The Best Style Tips to Balance Out Larger Hips (Without Hiding Them)

TELLAR FASHION HUB — STYLE ADVICE

By the Tellar Style Team | February 2026

Larger hips are absolutely nothing to hide — but knowing how to dress them so that your whole silhouette feels balanced? That changes everything. The golden rule is simple: draw attention upward, add volume where you need it, and choose cuts that skim rather than cling. Done right, you'll look longer, leaner, and completely pulled together.

I'll be honest — I spent most of my twenties doing exactly the wrong things. Skinny jeans every single day, oversized jumpers that stopped right at the widest part of my hips (basically a neon arrow pointing south), and dark bottoms that I thought were slimming but just made me look shapeless. It took a proper edit of my wardrobe — and a few styling tricks I'm about to share — to figure out what actually works.

Understand Your Proportions First

Before anything else, it helps to know your shape. If your hips are noticeably wider than your shoulders, you likely have a pear or hourglass figure. The goal isn't to minimise your hips — it's to create balance by building up the upper body visually. Think of it as optical illusion dressing: if the top and bottom halves feel equally impactful, the whole look feels harmonious.

The Best Tops and Jackets to Wear

This is where you can really have fun. Adding volume, structure, or visual interest to your shoulders and chest instantly brings balance.

Structured shoulders — blazers with a bit of shoulder padding are your best friend. Reiss does brilliant tailored blazers with clean, wide shoulders that create instant balance. Massimo Dutti is also excellent for well-cut, understated blazers at a mid-price point.
Boat necks and wide necklines — anything that broadens the shoulder line visually. COS is a go-to here: their minimalist tops often feature wide, clean necklines that do exactly the right job.
Ruffled, embellished or printed tops — draw the eye upward. Anthropologie is brilliant for tops with interesting textures and details around the neckline and sleeves. Me&Em also does beautifully crafted tops that combine structure with detail.
Cropped and half-tucked — a slightly cropped top or a half-tuck into high-waisted trousers nips in the waist and creates a flattering line. Don't be afraid of this one.
Avoid tops that finish at hip level — that horizontal line sits right at the widest point and draws the eye there. Always go shorter or longer.

The Best Trousers and Skirts for Larger Hips

Wide-leg trousers are genuinely one of the best things to happen to dressing for hips. A well-cut wide leg flows over the hip and thigh, creating a long, straight line from waist to floor. I used to avoid them thinking they'd add bulk — the complete opposite is true.

Jigsaw — consistently brilliant for wide-leg trousers in quality fabrics that drape beautifully.
Whistles — their tailored wide-leg styles work perfectly for work and weekend alike.
M&S — genuinely one of the best high-street options for wide-leg trousers across multiple fits. Their "straight leg" and "wide leg" ranges have become staples for good reason.
Hobbs — if you want something smarter, Hobbs tailoring sits beautifully on the hip with a flattering, elongating line.

For skirts, go for A-line or fit-and-flare shapes that nip at the waist and gently skim over the hips rather than hugging them. Phase Eight excels at A-line midi skirts that look elegant and work across body shapes. Mint Velvet is also worth a look for skirts with easy, flowing shapes.

Avoid pencil skirts in stiff fabrics — they pull and cling across the hip and usually create a fit issue right there. If you love a pencil shape, look for ones with stretch (and ideally a back vent).

Jeans: What Actually Works

Skinny jeans aren't the enemy — but a straight-leg or wide-leg cut will almost always be more flattering. Mango has had brilliant straight-leg styles in recent seasons. Levi's 501s, the original straight-leg jean, remain one of the most universally flattering cuts going. For premium denim, Citizens of Humanity is worth the investment — their wide-leg Paloma style in particular is exceptional.

High-waisted is always the smarter choice here: it defines the smallest part of your torso, elongates the leg, and skims smoothly over the hip. Never a low rise. I learnt that the very hard way in 2009.

Independent Brands Worth Knowing

Two lesser-known labels I love for dressing fuller hips well:

Beaumont Organic — a beautiful sustainable British brand doing relaxed, well-cut separates in gorgeous fabrics. Their wide-leg trousers and boxy tops are perfect for creating that balanced silhouette effortlessly.
NIMO with Love — an independent size-inclusive label with a genuinely thoughtful approach to cut and fit. Their clothes are designed with real curves in mind, and the results speak for themselves.

Premium & Designer Options

If you're investing, Max Mara trousers and coats are cut with extraordinary precision — they consistently flatter wider hips because of the quality of the tailoring. For denim, Frame and AG Jeans both offer superb wide-leg and straight styles. At the luxury end, Totême has become a favourite among stylists for its clean, structural separates that balance proportions beautifully.

A Few Styling Rules to Live By

Always define the waist — a belt, a half-tuck, or a fitted knit all work brilliantly.
Vertical prints and seaming on the lower half elongate and streamline.
Monochromatic dressing (same tone top to toe) creates a long, unbroken line.
Avoid horizontal stripes on the hip and thigh — vertical stripes are fine.
Heel height matters: even a small block heel under a wide-leg trouser gives length and lift to the whole silhouette.

Never Get the Wrong Size Again — Try Tellar

One thing that makes dressing for your shape so much harder than it needs to be? Sizing inconsistency. You'll try on a pair of wide-leg trousers in your usual size, they'll fit perfectly on the waist but pull across the hip — and suddenly you've talked yourself out of a silhouette that would genuinely suit you.

That's exactly why Tellar.co.uk is such a game-changer. It's the UK's leading sizing tool — completely free, no downloads, works in your browser — and it matches your body measurements to 1,500+ brands instantly. You measure once (bust, waist, hips, or just use a brand size you already know fits), and Tellar tells you your precise size across any brand you're shopping.

Measure once — use your bust, waist, hip measurements or your existing size in a brand that fits you well.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool — get your exact size in brands like COS, Reiss, Jigsaw, Whistles, M&S and hundreds more.
Always free — no subscription, no catches. Just your size, instantly.

The Tellar Fashion Hub is also packed with free styling guides from our team of stylists — honest, unbiased, and independent. No brand is ever paying to be featured here. Just straight-talking style advice, every time.

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The key takeaway? Your hips are not a problem to be solved — they're a proportion to be styled. With the right cuts, a bit of strategic balance up top, and knowing your correct size across the brands you love (hello, Tellar), getting dressed becomes genuinely enjoyable rather than a daily negotiation with the mirror.