What Jeans Look Best on Apple Shape (and What to Avoid)

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

As an apple, the one biggest frustration I deal with every day is the muffin top. So the number one thing I’m looking for is comfort and the slimming effect, especially on the waist. Below is the dos and dont’s when you are shopping for jeans as an apple.

High rise

I am an all-things high rise kind of girl, not only for jeans, but for any bottom I wear. The number one reason is high rise is the best to accommodate the bulging stomach of the apple. Since jeans fit snug in our tummy, higher waist feels much more comfortable. This is especially true when I am sitting down. If I am sitting in a pair of mid rise jeans, I always have to pull them up in order to fully cover my stomach!

Another thing is the slimming effect of the high rise jeans. Since we don’t have much of a waist definition, we should wear jeans that reach the smallest part of our torso, which is typically above our belly button.

Elastic waistband

This is the secret sauce I want to share with you!

Traditionally jeans were made with front zippers, and pull-on jeans are a newer trend.

Why do pull-on jeans make s difference for apple-shaped women (or anyone with a muffin top)?

The reason is front zipper adds bulk to your midsection and makes it more noticeable.  On the other hand, pull-on jeans generally have a side panel with a stomach-flattening effect for your midriff.

Later on, in the round-up for best jeans for big tummy, you will notice the top brands all embrace this concept of the tummy control panel.

Dark wash

Darker wash is undoubtedly the most slimming color for jeans. Since we have extra weight in our tummy, wearing a darker shade of denim is an easy way to make our waist look smaller.

WHAT TO AVOID

Too tight

This may sound obvious, but belive me, I’ve made this mistake many times before.

Since I’m a typical apple shape, my legs are slender but my waistline is not. For most of the tops, a size XS to S works perfectly for me. 

However, when it comes to jeans, I should size up because of my waist, which I did not realize for a very long time. 

The mistake I made in the past is that I decided my jeans size based on my top size, ignoring the fact that my waistline needs a bigger size. Therefore, the jeans I got used to are too tight for my waist, which makes my midsection look even more obvious!

If you are like me, choose the correct size of the jeans based on your waist instead of elsewhere. What you should keep in mind is if your jeans size is too small, they would only make your belly look more noticeable!

Paper Bag

Paper bag is a very popular style in recent years, but I have to warn you they are not in your best interest if you are an apple.

Even though they fall into the high-wasit type, the design comes with extra fabrics on the wais. Besides, most of them have a belt.

That is exactly why you should stay away from them!

Every time when I wear paper bag jeans, I notice the extra bulk they create on my tummy. Besides, the belt is drawing even more attention to my midsection. That is disastrous for women who already got a big stomach.

Low Rise

The low rise jeans have made a big come back and they are one of the most trending denim styles for last couple of years, however, they are a big no-no if you have the apple shaped body.

As you can see below, they make everything worse on an apple.

The most obvious reason is that they cannot hold your entire tummy in, and will make your midsection look even bigger!

Another thing I noticed is they are quite uncomfortable when you sit down, especially when your jeans is made of harder fabrics.

Finally, they will make your legs look shorter, because they sit lower on your waist.

A confession I have to make is I did purchase low-rise jeans when they were the hottest trend several years back, but, I now have to donate all of them since they are really not the right kind of jeans for me. Lessons learned, and that’s exactly why I’m warning you with these jeans.

Button fly

The button fly jeans are absolutely adorable and they are just so on-trend! They are my personal favorite! However, I can only wear them when I am really skinny and when my midriff is not very obvious.  As soon as I gained a few pounds, I will have to stop wearing them, because the front buttons just make my stomach so much more obvious!

I’m not saying you have to stay away from button fly jeans completely, but they are not the most flattering if your goal is to hide the muffin top.

Recommended Brands

Spanx Shaping Jeans

• Inseam: 26.5”
• Size I’m wearing: Tall, 27
• Fabric quality: Built-in Gut Check Shaping, 91% Cotton, 7% Polyester, 2% Lycra® Elastane
• Fit: Straight-leg, Flat Front, Pull-on style

I love this SPANX Shaping Jeans a lot and I’m really impressed considering that this is my first pair of jeans from Spanx. I instantly felt the superb compression the moment I wore it (thanks to its top-tier built-in panels) and it also gave my butt a really nice lift.

Here’s a close-up on the tummy so that you can see how nice it fits on our midsection.

They are also pull-on jeans so they’re quite easy to wear and this style can also accommodate more weight just in case I gain more. I guess the only downside here is its steep price point at $128 – but I guess with its performance, it’s justifiable.

Signature by Levi Strauss Totally Shaping Jeans

• Inseam: 29”
• Size I’m wearing: 27
• Fabric quality: Super stretch fabric, 78% Cotton, 20% Polyester, 2% Elastane
• Fit: Mid-rise, Skinny fit, Pull-on Style, Flat front

I’m most surprised by this pair of Levi Strauss Totally Shaping because for the price point of $25, this pair feels extremely premium and it also does what it’s supposed to do, which is to provide tummy control! It offers great compression while also being very comfy to wear.

I also l love the fit on the back. A lot of apple shaped women tend to have flat rear, so it is critical for the jeans to shape you from behind well. That’s how I felt about this pair, since it does give you the nice butt lift.

I opted for the Short variant and I, being 5’2, can attest that the length is just perfect. I can easily say that this one gives me the best value for my money.

Democracy Absolution Jeans

• Inseam: 29”
• Size I’m wearing: 27
• Fabric quality: Super-stretch denim, 54% Cotton, 27% Rayon, 17% Polyester, 2% Spandex, Imported quality
• Fit: Straight Leg, Contoured hidden elastic waistband

This pair of Democracy Absolution jeans is also one of my favorites because of how well it compresses my tummy, as you can see in this close-up. Wearing this pair makes my tummy look flat in an instant!

Apart from its effective tummy control, it also gives my buttocks a nice lift and the waistband really makes my waist look slimmer. It also comes in straight-leg so it’s comfier and much easier to style!

NYDJ Sheri Slim Jeans

• Inseam: 28”
• Size I’m wearing: 27 Petite
• Fabric quality: Lift Tuck® Technology, Cotton, polyester, lyocell, elastomultiester, elastane
• Fit: Slim fit, Straight-leg, Zipper and button closure

This pair from NYDJ SHERRI SLIM JEANS ticks off everything I like about tummy-control jeans: great compression, beautiful dark color, and straight-leg style! Even if it doesn’t have an elastic panel, it still works great for me because of the snug stretch of the denim.

Levi’s 311 Shaping Skinny

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

• Inseam: 28”
• Size I’m wearing: 27
• Fabric quality: Cotton, Polyester (Repreve Recycled), Elastane. Sustainable viscose fibers
• Fit: Mid-rise, Skinny fit, Zipper and Button closure

I’m not immensely impressed with this pair because right upon wearing it, I just don’t feel much compression at all and I think it’s mainly because of the loose fit around my tummy. The front button and zipper closure are also quite bulky, in my opinion.

On a more positive note, its dark color helps in making me look slimmer and the wash has a very premium look. Sadly, the color isn’t really enough to give me the shaping I really want so I can’t say that the price point is worth it.

Charter Club Lexington Slimming Jeans

• Inseam: 28.5”
• Size I’m wearing: 27
• Fabric quality: Imported fabric, Cotton and Elastane
• Fit: Straight-leg, Mid-rise, and has shank and zipper fly closure

Well, this is the one I’m actually very disappointed about and I kinda regret getting 2 pairs of this one! There’s literally no tummy control at all and upon wearing it, I see no difference no matter how much I adjust or style it.

I guess it’s because it comes in mid-rise and since I have a longer rise, the waistband sits right below my tummy. With this, I can already tell that it’s not bound to do what it promises to do because of the lack of compression.