The apple body shape has a beautiful and full bust, but at the same time can be frustrated with a muffin top. It is critical for you to look for the right clothing styles that can flatter your shape and camouflage your tummy. In this detailed guide, we’ll take a close look at your body features and then walk you through the dos and don’ts with your clothing choices.
Traits
The apple body shape is one of the most common body shapes out there for women, although it is true that they are not always the easiest to style. But hey, you can definitely lighten this style burden if you have a full understanding of your body traits.
- Big and round-shaped bust. You naturally have a bust size that’s larger compared to other body shapes, plus, they are very well-shaped, too!
- Undefined waistline and side curves. This is one of your major weaknesses which happens because of the fact that you carry most of your weight in your midsection, hence the lack of waist definition.
- Prone to muffin top due to midsection weight gain. Whenever you gain weight, it shows up in your midsection so a bulging tummy is quite a common struggle for your apple figure.
- Smaller rear. You may have flatter buttocks because of the fact that you don’t gain much weight in your lower body either.
- The shoulders and hips are of the same width. They are symmetrical in terms of balance, which can be further enhanced when you opt for clothes that cinch your waist.
- Lean and toned legs. One of the best things about your apple-shaped body is that you will always have slim legs due to the fact that you never gain extra weight here.
Now that you know the strengths and weaknesses of your figure, here are the Do’s and Don’ts you need to know.
DO’S
These Do’s will focus on bringing out your best features, which are your fuller bust size and slim legs. This will also cover style tips on how to work around your problem areas such as your undefined waist and bulging belly.
Open Necklines
When looking for tops, dresses, and even swimsuits, you can never go wrong with open necklines such as V-neck, scoop, sweetheart, or square. Always remember that your bust area and decolletage are the most notable features of your apple-shaped body, so you always have to consider going for clothes that can highlight them.
Additionally, they effectively create invisible vertical lines that draw the eyes up and down to visually elongate the neckline and your overall frame. These lines have a slimming effect, which contributes to a more streamlined appearance and the illusion of a more defined waist.
Tailored Bodice
Wearing clothes that have a tailored bodice will help you enhance your upper body definition and create a curvier silhouette. This may not seem as much, but with its sleek seams, darts, and streamlined detailing, you can make a big difference when it comes to the definition of your apple body shape.
The tailored bodice is designed to fit closely to the body and this alone can subtly nip in the waist area. This snug fit creates the illusion of indentation at the sides of your waist to make it look like you have a prominent waist definition.
Clothes with a tailored bodice can vary when it comes to design, but they usually share the same style elements that strategically enhance your upper body. These design elements create shape and structure to effectively mold the fabric to follow your natural curves and define the areas that lack depth.
Cinched Waistline
Having an apple body shape also means you significantly lack waist definition and this particular weakness can really create an unflattering imbalance in your figure. This is why going for clothes that cinch at the waist can be very helpful because they can usually create the appearance of a narrower waist, resulting in a more hourglass-like shape.
There are many ways for you to cinch your waist, but some of the best ways to do this is to look for adjustable self-tie belts, strategic seams, or contoured waistbands in order to bring natural definition to your waist. These style elements can help you achieve a curvier silhouette and a more balanced overall appearance!
Notice that I didn’t really mention belts because while they might be the first thing to come to your mind when it comes to cinching the waist, they can be very tricky. We’ll talk about this in detail under Don’ts.
Ruched Details
Ruched seams are not just very stylish, but they are also incredibly flattering for apple body shapes because of how they create visual interest that can either distract or attract attention – wherever region it’s needed! They have the unique ability to enhance the appearance of your waistline, create a more defined silhouette, and draw attention away from the midsection.
Ruching is basically a type of seam that gathers fabric in a way that harmoniously creates texture and depth. If you choose a clothing piece where ruched seams are strategically placed (especially along the sides or center of a garment), they create visual interest and serve as an optical illusion to camouflage the bulk you have in your midsection.
In addition to its ability to camouflage the midsection, the way they are seamed can also play a role in elongating and slimming your body. It creates a particular type of added dimension that creates a play of light and shadow to visually break up the surface area and make the midsection appear less prominent.
Elongating Prints and Patterns
There are many types of elongating prints and patterns and some of the most common ones are vertical stripes or lines that run along the garment. These prints and patterns effectively create visual lines that run vertically along the body to give the illusion of a slimmer frame and a more defined waist.
Also, elongating prints draw attention away from the heavy appearance of your midsection to put the focus on the length of the body instead. This elongating effect brings your figure a more proportional and balanced appearance that distracts from any concerns about your stomach area.
High-waisted Bottoms
It’s a very well-known fact among apple-shaped women that high-waisted bottoms are considered a very important staple in their wardrobe. It’s simply because they provide coverage and support that apple body shapes need in their larger tummies.
They can also easily resolve the problem of having an undefined waistline, since high-waisted bottoms sit above the natural waist and create the illusion of a narrower and curvier waist, to effectively define and accentuate this thicker area. This can significantly help you achieve hourglass body curves and proportions.
Another important feature of high-waisted bottoms is their ability to provide coverage to the midsection, which also serves as a panel that controls and holds in the tummy to prevent a muffin top. This results in a smoothing and shaping effect that can give you a streamlined appearance.
Structured Fabrics
It’s quite obvious how structured fabrics exude a sense of sophistication and refinement so going for clothes made from these types of fabrics can instantly elevate your style and create a polished and fashionable look.
But apart from its refined look, structured fabrics can also have many visual benefits for apple body shapes especially because such fabrics have the key ability to hold shape and add definition to the figure. As you may know by now, one of your much-needed features is considerable body definition.
Structured fabrics have more body and form, which efficiently helps create shape and structure where needed. You’d want to define your waist or add curves to your silhouette, so there’s no doubt that structured fabrics will provide the necessary support and shape your apple figure needs.
DON’TS
These are styling mistakes that you should avoid at all costs! By making these fashion mistakes, you’ll be highlighting the very features you need to downplay and overshadow your formidable apple features.
High Neck Tops
Think of your apple frame’s best features – your elongated neck, prominent decolletage, shapely cleavage, and fuller bust. All of these amazing features can instantly be covered if you wear clothes that feature a high neck!
High necklines can sometimes create an overwhelming cramped look due to the excess fabric around the neck and upper chest. For instance, wearing a turtleneck can make your upper body look less defined as your bust line may even look symmetrical to your bulging midsection and that’s a big no-no!
Tight-fitting Bottoms
Tapered pants, tight-fitting Bermuda shorts, or bodycon skirts are just some of the many types of tight-fitting bottoms that can easily overwhelm your apple figure. As they cling too close to the body, they have the immense tendency to dig into your heavy midsection and therefore draw emphasis to the bulk that’s present here.
Apart from the fact that they are visually unflattering, tight-fitting bottoms can be very restricting as well. For someone who carries more weight in their midsection, the lack of space and stretch can cause annoying discomfort.
Skinny and Wide Belts
Earlier, we talked about how important it is to cinch the waist so it’s quite normal that belts will come to mind. It is true that belts can help cinch the waist, but for apple shapes who gain most of their weight in the midsection, belts can serve as a detail that draws too much attention, so you need to be more careful about how thick the belt is.
Skinny belts may not provide enough support and will just dig into that bulge you have in your tummy. Meanwhile, wide belts may look too dramatic and therefore just draw too much attention to the midsection, which is the very area you’d like to downplay.
Low-Rise Bottoms
Low-rise bottoms are not just outdated, but they are also one of the most unflattering clothing styles for apple body shapes. This is because they draw emphasis to the midsection by having the waistband sit below the natural waist or even below the belly button – you can imagine what’s going to happen next!
This type of waistband rise won’t provide the support that your large belly needs so the tendency is that it will only cause the tummy fat to spill, creating a muffin top. Additionally, they will also create an unbalanced visual effect by emphasizing the hips and upper thighs. This will absolutely disrupt the overall proportions of your apple figure and make the upper body appear even thicker and larger.
Since low-rise bottoms sit right below the belly button, they will also take up so much space in your lower body, making your legs look shorter.
Oversized or Baggy Clothes
Because of the fact that you gain a significant amount of weight in your belly area, you may be tempted to just completely hide them by wearing oversized clothes that are way too baggy. Yes, they will cover up the bulk you carry in your midsection – but so as your entire body frame, including your best features!
Oversized or baggy clothes will relevantly overwhelm your apple proportions and this will make it more difficult to define the waist and achieve a balanced look. You would want to highlight your figure’s best assets to create visual balance and wearing baggy clothes will only undermine that.
