The Ultimate Guide to Dressing for a Big Bum: Styles, Tips, and What NOT To Wear
If you have a big bum and you’re looking to enhance your appearance, you’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss the most flattering styles, tips, and outfits for those with a larger derrière. Embrace your curves and follow these expert recommendations to feel confident and look fabulous.
Table of Contents
- Understanding Your Body Shape
- Selecting the Right Bottoms
- Choosing Flattering Tops
- Perfecting Your Outfit with Accessories
- Confidence is Key
If you have big hips, you may consider that an asset in fashion, because many find that attractive and feminine.
And finding dresses for big butts that look attractive can be challenging.
While having a big bum can occur with women of any body type, pear shaped women typically tend to have prominent butt and thighs.
Many believe having wider hips is genetics, but it is also possible for you to notice hips getting bigger when you gain weight.
While it is your personal preference to emphasize the big butt or to camouflage it, you can follow the following ways to best dress big hips and make them look more balanced.
Understanding Your Body Shape
Before we dive into specific clothing recommendations, it’s essential to understand your body shape. Knowing your body shape will help you select the most flattering styles and cuts for your figure.
Pear Shape
If you have a larger bum and narrower shoulders, you likely have a pear-shaped body. This body type features a wider hip area and a smaller upper body.
Hourglass Shape
The hourglass shape is characterized by a well-defined waist, with the bust and hip measurements being almost equal. Women with an hourglass figure often have a bigger bum, but their upper body is also proportionate.
Apple Shape
An apple-shaped body typically has a fuller midsection with a larger bust, waist, and upper hips. The bum may be prominent in this body type, but the focus is often on the midsection.
Inverted Triangle Shape
The inverted triangle shape features broader shoulders and a larger bust, with a narrower waist and hips. The bum may not be as pronounced in this body type, but it can still be a focal point.
Selecting the Right Bottoms
The right bottoms can make all the difference in showcasing your big bum to its fullest potential. Consider these style tips when selecting the perfect pants, skirts, or shorts.
High-Waisted Bottoms
High-waisted bottoms accentuate your waist and elongate your legs, making them an excellent choice for those with a big bum. This style also provides extra support and coverage for your hips and thighs.
A-Line Skirts
A-line skirts flare out gently from the waist, creating a flattering silhouette for a larger bum. They help to balance your proportions and create a smooth, streamlined look.
While a-line is universally flattering, it’s particularly flattering when dressing a pear-shaped figure. Because of the silhouette, a-line creates a smaller waistline and draws the focus away from the hip area. Wrap dresses are always a good a-line option.
If you have a bigger bum, then go with a longer A-line dress because a shorter dress length will draw attention to your thigh area. Since most women with big hips also tend to have big thighs, a longer length is more flattering to avoid emphasizing your hips and thighs.
Caution with Pencil Skirts
The pencil skirt is the kind of style that emphasizes every curve of your bottom half. If you have big hips, then wearing pencil skirts will bring all the attention to them. Once again, this can be a personal preference thing, and it is up to you if you want to emphasize them. You will see this as one of the signature looks of celebrities with big butt such as Kim Kardashian.
If you do not want to accentuate your wide hips, then you should avoid pencil skirts and go with other silhouettes that offers more space for your butt.
Bootcut or Flared Jeans
Bootcut or flared jeans balance out your curves, making them perfect for women with a big bum. This style of denim elongates the legs and draws attention away from the hips.
Avoid Too-Tight Bottom
Steer clear of overly tight bottoms, as they can create a disproportionate appearance and draw unwanted attention to your bum. Opt for bottoms that provide a comfortable fit and allow for ease of movement.
Tailored Trousers
Tailored trousers with a slightly wider leg can create a flattering and balanced look for those with a big bum. Make sure the trousers fit well around your waist and hips without causing discomfort.
Choosing Flattering Tops
The right tops can complement your big bum and create a harmonious, balanced look. Consider these style tips when selecting the ideal tops to pair with your bottoms.
V-Neck or Scoop Neck Tops
V-neck and scoop neck tops draw attention to your neckline and chest area, helping to balance out your proportions. These necklines create a vertical line, which can be slimming and elongating.
Peplum Tops
Peplum tops are fitted at the waist and flare out at the hips, creating a flattering silhouette for those with a big bum. They accentuate your waist and provide a balanced look when paired with the right bottoms.
Tunic Tops
Tunic tops provide coverage and comfort while creating a long, lean line. They can be paired with fitted bottoms like leggings or slim-cut jeans to balance out your proportions.
Avoid Cropped Tops
Cropped tops can draw attention to your waist and hips, making your bum appear larger. Opt for longer tops that reach at least to your hips or below to create a more balanced and flattering look.
Perfecting Your Outfit with Accessories
Accessories can make a significant impact on your overall look and help to balance your proportions. Use these tips to choose the perfect accessories to complement your big bum.
Statement Necklaces
A statement necklace can draw attention to your upper body and create a balanced appearance. Choose bold, eye-catching designs to add interest and contrast to your outfit.
Wide Belts
Wide belts can help to define your waist and accentuate your hourglass figure. Pair a wide belt with a dress or high-waisted bottoms to create a slimming effect.
Long Necklaces
Long necklaces create a vertical line, which can elongate your upper body and draw attention away from your bum. Opt for simple, elegant designs that complement your outfit without overpowering it.
Structured Handbags
A structured handbag can help balance your proportions by drawing attention to your upper body. Choose a bag that sits at or above your waist to create a visually appealing look.
Wear Wide Leg Pants
If you have a big bum, wide-leg pants are the most flatting pants for you. The reason is they drape down straight from your but, achieving a visual balance.
You should make this a cornerstone of your wardrobe and have wide-leg pants in different fabrics for different seasons. The more drapery the wide-leg pants are, the more flattering they will look on women with big tums.
Palazzo pants are a wonderful option for women with big hips in the summer, because of the flowy fabrics. You can also find wide-leg jeans and pants for the fall and winter.
Avoid Skinny Jeans
This is the opposite of the wide-leg silhouette. Wearing skinny fit on the bottom half of your body will often lead to wide hips being accentuated, and can make them appear wider and legs shorter.
If your goal is to emphasize your big butt, then wearing skinny will achieve that purpose. You will see many celebrities with big bottoms such as Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez wearing skinny fit all the time.
However, if you do not want your hips to look wide, then your best choice is to avoid skinny jeans. Instead, work with your body by opting for pants that are straight, boot cut, or flare leg. These styles make your legs appear longer, giving wide hips a much more flattering appearance.
Avoid Side Pockets
Anything that expands on your hips will not look flattering on women who already have a big butt. Side pockets are one of those designs because they further stretch out your wide hips and create the illusion of a horizontal line right at your hips.
Choose Size according to Your Hips
One of the biggest challenges of having big a bum is to find anything that fits your hips without looking too loose elsewhere. If you are looking for jeans or pants, it is very likely what fits your hips will turn out to be too loose on your waist. Vice versa, what fits your waist is probably going to be too tight for your butt.
In that case, your best bet is to look for pants or jeans according to the size of your hips, and then take it to the tailor to take in the waist.
There are some brands that have gotten great feedback from our readers with wide hips. One of the highly-rated brands is DL1961. Because of the right amount of spandex mix in the fabrics, their jeans are known to fit well on women with big butt without looking too loose on the waist.
Avoid Sheath Dress
Sheath dress can be a challenge for women with a big butt because of its straight cut. Since your hips are much bigger than your waist, it will be very hard for you to find a sheath dress that fits you well.
Wear A-line Skirts
Like the A-line dress, the A-line skirts are also very flattering to women with bigger hips. Since they don’t cling to your hips and thighs like the pencil skirts, they are very accommodating to women with wide hips.

Wear Off the Shoulder Necklines
Lucky enough, there are many necklines that can be worn when flattering women with big bums. Anytime you wear something that draws the focus up towards your top half, it automatically enhances that part of the body to minimize the appearance of wide hips.
The best neckline for women with big butts are those that go horizontal on your shoulders because they will create the visual balance for your wider hips. The best one is the off-the-shoulder neckline. Because it creates the horizontal line on your shoulder, it magically makes your wide hips look less noticeable.
Wear Colors and Prints on Top
Create the illusion of balance to your shape, with colors and prints on the top. Pair them with dark and neutral hues on the bottom. This shifts the focus from wide hips, up towards the top half.
Pairing darker bottoms with lighter tops can help balance your proportions and make your bum appear smaller. This color combination can be especially flattering for pear-shaped and hourglass-shaped bodies.
Wear Shorter Tops
Contrary to the popular belief, shorter tops are actually flattering to women with wide hips. Your top should lay just above, or be shorter than, the widest part of your hips. A shorter jacket or blazer at this length will provide the structure for your upper body to balance out your bigger bottom.
Wearing tops that hit the body at the widest part of the hip will emphasize that area, which often leads to hips having an even wider look. Therefore, you should never wear anything that ends right on the widest part of your bum, whether it is a blouse, cardigan or jacket.
Define the Waist
Give your shape a slimming effect by wearing clothing that defines the waistline. This can be accomplished by wearing a belt, a shirt with built-in waist definition like a peplum, etc. It slims your shape and flatters pear shape by making the smallest part of the waist the focal point of the outfit.
Style Maxi Length Dresses
Give your body a long, leaner appearance with maxi-length dresses. Thanks to one solid piece that lays on the body from shoulder to ankle, it enhances pear shape by giving the illusion of one long line down the body. Just make sure the skirt portion of a maxi isn’t too voluminous around the hip area.
Add Heels
Another easy way to add length to your legs, to flatter wide hips, is by wearing heels. Adding even a couple of inches of height can make a difference in flattering your body shape.
Add Shoulder Pads
Give your top half a touch of volume to compliment wide hips with shoulder pads. Get the look with a shirt or blazer with built-in shoulder pads. Take some of your favorite pieces to a tailor to have shoulder pads added to just about anything.
Find a Good Tailor
Women with big hips often find it a challenge to find anything that fits them off the shelf from department stores. This is especially true with women who have a waist significantly smaller than their hips. This applies to not just jeans and pants which I mentioned earlier but also dresses.
Therefore, if you don’t want your options too limited, you should consider tailoring. It is worth spending the extra bucks on a good tailor to make everything look perfect for your body. The better your clothes fit you, the more expensive they will look.
Confidence is Key
Embracing your big bum and dressing confidently is the most important aspect of looking and feeling fabulous. Experiment with different styles, cuts, and accessories to find the combinations that make you feel most comfortable and confident. Remember, your confidence and self-assurance will shine through, making you look even more stunning in your chosen outfits.
To wrap it up, dressing for a big bum is all about finding the styles, cuts, and accessories that flatter your unique body shape and make you feel confident.
By understanding your body shape, selecting the right bottoms and tops, and using accessories strategically, you can create stunning outfits that showcase your curves in the best possible way.
Don’t forget to embrace prints, patterns, and textures to add visual interest and depth to your wardrobe.
Most importantly, remember that confidence is key—when you feel comfortable and self-assured in your clothing, you’ll exude an irresistible charm that makes you look even more fabulous.