Q:I am  heavy on my bottom half , what styles look the best proportion wise?

A: I have a body type question _ you have addressed quite a few “big on top” questions, but I have the opposite  concern…I am bigger on the bottom than the top. What styles look the best, proportion wise? Also, what style tops  look the best to balance out a smaller upper body? I do not like empire styles, because I also think they make me  look pregnant…thanks! Jumoke

Well, Jumoke,  sound to me like you are the typical pear shape. But, you know (of course) it is no longer politically  correct to call you a piece of fruit, so you are now a Triangle.

SEPHIA IBRAHIM

The key to getting the right look is searching out those pieces that bring your silhouette back into an hourglass  shape. It’s all about balance and proportion. For you – we need to bring all the attention to the top portion of your  body. First, let’s talk about the bottom half:

BOTTOM

* No pattern, keep everything very simple with clean floating lines. The a_line skirt is your best bet.
* No pattern on the bottom (i.e. detail on skirts), it will bring the eye down to the bottom ½ of your shape
* Heels, heels slim hips…sounds crazy, but it works (which is why I wear 3” heels every day of my life)
* No pleats at your midsection…keep everything around your middle flat. This might mean that you need to cut out and  seam shut the pockets of some pants.
* Watch out for any distressing or striping of jeans. No flap back pockets.

TOP

* Poufy sleeves, anything to bring a “bigger” “fuller” look to your shoulder.
* Embellishments on the chest (things like ribbon, pintucking, ruffles)
* Peplum cuts – anything that already has a waist in it (also princess cuts)
* Boat neck styles would be good for you – it elongates the line of the shoulder, and balances the hips
* When dressing or choosing tops, think “to the center and up and out”…in other words, we want people to see your  well defined waist (Center) (I have an advantage, I know you and know you have a tiny waist!) – and then we want the  eye to go to our neckline (up), and then we want attention to be drawn out to your shoulders. In other words, we  don’t want the eye of the onlooker to notice hips.
A mistake ladies with your shape make is to wear those flouncy tops (like the empire waist you mentioned), this will  add unnecessary bulk (material) to your