Easy pear shaped sewing

[alias_sqbr]

I find myself in a bit of a vicious cycle: I am too frugal, fatigued, fat, and funny-shaped to have much luck shopping for off-the-rack clothes. I got a sewing machine to make my own, but am too funny shaped to fit the patterns I've tried, and don't have the money or energy to do a lot of practice sewing to get competent enough to make my own stuff from scratch (I'm barely competent enough to make stuff from patterns)

So: does anyone have advice for styles, patterns, or instructions for clothing suitable for a short dumpy pearshaped(*) woman who sucks at sewing? Easy instructions on how to adapt patterns or ready-made clothing to fit such a shape would be cool too.

I know from past experience that I suit A-line skirts if they're a size too big and have a relatively tight elasticized waist, and I've found some promising looking instructions (1 2 3) which I intend to play around with. But most other styles of clothing I suit are too complicated for me to feel comfortable just having a go. I may have a go at this dress or something like it and make the skirt a size bigger before attaching.

(*)More specifically: I have a short torso, bendy back, wide hips, big bum and narrow sloping shoulders. Clothing the right width for my shoulders/waist hits my hips/tummy and bunches/stretches in a seriously unflattering way eg this dress, which is a very flattering style on me and still too tight for my tummy AND too broad for my shoulders. And, a year after that photo was taken, too small :( :(

Comments

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, separates can be easier. The downside there is comfort (I can't stand having my stomach constricted) and, well, I LIKE dresses :D

Good suggestion about a band at the waist, I'll keep that in mind.

[sanguinity]

I was unclear; I didn't mean separates were a good solution (because you weren't asking for separates!). I meant making the top half of the dress a different official size than the bottom half, and joining them together, would be a goodish solution. On some patterns, that wouldn't even be tricky to do.

[alias_sqbr]

Ahhh. Yes, right. Definitely.