What tends to suit an apple shape

These are styling options, not rules, and none of them is required. The measurements say how three or four circumferences relate; they do not say what will look better, and this page does not claim that they do. It is organised by the effect you may want to try, or none.

The one fact the outfit is working with

An Oval or Diamond result means the waist circumference exceeds the hips (and, for Diamond, the bust). Marking the measured waist therefore marks the largest circumference, which some people want and some do not. The options below are organised by intention: a line that passes the waist without marking it, a marked line placed higher, or leaving the proportion as it is.

A longer line through the middle

Empire lines, shift and A-line dresses, waistless coats, open front cardigans and jackets, tunics over slim trousers. Each avoids a horizontal break at the widest circumference. Fabrics with some drape do this better than stiff ones, which can stand away from the body at the hip and add width there.

Shoulders, neckline and legs

V-necks, a little shoulder structure and detail at the collar put the focus at the neckline; straight or slim trousers, a hem at or just below the knee, and a shoe with some lift put it below the waist. The rules measure neither shoulders nor legs; these are options, not consequences of the result. Together they produce the “long line” many guides describe.

If you do want to mark a waist

If you prefer a higher visual waistline, empire seams and belts worn under the bust place the marked line above the measured waist. A belt at the measured waist marks the largest circumference, which is a different effect rather than a mistake.

If you would rather not

A fitted dress or a tucked top shows the proportion as it is, and plenty of people prefer that. The measurements do not require anything. The calculator’s stability note is worth reading: near the Rectangle threshold a small change in the waist measurement changes the result.

• Oval versus diamond, in numbers: apple body shape
• On the boundary: apple vs rectangle
• The other “apple”: inverted triangle outfits

References

The rules and figures on this page come from the sources below. Reference values are conventions from the literature, not targets.

1. Simmons, Istook & Devarajan (2004). Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT) for Apparel, Part I: Describing Female ShapesJournal of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management 4(1):1–16 · JTATM 4(1)Defines the nine FFIT shapes (hourglass, top and bottom hourglass, spoon, triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, diamond, oval) from bust, waist, high-hip and hip circumferences on 3D body scans of North American women. The rules on this site are this set, as later revised.
2. Sokolowski (2020). Modification of the Female Figure Identification Technique (FFIT) Formulas to Include Plus Size Bodies3DBODY.TECH 2020 Conference Proceedings · proc.3dbody.tech/2020Shows the 2007 FFIT formulas assumed the waist is smaller than the bust and so failed on many larger bodies; adds the Diamond and Oval rules and a ≥ 0 lower bound to Triangle, Inverted Triangle and Rectangle. This site uses the revised formulas.