The Pear

The pear is the most common body shape in a woman. Unfortunately, it's also the hardest to dress. Dominated by a large, voluptuous lower body with large hips and a pert posterior, the pear is shapely on the bottom with a noticeably smaller top half with small shoulders and a small bust.

"With curves on the bottom half, pear-shaped women often have a smaller bust and tend to carry any extra weight on their hips, bottom and thighs," says Marie.

But it's not all bad news. "They may not have the same shapely curves up top as they do on their bottom halves but pears are blessed with a beautifully slim torso and small waist, something many other shapes lack."

Of course that's cold comfort in an era where stick-thin rules. While the shape is proudly displayed around the Hollywood circuit by Latino ladies Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and more recently by the 'bootylicious' Beyonce, there's no hiding from the fact that most pear-shaped women want nothing but to hide their disproportioned figure. This desire for the perfect figure is all the more marked at the sound of wedding bells.

That perfect figure is not as elusive as pears may have thought however. With a little design know-how, the imbalanced pear can achieve the proportioned look. "Because the pear has a small bust, choosing a dress or corset with a lot of detail is ideal as it creates the illusion of curves", advises Marie. "And don't hide your shoulders. Pears almost always have a terrific slender shoulder area which should be accentuated by avoiding shawl-type accessories of any kind. Pears also tend to carry very little weight on their back so showing off that svelte area is a must. A plunging back on a simple halter or ball gown dress will ensure the attention is on your slender back."

While choosing couture that accentuates their slender top half is ideal for pears, it's important for pear-shaped women who aren't comfortable with their shape to deemphasise their lower body. "Pears are disproportionately bigger on the bottom so choosing something that hides that is important. Empire line skirts have an unstructured waist so that it falls in a straight line past the hips and into the skirt. This is good if you're trying to avoid clinging around the bottom area. Ball gown dresses skim over the hips and thighs too. Overall though, the perfect dress for this body shape overall is an A-line deep halter dress with a low back. This highlights all of your assets whilst hiding your apparent flaws."