How to dress an apple body shape

If you’re at a loss as to how to dress to make yourself look and feel fantastic, dressing for your body shape could be the way to go. But what does that mean?

Everyone is built differently, but by looking at certain key measurements – the shoulders, natural waist and hips – we can categorise different body shapes based on their similarities. Then, by extension, we can identify various styles and ways of dressing that suit certain body shapes better than others, helping us to make decisions about our own clothing choices.

The five most commonly used body shapes are:

• Hourglass
• Inverted triangle
• Rectangle
• Pear
• Apple

Below, we explore what an apple body shape is and how you can dress to impress if it applies to you.

What is an apple shaped body?

As mentioned, body shapes are identified using three key measurements: the shoulders or bust, the natural waist and the hips. There aren’t any complicated calculations involved – it’s just about noting the proportionate differences between the measurements.

An apple body shape, for example, is one where the hips are narrow, while the waist and shoulders are fuller.

People with apple-shaped bodies often have long, slender legs, and lack definition around the waist and hips. This can sometimes make the body appear top-heavy, and styling an apple shape often focuses on rebalancing the silhouette to avoid this.

How to dress an apple shaped body

Dressing for your body type shouldn’t be prescriptive – it’s just another way of seeing something that looks nice on someone else and trying it on yourself. But with the added benefit of identifying who else has a body similar in proportions to yours, you can save time by choosing outfits that look great on similar figures and silhouettes.

Below are our top tips for dressing an apple-shaped figure.

Emphasise height and leg length

One of the common characteristics of an apple-shaped body is the perception of top-heaviness. Strong shoulders and a well-built midsection paired with more slender legs can have this effect – and one way to counteract this is to emphasise aspects like your leg length and torso height.

Doing so helps to elongate your body, visually reducing the bulkiness of your torso when compared to your lower body. To do this, you can:

• Choose tops, jackets and coats with lower hemlines – think tunic tops, trench coats and longline jackets that end below the hips.
• Opt for low and wide necklines such as scoop or sweetheart necks – this helps to create visual interest and break up the lines of your top, giving the perception of a longer torso.
• Wear shorter, flowing sleeves – emphasising your shoulders and arms helps to lengthen your upper body.

Shoes can also be a great way to elongate your silhouette – simply choose heels or wedges that add extra height to your figure.

Draw attention to the shoulders and lower legs

Another technique for dressing an apple body shape is to control your outfit’s visual interest. That might sound complicated, but really it’s just a case of being intentional about the areas you embellish. As a general rule for apple shapes, you’ll want to direct people’s attention towards the upper and lower thirds of your body to draw interest away from the midsection.

How do you make that work with your own wardrobe? Well, you could:

• Wear dresses with embellished hemlines – this draws the eye down to your lower legs.
• Choose statement earrings and necklaces to frame your face – this emphasises the upper half of your torso.
• Consider brightly coloured scarves, shrugs and shoes – this provides a focus well away from your midsection.

Downplay the midsection

Working alongside your attempts to draw attention to other areas of your body, you can boost the effect by making sure to downplay and de-emphasise your midsection. Try to:

• Wear dark colours around your waistline – this helps the area to slip under the radar when vibrant colours are elsewhere.
• Opt for straight or slim-fitting tops in this area – avoiding boxy, shapeless clothing can help to prevent your midsection from looking overly bulky.
• Choose low- to mid-rise trousers or skirts – this helps to avoid placing visual interest (in this case, your clothing’s waistline) in the bust-to-hip area you want to downplay.

Balance out slim legs

Last but not least, you can help to address that perception of top-heaviness by obscuring your slender legs. By adding bulk to your lower body, you can balance out the natural strength of your shoulders and torso, giving your silhouette a strong sense of consistency from top to toes.

To make this work, you could:

• Choose wide cuts of trousers or jeans – this helps to bulk out your legs, particularly with trouser styles that flare out at the ankles.
• Opt for flowy fabrics instead of clinging styles – the sensation of movement offered by a flowy dress or trouser leg helps to provide visual interest on your lower body, drawing the eye downwards.
• Wear dresses that end at or around the knee – dresses of this length help to add shape and style to your upper legs without totally concealing your figure.

With the tips and tricks detailed above, you should be well on your way to finding great looks that suit an apple body shape. Remember, knowing your own body shape doesn’t mean you have to dress a certain way, but it can be a fun way to experiment with different styles to try and find new favourites.