Clothes tips for exaggerated pear shape with awful legs?

[runningLou]

I need a new summer wardrobe (well, all seasons really but let's take it one at a time!). I am a really OTT pear shape - size 8 on top with tiny only created by padded bra boobs and size 12 on bottom with thunder thighs and bum. Thighs fairly muscly from lots of cycling and running but GInormous!
Have terrible thread/varicose veins on lower legs (untreatable with lasers according to charming depressingly rude lady in laser clinic) so feel very uneasy about putting them on show but I know it's inevitable as knee-length skirts with vest tops are a summer staple - maybe this is a bad choice though?!
Can't find cropped trousers that look good, really struggling to look in the mirror at the moment!

[Rpj16]

Hello fellow pear!

Fatface do nice cropped trousers sometimes?

I bought this for my big bum last week. Disguises the pear quite well. Wear with black top with thick straps to even out..

Will fake tan help with your legs?

www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_054010628745_-1

[WiseToTheLies]

You dont say what age or height you are or what your style is so its difficult to say.

I'd try midi and maxi skirts/dresses for hot days and straight cut jeans for cooler days. Dark Jeans should be worn with lighter/brighter tops to balance your figure.

Re the veins on your legs, why not visit a surgeon and see about getting them stripped. Costs about £800 per leg I think, depending on severity.

[Backingvocals]

You've just described me except I'm three sizes bigger than you all over so I win the awful legs competition. I also have dreadful varicose veins. I actually did get the worst one treated (laser). Four years later it's back as bad as ever so I can't help on that score.

Re clothes I find summer difficult. All trousers look awful on me and ideally I like a knee length skirt with black tights and boots but not in August. Summer I go for plain A line skirts like the one RPJ linked to, with fitted tops. At least as a pear I have a waist so that's what I emphasise. I also wear cropped trousers in summer and try to forget about my huge bum. The Boden cropped ones are my best bet although I had to buy a size larger than I am to accommodate my hips and have them taken in at the waist. So don't be afraid to get alterations done if you need to to get anything to fit.

[runningLou]

Oops, sorry! Am 36, 5 foot 7 and don't really know how to describe my style ... Spend most of my time in jeans and vest tops with thin jumpers/cardis over. Cycle everywhere (hence thunder thighs) so tend to wear stuff that's bike friendly. Normally wear skirts with dark tights for work.
Yes, do need to invest in fake tan for hideous legs! Am fair skinned so just have to be careful my legs don't look like they belong to someone else!
Glad to hear I'm not too far off the mark with A line skirts and fitted tops!

[runningLou]

Example: Today's outfit for work, cropped trousers and cotton top. Good for cycling in but just feel like everyone is staring at my thighs!!

[ApocalypseSlough]

You silly sausage. That's an enviable body, and even with the angle distorting your height.
I have milky white legs and use moisturiser and SAlly Hanson to 'take the edge off' the colour and disguise veins etc. I agree with pp- go for a structured skirt and show off your nice arms.

[Backingvocals]

Agree with apocalypse. You have got nothing at all to worry about. I'd say your top's too big for you though - are you trying to cover up? If so, don't. You've got a great figure.

[runningLou]

Thank you both! Really means a lot as I struggle massively with negative body image. Backingvocals yes am trying to cover up muffin top!! Top is a size 10 from River Island but I don't tend to feel too comfortable in really fitted tops, like every lump and bump is on show.
Thank you Apocalypse I will try and get some more structured skirts for summer. I quite like skirts like this one but is it a bit floppy/long?

[MadSprocker]

That skirt is fab. You could pair it with all types of tops. Try not to go for a black top, as your shape will just blend together. Choose something lighter or brighter in colour to emphasise your top half.

[KnitFastDieWarm]

you have a great shape - you are like a smaller version of me

I used to avoid tight trousers because they showed off my muscly legs and curvy bum and then one day I thought, sod it, if you've got it, flaunt it. If it's good enough for Beyoncé...

I now wear mostly pencil skirts, tight cropped trousers and skinny jeans and I feel confident and sexy, rather than like I'm trying to hide myself away.

[octopusrus]

You should try higher waisted jeans if you're worried about a muffin - if you have a waist then they are great for holding everything in whilst still being able to breath, then you can wear more fitted tops which will be more flattering.

I actually think for yours/my kind of shape, it's best to stay on the fitted side rather than floaty.

Primark/New Look have some if you're on a budget...

I think you look great as it happens!

[MadSprocker]

Check out Pinterest for suitable shapes for clothes for a pear.

[runningLou]

Is this better? Same trousers (pulled up high to squeeze muffin top!) but the top is a bit more fitted.
Am realising I have about 2 pairs of trousers I can wear in summer and also no sense of colour coordination!! Tomorrow am planning a 'try everything on and make a charity shop / eBay pile of anything that doesn't fit' session, so that I can work out what I actually need.

[DubiousCredentials]

You look lovely. Honestly. I prefer pic 2. The fitted top is much more flattering.

[RoganJosh]

Much better. You have a great waist and it's flattering to be able to see it.

Would a bigger size of jeans or trousers help with perceived muffin top issues? Trousers look fine, it's just a thought.

[MadSprocker]

Looks great.

[7to25]

The only thing wrong is the length of both those tops. They cut across the widest part of your body with a horizontal line.
You have a great waist. Show it off!

[runningLou]

7to25 do you mean the tops need to be shorter? I have a horror of short tops in case they bare my stomach/back and spend my whole time pulling them down if I ever wear them!

[DubiousCredentials]

I think the length is perfect. I wear mine that length if I can ever find them in the shops.

[7to25]

Tuck them into a waistband!

[LazyCake]

Another pear here, with a similar upper/lower body ratio to you, plus varicose veins and an addiction to padded bras!

How would you feel about a maxi dress? Nipped in around the waist, maybe with a pair of wedges underneath, you would look super-slender. You have very nice shoulders and lovely delicate collar bones, which could be shown off in a maxi. (I agree with the other posters that top no. 2 is much better: because of the more fitted waist but also because it's lower and so shows more of the bone structure around your neck and shoulders).

For a more formal look, maybe something midi length with a cinched waist (belts are your friend), flared skirt and pretty neckline.? I try to make a virtue of having small boobs by wearing ballerina-style cardigans over this kind of dress, or a little fitted jacket. My arse is the size of a continent, but I always get remarks on how slender I look when I wear this kind of thing.

The best resource I have found on dressing for one's shape is this website: insideoutstyleblog.com/. The women who writes it goes into enormous detail and explains how to make sense of every part of your body.

Oh, and re: veins, might sclerotherapy work? I don't know a great deal about it, but am currently saving up for a consultation in the hope it might sort out my blue splotchy bits!

[NerdyBird]

I think the cropped trousers are cutting off your legs making them look wider.

[Peppermintea]

I'm jealous of your legs, not just saying that. You can see they're toned as they have a shape. Mine are like soft squidgy sausages.

[herecomesthsun]

I like this (Baukjen)

[runningLou]

Lazycake I really like the sound of midi length dresses with flared skirts ... I guess I just feel they are a bit smart for everyday biking around / school run / chores etc? I have a 50s style lindy bop dress with a net petticoat to make the skirt stick out and a belt to pull in the waist but I've not yet found an occasion to actually wear it! It's just stuck in my wardrobe!

I struggle to find flattering maxi dresses as I normally find they are ok at the top but they tend to be really thin fabric that clings around the hip/thigh area and makes me feel super wide!!

Nerdybird I agree about the cropped trousers ... it's just so hard to find cooler options for summer for bottom half. I have one pair of linen trousers. Will dig them out and try them on later.