Muffin top is quite common if you are plus size or a little overweight, but even with someone who is generally thin like me, I can at times still have a muffin top.
If you have an apple body shape like me, you may always notice first sign of weight gain on your waist and belly, i.e. the “muffin top”!
The key to dress our body shape is to choose clothing that can emphasize our best assets, such as the full bust, therefore distract attention away from our midsection,
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Wear High Rise Pants
High rise pants are my go-to style, because I have found them the most flattering and comfortable if you have a muffin top!
While there’s been some chatter around the internet about the possibility of low-rise jeans becoming a trend again – anything low rise is best to be avoided if you have a muffin top.
The problem with low rise pants, in general, is where they rest on the body…which is usually right below the muffin top – accentuating that area.
That’s why it’s best to opt for high rise pants.
The higher-rise fits tend to create more of a smoothing effect to the muffin top because the material rests over it nicely. Not only that, higher rise pants bring more focus to the smaller area of your waist which helps to create a slimming effect to the midsection. It’s definitely a win-win situation with mid to high rise pants.
Wear Wrap Dresses
One of the most universally flattering silhouettes is the wrap style. It’s common to find this silhouette in dresses and tops, in part because it’s SO figure flattering.
Wrap dresses cinch and define the waistline, thanks to the gathering that occurs with the wrap style. It also offers a camouflage effect to the midsection that’s perfection for a muffin top.
Make sure to opt for wrap styles with a v or open neckline! This will add some of that additional figure flattery benefit that comes from bringing the focus upwards that was mentioned above.
I have a collection of more than 20 DVF silk wrap dresses like this (here’s a similar style), and they are super flattering if you want to make your midsection look more slender like me.
Fortunately, wrap silhouettes are timeless so you don’t have to worry about it going out of style anytime soon.
Wear High Rise Jeans
By now you probably already realize anything high waist is your best bet to hide that midriff!
Any high waisted jeans (like the Mom jeans or paper bag jeans) can give your tummy most coverage, which undoubtedly is the most comfortable option for women who carry weight in the mid section.
Besides, high-rise jeans can also create the illusion of a more slender waist.
That is the dream for every girl with a little tummy!
Open Necklines
Finding little, subtle ways to draw attention away from the midsection and towards another part of the body is an essential tactic to utilize when dressing your body.
In the case of a muffin top, bringing more of the focus upwards away from the muffin top and more toward the bust/neck/face area is a great styling hack. This aids in giving more balance to the body – and distracting from the midsection.
There are various ways you can bring the focus up on the body. For example, opting for open necklines is a simple way to achieve this. Another trick can be adding statement necklace(s) or earrings to an outfit – this automatically draws the eye upwards.
Wear Wrap Tops
Even though wrap dresses are most common, you can also find wrap tops, and I have found them extremely flattering on women with a midsection concern like myself. Just like the wrap dresses, these wrap tops can flatter your womanly curves and hide the muffin top quite well.
Wear Asymmetric Tops
This is a little styling hack many people don’t know about, but it works wonders if you have a muffin top.
Believe it or not, an asymmetric top takes the focus away from the muffin top region. Thanks to the diagonal line of this style top, it elongates the top half of the body and hides the tummy well.
When choosing an asymmetric top, it’s important to make sure it’s not TOO long (especially if you’re petite). Asymmetric tops are meant to be a little longer than a traditional shirt, but it shouldn’t be longer than your hips in length. When tops get too long (below the hip area), you run the risk of shortening legs and making the torso appear much longer than it already is.
Wear Quality Shapewear
Shapewear tends to be a hot topic for many. There really is no right or wrong answer with shapewear, it really just comes down to what you feel most comfortable wearing.
If shapewear doesn’t feel good to you – don’t wear it. If it does help you feel more comfortable in your clothing then it can be a great tool to utilize.
Shapewear can be especially helpful if you have a muffin top because the purpose of shapewear is to smooth the body.
The good news? There’s an abundance of shapewear styles and options available nowadays so you can find something to suit your needs and body.
For many women with a muffin top, opting for shapewear and even garments with built in shapewear can help tremendously.
It’s not uncommon to find camisoles and dresses (for example) with shapewear benefits added to them – this can be a great way to dip your toe into the shapewear world and see if it’s something you’d like to wear more often.
Avoid Clingy Tops
It’s no secret that clingy fabrics and garments well…cling to the body.
This means that it’s best to avoid tops and dresses that are very clingy right around the waist and muffin top area of the body.
A really great way to flatter your body, rather than draw attention to the area you don’t want highlighted, is to opt for pieces that fit and/or flow around the midsection. It’s important these pieces are not TOO loose and flowy. The reason is they can actually add more weight to the midsection. A nice balance between clingy and loose is ideal.
Wear Structured Clothing
Another route to go with flattering tops is opting for pieces that offer some structure to them. This can be achieved with structured fabrics and/or silhouettes.
Structured pieces provide an opportunity to skim over the midsection, rather than clinging, which gives a great solution to dressing a muffin top without feeling like you have to hide it.
Avoid Cropped Tops
Much like higher rise pants are flattering, so are longer length tops. When dressing a muffin top, wearing tops that go over that part of the body is ideal to flatter your shape.
Crop tops seem to be everywhere right now and if that’s what you love to wear, you can certainly continue to wear them. The struggle that can arise with crop tops, or even shorter length tops (that rest right at the waist), is that they highlight the midsection and muffin top.
So if that’s not something you want to do, longer length tops are a better alternative. While you’ll want to select tops that are a bit longer, it’s important they’re not TOO long.
Right around the hips and/or just above is the most flattering length. This is the length where you will minimize the appearance of a muffin top without shortening your legs and body – remember this if you’re petite!
Wear Structured Layer
Disguise a muffin top in an instant by adding a structured layering piece over the top. This is another super simple styling trick to try out.
Simply put, blazers, coats, and any jackets that have defined shoulder lines.Structured layers offer that great ‘skimming’ effect structured tops do, but it also allows you to create structure to pieces that may not have it naturally. The benefit of layering pieces is how they give this layered effect that works wonders to flattering a muffin top.
Wear Darker Colors on Top
Everyone is familiar with the age old styling trick of wearing darker colors (most often black is referenced) to look slimmer.
This is a very true styling trick, and one to make use of with a muffin top. If you want to minimize the midsection, wearing darker colors on that part of the body is a must.
However, this doesn’t mean you have to wear head to toe black. Wear all the color you want on the bottom half! Opting for dark colors on the top half is going to create this balanced, slimmed illusion that allows you to have fun and express your personal style on the bottom half.
Avoid Pants That Fit TOO Tight
Finding pants, and clothes in general really, that fit perfectly can be difficult.
When dressing a muffin top it’s important that the pants (or any bottoms for that matter) don’t fit TOO tightly around the waist.
What happens when bottoms fit too tightly around the waist is the muffin top region can become even more prominent – sometimes even making it bigger.
The waistband of pants should be comfortable but not too tight to wear it’s squishing into the waist.If you have a hard time finding pants that aren’t cinching the waist in too much, try options with a wider waistband.
Sometimes the additional waistband width helps smooth that area of the body and is less pinched.