Eleven Clever Tips for How to Style an Apple Shape Body

Flowy vs stiff 

For an apple-shaped body, Giedre recommends choosing flowy fabrics. Stiff fabrics may give the body a boxy look, while flowy fabrics will lay nicely over the curves of the body.

Tunic vs waist-length shirt

In this side-by-side example, Giedre shows how a shirt ending at the waist will accentuate the narrowest part of the body, while a longer top tends to accentuate the stomach and hips. The scarf draped in front creates vertical lines that make the body seem thinner and taller.

Flared silhouette 

Here, Giedre demonstrates how a flared skirt makes the waist look narrower relative to the width of the hemline. The open neckline also helps draw attention upwards, away from the midsection. 

Loose cardigan vs fitted jacket

If the top layer of the outfit is too loose and flowy, it can make a body appear shapeless. Giedre switches the cardigan out for a fitted jacket that gives shape, and whose length helps accentuate the waist.

High belt

To style this outfit better, Giedre simply tucked in the shirt and opened the neckline. Wearing a belt, or showing off a decorative waistband will immediately turn a look from frumpy to fresh. And as we noted before, the open neckline draws attention upwards.

But not too high

Despite the previous tip, Giedre shows us an outfit where tying the belt in the back to create a fitted waistline gives a cleaner, smoother look than the high belt tied in front. 

Harmonious proportions

For this outfit, Giedre switched out the model’s fitted black pants for wide-legged khaki slacks. The loose-fitted bottoms are better suited for the flowy cut of the top than the skinny-cut pants, and make the proportions of the outfit more harmonious. 

Divided upper body

As noted previously, the vertical lines of the scarf create an illusion of length and thinness. Giedre also rolled up the sleeves of the outfit to be even with the waistline, which also contributes to the illusion by drawing the eye to the narrowest part of the body. 

Strategic patterns

Here, Giedre demonstrates how choosing a patterned top over a solid color can help camouflage the widest parts of the body.

Choose A-line

As you can see, the straight-cut dress appears somewhat shapeless on an apple-shaped body. Once Giedre restyled the outfit by cinching the waist, rolling up the sleeves a bit, and opening the neckline, it’s clear that the A-line style is much better suited for the model’s body type. 

No bulky knits

Giedre recommends choosing thin sweaters over bulky knits for an apple-shaped body. Similar to the flowy vs. stiff fabrics, the bulky knit accentuates the midsection, while the thin knit accentuates curves while camouflaging the midsection. 

Let Giedre know in the comments if you found these styling tips helpful.