Where to get it:

Striped swing skirt – Ann Taylor Loft $49.50 (watch for sales)

Grey cardigan (similar, but no flower. I bought that years ago) – Old Navy $22.94

Crocs Kadee flip flops – Amazon $18.74

The maxi dress

July 14, 2013What I'm wearingAnthropologie, Denim jacket, fashion, flat sandals, fusion beads, larger bottom half, Maxi dress, Old Navy, Pacific Northwest style, pear shaped bodypacificnorthwestpear

Now that summer has officially hit the Pacific Northwest, I decided to try out a style I had been seeing everywhere, the Maxi Dress. This particular one is from Old Navy and I found it to be a great staple that I can easily dress up with different accessories. On this particular day, I wore it to work with a cropped jean jacket from Old Navy, a wide brown belt from Anthropologie, and some bracelets I made myself. (Which you can’t really see in the picture.)

I feel that this worked for my shape because I was able to balance my proportions with a cropped jacket on top, and accentuate my waist with the wide brown belt. I was worried about the knit fabric hugging my hips so I ended up buying the dress a size larger than I could have and brought it in at the waist with the belt. This way, it skims nicely off of my curvier parts and provides the shape I want.