How to Dress Your Body Shape: Apple

Now that plus sized fashion lovers have so many options to choose from when shopping for fashion-forward clothing, having a wardrobe worthy of Fashionista status is well within the fuller figured woman's reach. One of the main keys to looking good in one's clothing is knowing how to dress for her body shape, knowing how to pick things that flatter her curves. This is the third article in the Plus Sized Fashionista's Guide to Fabulous Dressing series. The first article, Knowing Your Body, mentioned three different general body shapes that most women fit into: Pear, apple, and hourglass. This article will give tips on how to dress an Apple shape, including what looks most flattering, and what to avoid.

The Apple shape, also known as the "top heavy" body type, is the body shape in which the most of the weight is carried in the torso, with a full chest waist, and upper back. The thighs, legs, and bottom usually appear narrower than the torso, and the bust is bigger than the hips. According to the Barbizon Modeling Handbook, a good way to see if you have an Apple shape is to calculate your hip-waist ratio, where your waist measurement is divided by your hip measurement. If the ratio is .8 or more, you have an Apple shape. Tyra Banks has an apple shape as well.

If you are Apple shaped, your main goal is for your body to appear equally proportional in your clothing, so you want to draw attention away from your upper torso, especially your waist. You want to choose clothes that make your hips look wider and your shoulders look smaller, deemphasizing the waist. This means avoiding very fitted or tailored clothing, especially clothing that accentuates the waist or bust. You also want to avoid wearing a bunch of different colors at once. A great trick is wearing just one color; this trick gives the impression of length, and will make your torso appear smaller. Absolutely stay away from pockets on the bustline and near the waistline. Turtlenecks and round necks are excellent for Apple shapes, as are tunics that hit at the hip, straight trousers and pencil skirts, which are at the top of the "Fall trends" list. Belts, slung at the hip, are also a great accessory for Apple body shapes.

So, what you need to remember when shopping for your Apple shaped figure is that you want to choose clothes that appear to widen the hip, and make the shoulders and torso appear narrower. Stay away from very fitted, tailored, form-fitting, or very boxy styles. Wrap tops and tops with ruching at the abdomen are excellent choices for making the waist appear smaller, and flat front trousers and skirts are great for the appearance of slimming and lengthening.