If you have the apple body type, you may find it frustrating to dress your shape, mainly due to the extra weight you carry in your stomach. On top of that, if you also have a short torso, it’s adding another layer of complication because a shorter frame can make you appear even heavier than you actually are. It is critical to wear clothes that can accentuate your assets and distract away from your midsection. Before we walk you through how to dress your shape, let’s first take a deep dive to fully understand your body features.
Characteristics
Typical features of the apple body shape are:
- Full bust
- More weight gain around the waist
- Balanced hips and shoulders
- No defined waistline
However, these typical apple features can also be accompanied by a short torso. You can wear clothing styles that flatter your features as a woman with an apple shape, while taking into cognizance the presence of a shorter torso.
This means avoiding clothes that draw attention to this area and your midsection.
Wear monochromatic colors
As an apple shape woman, you’re naturally bigger on the top than your bottom, and you should take this into account when styling your clothing for your body type. With monochromatic colors, you can also avoid making your torso appear shorter.
This is a better choice that color contrasting styles that highlight your short torso and make this area look even shorter. So, it’s best to wear similar colors for your top and bottom so that you can trick the eyes not to notice the exact length of your torso.
With obviously contrasting colors, it will be super easy to notice the length of your torso as there’s a visible line that shows exactly where your short torso ends. Monochrome colors make this line invisible instead, so it’s less obvious and blends seamlessly with the lower half of your body.
Avoid oversized tops
Oversized tops do nothing to flatter your bigger upper body as a woman with a pear body shape. It is also not flattering for your short torso as it overwhelms the body figure. As tempting as it is to use baggy styles to conceal the heavy nature of your upper body, don’t do it.
This will have the opposite effect on your body type. Rather than wear oversized tops, keep this moderate and focus more on a neckline that’s flattering for your body shape. Of course, clingy tops are a huge no as they tend to draw emphasis on muffin tops.
As an apple shape woman, there’s a huge chance that you have extra weight around your midsection and the last thing you want to do is draw attention to this tummy bulge. Therefore, you should avoid both oversized and clingy tops. Moderation is key.
Tops with vertical lines
One of the best ways to visually lengthen your short torso as an apple-shaped woman with this body feature is to wear tops with vertical lines. These tend to draw the eyes upwards and downwards, effectively creating the illusion of a slimmer silhouette.
This doubles as a great way to slim down your heavier upper body and make your short torso appear longer. It also helps that tops with vertical lines are very stylish and you can tune things up to reflect your unique preferences.
However, it’s best not to rely on extremely bold colors for your upper body as this will draw more attention to this area. Doing this is counter-effective as there’s a high chance the eyes will focus on the exact width of this area and the length of your torso. So, keep it moderate and elegant.
V-neckline tops
By now, you have the idea from my recommendations so far that creating vertical lines on your upper body is one of the best ways to visually elongate your torso.
Apart from wearing tops with actual vertical lines, you can try a subtle approach with the perfect necklines for your body type. One of my favorites is the V-neck which reveals just enough space around your neck and chest area vertically.
You’re not revealing too much and it does an amazing job of creating the illusion of a taller figure. The trick is that the V-neckline draws the eyes up and down, easily tricking the viewer to see a torso that’s longer than it actually is.
If you’re an apple shape with small bust, make a daring move with a plunging v-neckline for an even more fantastic result on your torso.
Avoid tucked-in tops
Yes, tucking in your tops can be stylish and beautifully, especially if you’re trying to show off some patterns on your skirt or pants. However, if you have a short torso, this is not a great move on your apple body shape.
Tucked-in tops draw attention to the exact length of your torso, and could also visually shrink them so they look shorter than they actually are. Also, as a woman with typical apple features, this will draw focus on your bigger midsection and highlight your tummy bulge.
You shouldn’t wear top styles that highlight your heavier upper body. Therefore, it’s best to wear untucked tops, especially those of medium length that naturally flow through your waistline.
This will not draw attention to the length of your torso and will instead visually lengthen your body.
Long cardigans
Another way to elongate your short torso is to wear clothing that help to draw a continuous line from your shoulders downwards. A good example of the perfect style for this is the long cardigan.
Choose long cardigans in soft fabric that flows easily with the curve of your body and you’ll see the difference. The length of the cardigan matters a lot.
Long cardigans that go way past your knees have the best results as they create that invisible vertical line that completely gets rid of the horizontal line separating your torso from your lower body.
With this, there’s less focus on your short torso as the attention is distributed to other more flattering parts. Feel free to pair this with jeans and shirts with equally flattering effects on your pear body shape.
Just as long cardigans are flattering for you, cropped jackets have the opposite effect. These draw attention to that horizontal line that reveals where your torso ends. Therefore, it could further shorten your torso visually.
Mid-rise pants
Most apple shaped women with short torso also have a short rise, and that’s a feature you have to pay attention to when styling your body type. If you have a short rise and short torso combo, one of the best choices for you is to wear mid-rise pants.
This is a great pick because they hit right where they are supposed to on your torso. Since mid-rise pants typically have about 9 inches of rise, this is most likely the most comfortable choice for you as it sits firmly on your waistline without riding down or revealing the exact length of your torso.
A higher rise will hit above your belly button, drawing attention to the exact length of your torso. This is the same with lower rises that create a horizontal line which highlights your waist area. Therefore, the perfect balance is achieved when you wear mid-rise pants.
Avoid high-waist pants
High-waist styles on pants and skirts are those that cover a significant chunk of your midsection, with most sitting as high as your belly button. Since your torso is already short, the only thing high-waist pants will do for your figure is to make your torso look shorter.
They will draw more attention to this area of your body and create an unflattering silhouette. This will look much worse if you have a muffin top as this area of your body will be concentrated and the high-waist style can make your tummy bulge look bigger.
A better alternative to high-waist pants is to wear mid-waist styles that stay around your waistline. This sit comfortably on your body and visually elongate your legs. So, if you’re petite and don’t mind visually adding a few inches to your overall height, this is the way to go.
Jumpsuit with pleats
This is a one-piece that draws the eyes from up to down without any interruptions. The goal here is to make the horizontal line that divides your torso and leg invisible. Wearing a jumpsuit is a great way to visually form a vertical line from the top to the bottom of your body.
With a basic shirt and top, it’s easy to create a horizontal division that highlights where your torso cuts off on your overall figure. However, you can definitely make things a lot more interesting by wearing a jumpsuit that does the opposite of this.
To make this more tailored to your apple body shape, the bottom can feature subtle pleats along your waistline as this has a strategic effect on your body. It helps to create the illusion of longer legs and a flatter tummy on your body frame.