If you have a flabby or protruding tummy, there's no need to wear muumuus or other shapeless floor-grazing frocks. In fact, you can use a variety of style methods to make your stomach appear smaller than it really is. Luckily, plenty of fashionable clothes look great on apple-shaped women.
Fabrics and Colors
Choose clothes with vertical patterns. These designs will make your legs appear longer and draw attention away from your middle. Avoid horizontal patterns.
Choose non-clinging material for all your clothes. Clinging fabrics accentuate your stomach. Woven cottons, synthetics and linen are good choices.
Dress in one-color-palette shades from head to toe to present a lean, slimming line. Avoid light-colored pants and skirts, which draw attention to your midsection.
Styles
Wear clothing that fits. Sizes that are too big add bulk, and sizes that are too small accentuate your stomach.
Choose hip-length or longer tunic tops to hide your midsection. Jackets and blouses in longer lengths that hit below your true waist hide and camouflage your stomach.
Wear tops and dresses to draw a viewer’s eye up toward your face and upper body. Boat-neck tops and V-necks, fabric detailing, scarves and necklaces will do the trick.
Buy skirts and pants with a wide 3-inch waistband. This helps control your stomach and also makes your buttocks look smaller, according to plus-size model Danica Lo.
Avoid pleated skirts and pants. These add bulk to your midsection. Lo exempts pants with creases from this recommendation, because a crisp crease in pants presents a slimming vertical line.
Choose dresses and tops that have structural shapes as opposed to those cut on the bias that hug the curve of your stomach.
Choose single-breasted jackets that fall below your waist to hide and minimize your stomach. Leave them unbottoned so they don't pull across your stomach.
Tip
Consult with a knowledgeable salesperson to discuss what kind and what size of shapewear is right for you.
Wear shapewear to hide and control stomach fat. Shapewear comes in a variety of lengths and fabrics for every day and special-occasion wear.
Wear heels, not flats, to create length and keep attention away from your stomach. Choose medium to medium-high heels for best effect.
Stand straight with your shoulders back and your head level. Good posture makes you appear confident and thinner.
References
- The New York Times: Waist Size Linked With Longevity
- ABC Good Morning America: Excerpt: "How Not to Look Fat"
- "Good Housekeeping"; Look 10 lbs. Thinner; January 2011
- American Council on Exercise: Supine Reverse Crunches
Writer Bio
Susan Lundman began writing about her love of cooking, ingredient choices, menu planning and healthy eating after working for 20 years on children's issues at a nonprofit organization. She has written about food online professionally for ten years on numerous websites, and has provided family and friends with homemade recipes and stories about culinary adventures. Lundman received her M.A. from Stanford University.