7 Dresses You’ll LOVE If You’re An Apple Shape Or Just Don’t Love Tight Things On Your Belly
No potato sacks. No handsmaid garb.
by Carolyn Firestone
Disclaimers are an incredibly dull way to start us off. But here’s a big one:
This is NOT an article about it being bad or undesirable or a “problem” to be any shape or ANY size.
Ok, I feel a little better. You?
This IS, however, an article about looking and feeling good in the clothes that we all need and wear and have a right to enjoy living our lives in. More specifically, our dresses.
I happen to feel my best in dresses that don’t cling to my belly. I guess you’d call me an apple shape in the sense that if and when I gain weight, it’s right smack in the middle. My hips? Not so much. My legs? The stuff of chickens.
And honestly of all the dumb, shitty, defining words that get tacked onto our appearance, I actually don’t mind being called a fruit-shape, be it at an apple or a pear, or with my posture, possibly a banana.
We all have a natural shape, keyword being natural here. And the more we embrace it and find clothes that work for it, the easier and more joyful getting dressed can be.
On that note, I recently discovered 7 dresses that are so sublimely easy to wear, so flattering, and so special, specifically for us apples.
All are good. None are mumus. Shall we begin?
1. The Lazy Weekend Dress That's Surprisingly Chic
One big downside to wearing a dress that’s spacious round the belly is that so many make us look and feel like literal tents. And if it’s both long and shapeless, it has the added benefit of aging us like 27 years. But this delightfully roomy dress from Tuckernuck does two very smart things.
It creates balance by being short. I used to be afraid of above-the-knee things, but have finally come round to applying this one simple style rule: if you’re wearing something loose that covers you up on top, a great trick to not looking old and frumpy is to show skin somewhere else. In this case, it’s legs, and this dress is cut in a way that makes me feel totally comfortable and my age.
It’s well tailored. Just look how the top fits like a favorite button-down shirt. The lines are nice and clean and A-line to accommodate our curves, but the fabric is so light and flowy, it feels like air to wear - even on the hottest of days. And you get complete arm and tum coverage.
This particular dress comes in a bunch of colors as well as a couple very chic stripe patterns and sizes up to XXXL.
Price: $128
2. The Comfy Everyday Dress That Gives Anyone An Hourglass
You know that feeling when your entire schedule weirdly falls into place, and you achieve every single objective of your day in one seamlessly linear swoop? Well, this is the dress version of that feeling. Slip it on, and it fits every inch of you exactly how you’d want it to.
The ribbed top is so stretchy and holds everything in place to the point where it pretty much does the job of a bra. And the skirt is this airy poplin. It actually takes care of this major beef I have with most fit and flare dresses which is that at some point in my day, the waistband starts to be so constricting that it puffs my lower belly into one overly inflated flotation ring, but the back of the dress is 100% elastic so it looks all nipped and proper up front but fits like a breathable dream.
Price: $148
3. The Little Red Party Dress
I love the idea of getting dressed up - pretty much in theory alone. In practice, I am lazy and disheveled and unwilling to adhere to some weird debloating diet in order to squeeze my tum into a tight dress I’ll be burying under a pashmina all night anyway. Point is, oh how fun it was to find THIS dress.
It’s not a sac. It’s totally and intentionally A-line, so it feels like you’re wearing a sleek little Audrey Hepburn mod dress, but with oh so much space to move and breathe (and slouch!) but still look chic.
The neckline reads very French, especially in black, though it feels pretty exciting to wear red again. Almost as exciting as the overscaled bow in the back.
Sizes up to XXXL. Feels like you’re in a nightshirt.
Price: $198
3. THE MAXI DRESS THAT NIPS YOUR WAIST TO NO END
Do we not just want one perfect, chic maxi dress to wear to every weekend thing, every warm vacation, every evening gathering, every work, (why not work?), event? And do we not also want said dress to feel like the loungiest lounge set we’d wear daily in the comfort of our slob-celebrating home?
The stretch and the scoopneck of the tank that tops this dress are so flattering. It frames you in a way that makes you look like you go IN IN IN until it hits the small of your waist at which point it floats out into the prettiest poplin maxi skirt. I bought this dress for summer after reading THIS, but it was so good, I also got it in black and wear it to an absurd number of things.
It’s such an easy choice and can be styled 18 ways, often with the switching of a belt . I do recommend belting for a more fitted look up top. Otherwise the tank can fall looser, which is actually great for those who truly can’t tolerate an inkling of tightness.
Price: $108 - $118
5. The SLIGHTLY MOD, JOY-SPARKING SPRING DRESS
And here’s yet another marvelously flattering cut from Tuckernuck (the brand has pretty much mastered this ideal apple dress). This one is really only for “print people.” But honestly, it fits like a dream and looks like spring itself. The material’s light but not at all flimsy, so it keeps its unwrinkled, A-line shape, which makes it great for packing or for tossing on any warm, lazy day where you suddenly feel the urge to dress like you “got dressed.”
Price: $198
6. The Skimming Slip Dress You Can Style 87 Ways
When slip dresses came into fashion recently, I was on the fence. The idea of thin silk clinging to my midsection sounded like a living hell. But then I got THIS dress as a gift and whoa, have I been missing the point! A slip dress gives all the sleek, sexy(ish) energy of a fitted dress, but everything is so much more relaxed and skimming. This one in particular follows the curve of your body without being skintight.
It’s 100% mulberry silk, W-A-S-H-A-B-L-E, and costs a fraction of what silk dresses typically cost. It also comes in a bunch of colors!
I personally found that the top was fitted enough to just wear THESE, and it looked like I had a built-in bra, which solved the whole issue of having your bra straps showing. But, honestly, I usually wear it layered, often with sneakers and a comfy sweater for a daytime look, but with a quick jacket and shoe swap, I’m dressed for going OUT out. Recent example…
Price: $80
7. The Wrap Dress With Just The Right Amount Of Coverage For A Belly Pooch
Ok. so this one admittedly falls into a more tight-fit category, however, there’s one very simple, pretty subtle thing about this particular dress that makes it one of my actual favorite dresses I own. And it’s that little sweep of fabric cross the tum that ties on the side and ruches perfectly to cover my belly pooch and up my comfort level a million degrees.
I’ve always wanted to feel good in a slinky, fitted dress, but I cannot stand the way most of them are not cut for curves, so they actually create weird lumps and bulges and require tons of continual adjusting. This dress is buttery soft and very smoothing, but again, that wrap just makes all the difference.
Comes in all the colors. Sizes up to 2XL.
Price: $88
BONUS: The Only Fitted Dress I'm ACTUALLY Comfortable In
Ok, admittedly this is not a very appleish image nor is it a loose style, and maybe you’re already annoyed at me for calling it a look for rounder bellies, but I’m telling you all of this trickery is actually the magic of THIS particular dress. The fabric provides a wild level of smoothing. And then there’s the verrrry forgiving ruching that sort of melts over any bulges and makes everything look nice and nipped, in this case with the addition of some very mellow shapewear.
It also just feels really good on. It has so much structure and support, while still being extremely stretchy and comfortable. There’s none of that restriction or tightness that gives you the urge to stand stiff and suck in all night.
Sadly, the yellow is no longer available, but it comes in far more mellow colors, including black, which I wish I’d bought, because it would likely be my best black dress. Also comes in plus and petite.
Oh, and if you’re a real sleuth and have noticed the shoes I’m wearing on 23 occasions in this very article, it’s because THESE are the first strappy, minimalist heels I’ve ever been able to walk in. The heel is divinely low, and the straps are cushioned. It’s kind of a miracle for me, who’s always chosen to settle for fancy flats or chunky heels, because like I said, I’m lazy, clumsy, and a realist when it comes to dressing up.
Price: $170
CAROLYN FIRESTONE
Carolyn is the Managing Editor of The Candidly. Her favorite thing to do is to write about her favorite things, especially when they have even the slightest chance of making someone else’s something (mood, relationship, travel plans, or toiletry kit) a little better. You can find more of her articles here.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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