Big thighs! Pear-shapes! Please whinge here!

[hermitlady]

I’m a pear-shape and have a frustrating time finding clothes that fit me properly. If I can manage to get jeans over my thighs, they end up gaping hugely around the waist. Dresses are too loose around the boobs and I have to wear spaghetti vests under nearly all my tops because the neckline and armpit gaps are so low. Anyone else have these problems?

I went looking for a good UK fashion blog that’s aimed at pear-shapes and couldn’t find many, just the odd US-based one. So I’m starting my own. It seems a little crazy for a woman who buys her jeans from ASDA to blog about fashion, but I like experimenting with my look and I’m fed up with fashion advice that says “wear A-Line skirts” like that will solve all my problems.

My main gripes with current advice are around the focus on “minimising problem areas” as if my beautiful derriere is a high crime zone, the A-line obsession, and anything that suggests I wear heels every day. (Nope. Not gonna happen.)

So my fellow bottom-heavy beauties, tell me what frustrates you about fashion and fashion advice?

[Fibbertigibbet]

10-12 on top, 18-20 backside and thighs here. I realised the other day on measuring my thighs for bandelettes that one of my thighs is is same size as my waist. That was an, um, interesting revelation!

I actually love the a-line skirt advice because I love a pretty dress (although often I actually need something half circle to actually be flattering, A-line doesn't quite clear my bum and fabric gathers above it like a shelf), but I do wish I could have a change sometimes, because I genuinely have never found a pair of trousers to get even close to fitting that doesn't make me look like I'm shoplifting melons down the back of my knickers.

My main pet peeve is tights- necessary for all those skirts, but they just DISINTERGRATE at the crotch area after one or two wears from the strain of encasing my lower half. After I've bought more expensive tights so they come up high enough to not slip down my bum when walking! I've actually had worse thigh chafing going into winter than I did in the summer- at least in the summer I can easily wear bodyglide.

[edibleweirdo]

Yaaaas, my people! 12/14 on top, 14/16 below. normal jeans a complete nightmare, and the ones that do fit my thighs make mincemeat of in very short order due to chubbychafe.

I've found SimplyBe jeans brilliant - small waist, muchos arse room, affordable price. Some really REALLY glam flattering dresses too!

[woofsaidtimmy]

Cellardoor23 coat shopping is the worst! I've tried every size 18 winter coat on the high street and everything was cut for perfectly-proportioned women.

My particular peeve is the assumption that plus-size women all have boobs like watermelons.

[MrsD28]

Just stumbled across this thread - can I whinge too?

I am a 10 on top and a 14 on bottom (usually a 12 in a dress, as long as it is not tight on the bum and thighs) and I find buying clothes really difficult. I look sort-of proportional from the front (hips and shoulders relatively in line) but my bum is very sticky-out-y, which means that nothing fits me properly on the bottom half. My legs are also pretty solid (or what I optimistically call "athletic") so tight fitting trousers are a particular nightmare.

It is not that I can't find anything that suits my shape - I can (and I realise that I am lucky to be able to do so). I just can't find anything stylish that suits my shape - as PP have said, for the past few years (feels like at least a decade) all of the stylish looks seem to be tight trousers + shapeless baggy tops. Which, on me, means shapeless bagginess over shapeless, uncomfortable, chunkiness. So while I look okay in my clothes, I always feel just a bit frumpy.

[Tookawrongturnsomewhere]

I love swimming.. But really self conscious about wobbly thighs.. . I saw those skirt type swim things to hide thighs (try anyway) with tankini top to go with it.. In theory should be OK..but no idea what is best thing to go for

[Therealslimshady1]

Tankini's are hopeless if you have any tummy fat (makes them ride up)

I got a skirted swimsuit/swimdress that I never wear, too much weird fabric floating around and only looks good dry

So I just wear any old swimsuit, and observe that nobody looks at me anyway, so just go swimming without worrying!

[Tookawrongturnsomewhere]

Yeah probably the best bet thanks!

[Lizardlegs]

Also just stumbled across this thread - I am an extreme pear too, living in fit and flare dresses and empire line tunics.

I have no fashion advice (aside from Anthropologie dresses) but thought it may be useful for people on this thread to know about the medical condition I've been diagnosed with which gives me this extreme body shape - lipoedema. Apparently up to 7% of women have it but most people have never heard of it at all! There was something on the BBC website about it a few months ago: www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/5d58f224-4bf7-498f-97d4-4073754a8f7f

And there are a few organisations in the UK for support: www.talklipoedema.org/
and
www.lipoedemaladies.com/

For me knowing that my body type was a genetic condition and NOT MY FAULT was both liberating (no more beating myself up) and slightly discouraging (nothing I can do about it).

Apologies for the hijack, hope this is useful to a few of you!

[Want2beme]

Not a pear, an apple here, but being nosey, was just wondering if anyone's mentioned Evans pear range of jeans? They start at size 14, so won't be right for everyone, but might be good for some.

m.evans.co.uk/en/evuk/category/clothing-250468/jeans-denim-250511/jeggings/N-8zoZdxvZa25

[Kookiecat]

Yes, to answer your question Honeycake50! I have started to create a range of clothing specifically aimed at "pear-shaped" ladies. The bust/waist is one size, and the hips a size bigger. :-) You can private message me for more information, or visit kookiecat.co.uk to take a look around. x