The apple shape is known for having a full bust and a muffin top, so it is critical for you to find the right style of jacket that can accentuate your assets and camouflage your weaknesses. We’ll first help you understand your body shape fully, and then guide you to find the most flattering jackets for the apple.
MAIN CONSIDERATIONS
- Broad and shapely shoulders. It’s common among jackets to have dramatic shoulder details and this is something you need to avoid because your shoulders are already prominent to begin with.
- Pronounced and rounded breasts. You tend to have a bigger bust line and their prominent shape is what makes them one of your best features.
- Undefined waistline. Apple figures lack curved lines that distinguish the transition from the waist to hips so you look more straight and shapeless around the midsection
- The midsection area is prone to tummy bulge. You have the tendency to gain more weight in this area, which contributes to making you look more top-heavy.
- Narrow hips. Your hips are almost in symmetrical width with your midsection area, which makes you lack definition on your bottom half.
Jackets come in a vast variety of styles, but in order to work around the natural imbalances of your apple figure, it’s important to understand what types of designs should flatter your figure.
FIT
Tailored
Jackets need to be sleek and streamlined to perfectly embrace your apple figure. Since you have natural imbalances present in several areas of your body, you’ll need jackets that will cater to these concerns.
Tailored jackets have a refined structure that allows them to fit very well on the body. In addition to this, it can instantly elevate your style by giving you a polished and sophisticated look.
You also have the option of having your coats custom-made or altered, in order for everything to fit your apple figure up to every detail.
Waist cinch
One of the things you most likely struggle with is the lack of definition on your waist so you have to go for jackets that offer a snug waist cinch. A belt, tie, or tailored shaping, are some of the best types of waist-cinching that can visually create the appearance of a narrower and curvier waist.
A jacket that’s fitted on the waist draws attention away from your midsection bulges and instead, emphasizes your apple figure’s silhouette. This helps efficiently counterbalance the fuller bust and rounded midsection characteristic of the apple shape.
Structured
Jackets with a structured fit can help create the illusion of a more pronounced waist, which can be very helpful for Apple figures who struggle with waist definition. The tailored construction and shaping elements of such jackets with a structured fit provide a clear outline that enhances the natural curves to give the body a more defined silhouette.
Jackets with a structured fit are also designed to maintain their shape and structure to produce a streamlined and polished appearance. These jackets often have clean lines and sharp edges that frame your features in a flattering way to achieve a more balanced silhouette.
SILHOUETTE
A-Line
I always say how the A-Line silhouette is universally flattering, so it’s something that can also look great on apple-shaped bodies. A-Line jackets feature a flare that gently skims over the midsection, accommodating your fuller waistline but without hugging this area too tightly.
The “A” shape of a jacket effectively helps create an illusion of a more defined waistline by emphasizing the shoulders and gradually widening towards the hem. Such an effect draws attention away from the midsection and creates a more hourglass-like shape.
Peplum
Peplum jackets are highly flattering for apple body shapes because of their flared ruffle or overskirt detail that has the ability to create a more defined waistline. It cinches nicely on the waist, which results in the illusion of a smaller, curvier waist.
This visual effect helps to balance the proportions of your apple shape and create an hourglass-like silhouette. Additionally, the peplum design significantly adds volume to your less prominent hips to balance out your broader upper body.
Single Breasted
Single-breasted jackets can balance out the size difference between your upper and lower body by maintaining a streamlined look and minimizing bulkiness on your midsection. The neat and tailored structure of single-breasted jackets creates a more proportional look without overwhelming your best features.
They can also help your figure achieve the illusion of a more pronounced waist with the help of their streamlined structure and button placement. These details produce a vertical line that draws the eye inward from the sides, to emphasize the waistline and give the appearance of a curvier frame.
Straight
Jackets that have a straight silhouette are very versatile because of their classic and timeless appeal. Their minimalistic design instantly gives your frame an elegant and sophisticated look that also balances your uneven proportions.
In addition to this, a straight silhouette also typically possesses vertical seams or details, like lapels, tailored seams, or vertical pockets. These particular vertical elements nicely create the illusion of a longer and leaner figure, which is also an effective way to divert attention from the midsection and add a sense of height and proportion to your overall look.
Princess Seam
If you want a subtle way to enhance your features and bring definition to your frame, a princess seam jacket has excellent construction to sculpt your figure. It uses a technique where vertical seams run from the shoulder line to the hem while also gently curving over the bust line.
They don’t have obvious side seams, which makes a princess seam jacket more streamlined and cohesive. It nips in the waist, while also giving enough volume for the hips to look more pronounced and therefore, balanced.
Wrap
Wrap jackets are simply iconic and wearing one can easily amplify your feminine features, most particularly your waistline. The lack of waist definition can be troubling, but that’s what exactly a wrap jacket can help you with.
Wrap jackets feature a wrap-around design that’s distinctly characterized by its adjustable closure at the waist. It naturally cinches the waistline to create the illusion of a more defined and smaller waist.
The way wrap jackets are designed features overlapping layers and diagonal lines that effectively help camouflage the midsection. These specific drapes and folds of fabric detract the eyes from the heavier midsection to create a more balanced silhouette.
DESIGNS
Single row buttons
Creating vertical lines on an apple-shaped girl’s silhouette is essential in keeping your frame lean and elongated. Single-row buttons that run down vertically on your jacket obviously create a strong sense of verticality on your upper body and therefore detract the gaze from your thicker midsection.
In addition to this, it can also have a slimming effect which can be quite helpful in toning down the heavier-looking upper body of apple shapes. This particular button placement visually narrows the upper body to be in complete proportion with your lower body.
Belt
Waist definition is very important for apple body shapes and I can’t stress that enough! Jackets that include a tie or built-in belt can tremendously help bring definition to your undefined waistline.
A belt that cinches your waist will help create the illusion of side curves that will distinguish your upper half and hips.
Three-fourths Sleeves
If you’re looking for a jacket just to provide enough warmth to break the cool breeze, jackets with three-fourth sleeves can be your quick go-to style option. They are comfortable and they also provide just the right coverage if you’re not really dealing with cold weather.
Apart from the fact that they can be a comfortable option for cooler seasons, the three-fourths sleeve length can help draw attention to one of the flattering features of your body such as your slim arms, resulting in attention diversion from the midsection. It’s because three-fourths of sleeves end just below the elbow, which is often the slimmest part of the arm.
Bracelet-length Sleeves
Now if you need more warmth and coverage, you can definitely go for jackets that have a longer sleeve length. Bracelet-length jackets, just like what the name suggests, feature sleeves that end just right at the level where your bracelet is usually worn – your wrist.
This exposes enough portion on the arm to elongate your figure. This opens up enough space on your upper body so that this more prominent region won’t look too cramped and heavy.
Lapel Collars
Jackets and blazers with lapel collars can be extremely helpful for your apple-shaped body because of their figure-elongating and slimming features. The structure of lapels visually produces a vertical line that creates the illusion of a longer and leaner torso so it helps balance the difference between your upper and lower body proportions.
The neat and edgy lines lapel collars produce also add definition to your overall frame by drawing a visual separation between your chest and midsection. This results in a more toned-down midsection and a more defined waistline.
FABRIC
Structured fabrics like cotton twill, gabardine, and leather are some of the best examples of jacket fabrics that can look amazing on your apple-shaped body. Since these fabrics have the ability to hold shape, they do an excellent job of defining your best features.
In addition to this visual effect, the right fabric can give you a great sense of comfort to take you to different weather conditions. They also help bring definition to your frame without overpowering your best features.
STYLES TO AVOID
Crop
Crop jackets usually hit just right above the hips and this may not be a very pleasing sight since you tend to have narrower and less pronounced hips. The cropped length of the jacket will only highlight the fact that your hips are almost the same width as your thicker midsection.
This may also leave your frame looking top-heavy because of the way it adds volume to your already prominent upper body.
Double Breasted
Since you already have a prominent upper body, most particularly broad shoulders, and a big bust, double-breasted jackets can only make things heavier for your upper body. The huge button details create horizontal lines that can make your upper body look wider and bulkier.
They also have a boxy silhouette that can absolutely erase your waistline. This results in a frame that’s more imbalanced because the distinct curves that define different areas of your body are blurred out by the boxy nature of the jacket.
Cropped Puffer
Puffer jackets can be a very warm and cozy choice for the cold winter weather. While this is true, they can also become quite unflattering if you choose a puffer jacket that has a crop cut.
Puffer jackets have a significant amount of volume due to the warming pads they have. Cropped puffer jackets not only add volume but also gives your frame an unflattering proportion.
This is because they typically end above the hips or right at hip level, which can cause a visual break on your silhouette as it highlights the fact that your upper body is way broader than your lower body. This will make you look more top-heavy and will also conceal your apple figure’s most prominent features such as your bust line and shoulders.
