Pear Shaped Perfection

For my friends who are a little fuller in the hips, have narrow shoulders, and a defined waist, congratulations, you are a pear. This is not a bad thing- even though a lot of you classify yourselves as heavy- you just need to learn to balance your figure visually. This is a project of its own with everyday apparel, and is magnified on the beach because, let's face it, no one's wearing much! Your mission, should you choose to accept it (you should) is to draw the eye upward, toward your toned shoulders, add visual bulk to your chest, and minimize the visual interest around your hips. Here's how:

1. Dark, solid colored bottoms. Because your thighs are probably a bit on the thick side, look for a leg opening that is as high cut as your level of modesty will allow. This will lengthen the look of your leg. Boy shorts are NOT a good look for you because they draw a straight line across your thigh, often at its widest point- drawing attention to its circumference and ultimately making it appear larger.
2. Your bottoms, if you're looking at a 2 piece suit, should have a moderate rise. Low rise bottoms do to your hips what boy shorts do to your thighs.
3. Tankinis are your friends. Look for light colored, bright colored, or patterned tops to add visual interest at the chest.
4. The bottom hem of your tankini top should "meet and greet" the top seam of your bottoms, as there is little less attractive than a girl muffin topping out the top of her briefs AND the bottom of her top at the same time.
5. You pear shaped girls must, must, MUST look into buying your swimwear in separates. The same size top and bottom will not work for you. You might be a size 4 top and a size 10 bottom, and that's ok- you'll look far better in a suit that fits than you will in a size 8, where the top is falling off of you (and will be even larger when you jump in the pool, as the fabric usually "grows" a bit when wet) and the bottoms force you to bulge out at the waist and the leg openings.
6. Look for tops that have beading, sequins, embroidery, crochet, or other visual interest along the neckline or on the cups. Adding textures like these will add visual "bulk" and help your breasts to appear larger and work double duty by drawing the attention away from your hips and thighs.
7. If you have a toned stomach, which many of you do, work a bikini! You can, so you might as well go for it. Make sure, again, to go for a plain, dark bottom with a detailed top.
Below, a few suits that make smart choices for the pear shaped woman:

Pear Shape Swimwear by lj_frueh featuring Old Navy swimwear

For great prices on cute swimwear, check out Old Navy, Target, and H&M! Plus, some stores have sales early in the season- Nordstrom has a half yearly sale in May or June that features lots of swimwear from brands that offer a fantastic product that fits well! Happy hunting!