If you have a skinny pear body shape, that means you tend to carry weight in your hips and thighs, even though you are overall thin. For the skinny pear, the key is to balance the narrower shoulders with the wider bottom, creating a more harmonious overall silhouette.
Since I have a petite clothing line, I work with models of all body types, including the pear, in our weekly photo shoot and product fitting. Based on my first hand experience, I’ve put together this guide to help you find your most flattering coats.
Table of Contents
Styling Goal
- Focus the eye-catching details on the upper part of the coat. This will help draw the eyes upward by making your relatively smaller upper body a nice boost.
- Choose a waist-enhancing silhouette to give a significant definition to your figure. An accentuated waist helps balance out your upper and lower body to achieve a flattering hourglass-like silhouette.
- Avoid bulky details or flounces around the hip area. As a skinny pear-shaped woman, you wouldn’t want to make your bottom half look heavier than it originally is!
- Opt for a structure that can efficiently accommodate your wide hips and thighs in a way that tones down its large size.
Now that your style checkbox is ready, let’s now dive into the various coat styles that would look wonderful on your skinny pear-shaped body!
Tailored Princess Seam Coats
For skinny pear-shaped women, a tailored princess seam coat can be particularly beneficial as it helps to balance out their proportions. A pear-shaped body typically has a smaller upper body and wider hips and thighs, so a tailored coat that accentuates the waist and creates a more structured upper body can help to create a more balanced silhouette.
A tailored princess seam coat is a type of coat that is fitted to the body through the use of princess seams, which are vertical seams that run from the shoulder to the hemline of the coat. These seams are strategically placed to create a flattering silhouette that accentuates the curves of the body.
In addition, a princess seam coat with a tailored structure can also create the illusion of a longer, leaner body, which can be especially flattering for women with a skinny build. The seams of the coat help to elongate the body and create a more streamlined appearance.
Neutral-colored Trench Coats
Trench coats in neutral colors will always be a timeless and versatile wardrobe staple that can flatter women of all body types, including those with skinny pear-shaped figures. Neutral colors such as beige, camel, and gray are classic and sophisticated, making them the perfect choice for a trench coat.
A trench coat in a neutral color can be particularly flattering due to its placement of details on the upper part of the body. Epaulets on shoulders, double-breasted buttons, a wide lapel, and a waist tie are all great features to have if you’re looking into drawing attention to your relatively smaller upper body.
Additionally, the length of the coat helps to create a more elongated and streamlined silhouette, which can help to balance out the proportions of a pear-shaped body. having them in neutral shades makes them easily paired with a variety of outfits, making them a versatile and practical choice for any occasion.
Fit and Flare Coats
A fit-and-flare dress coat is a type of coat that is fitted at the top and flares out at the bottom, resembling a dress. This style of coat is typically made from a soft, flowing fabric which can be a nice material to naturally skim through your body to camouflage the wideness of your hips and thighs.
For pear-shaped women with skinny frames, a fit and flare dress coat can be an excellent choice as the fitted top of the coat helps to accentuate the waistline, creating a more balanced frame. The flared bottom of the coat also helps to neutralize your wider hips and thighs.
In addition, the soft and flowing fabric of a fit and flare dress coat can help to create the illusion of curves where they may not naturally exist. This can be particularly beneficial for women with skinny frames, as it can help to enhance their feminine figure and create a more shapely appearance.
Classic Coats with Shoulder Pads
Skinny pear-shaped women can benefit from wearing coats with shoulder pads as they can help to create better proportions between your upper half and bottom half. Shoulder pads help to add structure and volume to the shoulders, creating a more balanced and flattering silhouette.
In addition, shoulder pads can also help to elongate the neck and bring more depth to your appearance. They can also help to improve posture and give the wearer a more confident and assertive look.
One quick tip when choosing a coat with shoulder pads, it is important to select a coat that is tailored and fitted to the body, rather than one that is too loose or boxy. The coat should also be proportionate to the body size, with shoulder pads that are not too large or overwhelming.
Wide Lapel Collar Coats
The wide lapel collar draws attention upwards towards the face, helping steer away the eyes from your problem areas. This can help to create a more balanced and proportionate silhouette to make the body look more cohesive and well put together.
In addition, wide lapel collar coats can help to create the illusion of broader shoulders, which can help to balance out wider hips and thighs. This is obviously quite helpful for pear-shaped women, who often have narrower shoulders and wider hips because by adding volume to the shoulders, a wide lapel collar coat can help to create a more balanced and flattering silhouette.
Shearling Coats
For the piercing cold, you may want to amp up your coats into something thicker and cozier like a shearling coat. A shearling coat is a type of coat made from sheepskin or lambskin that has been tanned with the wool left on and it is typically trimmed to a uniform length, usually on the upper area.
The soft and fluffy texture of the wool can add volume and texture to the upper body, helping to balance out wider hips and thighs. This can create a more proportionate frame that flatters your natural curves, making the body look more cohesive and balanced.
Shearling coats can also be a timeless and durable investment piece. They are known for their warmth and durability and can be worn season after season without losing their shape or style.
Mid-Length Duffle Coats
For women with a skinny pear-shaped body type, a mid-length duffle coat can offer several style benefits such as creating the illusion of longer legs due to its flattering length, which can help to balance out wider hips and thighs.
A mid-length duffle coat is a classic style of coat that typically falls to mid-thigh length and features a hood and toggle fastenings. The hood and toggle fastenings of a duffle coat can add visual interest and depth to the upper body, to balance out wider hips and thighs and these toggles also draw the eye upwards, creating a more balanced and flattering silhouette.
Duffle coats are pretty straightforward and since it’s usually worn closed, there are not many ways to style or layer them. This is why you have to ensure that you choose a design and color that perfectly embraces your look overall.
Coats with Belts
Belted coats can be an incredibly helpful tool in achieving a balanced and proportionate silhouette for women with a skinny pear-shaped body type because of the fact that they cinch the waist. They help create the illusion of an hourglass figure as it pulls the entire look altogether and balances out wider hips and thighs.
Coats that fit the hips and thighs can often be too loose in the waist, creating a boxy or shapeless silhouette. On the other hand, coats that fit the waist can be too tight in the hips and thighs, drawing unwanted attention to this area.
This is why a belt is a very helpful addition to any coat. They also draw the eye to the smallest part of the body, while also creating a natural curve between the waist and hips.
The Key Takeaway
These coat styles are mostly classic and versatile so coming up with fall or winter ensembles for your beautiful skinny pear-shaped body shouldn’t be an intimidating task for you. You may feel somewhat conscious of the natural imbalance in your figure, but you actually have a lot more style options than you think!
