Find the Absolute Best Jeans for Your Apple Body Shape

Here’s what you need to know to find the best jeans for your apple body shape.

This post was updated on March 25, 2023.

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When I started this blog, I never planned on writing about how to dress my apple body shape.

But then I fell down a rabbit hole reading about how to dress my body, and I couldn’t believe what I saw.

Illustrations of apple-shaped figures but not actual women. Stock photos of women who aren’t even apple shaped. No pictures of real-life women who look like me.

It’s hard to know what to wear when you don’t see anyone shaped like you.

That’s why I’m sharing what I learned about how to dress my figure, starting with the best jeans for the apple body shape.

**This post contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Read my affiliate disclosure for more info.**

Read This First

I’m not gonna lie: Finding jeans for an apple body shape is not easy. Most jeans – shoot, most clothing – isn’t made with our kind of bodies in mind.

You’ll have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. You’ll have to try on a lot of jeans in a lot of different brands, sizes, washes, and styles to find the best ones for you.

And then you’ll have to try on some more.

You’ll notice that throughout this post, I have a lot of photos of me in store fitting rooms. That’s because I’m still trying on jeans. I know what looks good on me, but I haven’t found it yet. I’m picky about finding the ideal rise, wash, and leg style for my specific body.

And you shouldn’t settle, either. But you should also be realistic about what you won’t find.

You won’t find jeans that magically give you curvy hips, a narrow waist, or Kim Kardashian’s booty.

Your best jeans are going to make your own body look and feel its best. There’s no competition or comparison to other people. It’s all about you.

What Is an Apple Body Shape?

Apple body shapes are heavier on the top (shoulders, bust, and waist) than they are on the bottom (hips, butt, and legs). Apples carry most of their extra weight in their middle; it’s the first place they gain weight and the last place they lose it.

Apple body shape traits include:

• a thick waist;
• narrow hips;
• a flat butt;
• slim legs;
• broad shoulders;
• a wide back; and
• a large bust.

You may have all of these characteristics, or you may have some. You may also morph into different body shapes if you gain or lose weight. Similar body types include the inverted triangle and rectangle.

While most people think of apples as plus size, they can also be slim or mid size. They can be tall, petite, or average height. They can have long, short, or regular torsos.

The Best Jeans for Apple Body Shape Figures

The best jeans for an apple shape will have a wider pant leg to balance your wider top half. The rise should be high and the fabric should be heavier to pull in your midsection.

1. Wide Leg

Wide legs are the best jeans for an apple body shape because:

• they balance your top half; and
• they don’t have to fit perfectly on your small bottom and narrow hips.

Wide leg jeans vary from slim to extra wide. The key thing to look for is that they’re slim through the hips and bottom before flaring out on the leg. They look sloppy if they’re too loose on the hips and bottom.

Look for a cropped wide-leg jean for a trendy, fashionable silhouette.

2. Straight Leg

Try straight-leg jeans if you don’t like wide legs. They work well, too!

3. Boot/Flare

Boot and flare jeans are another compromise between wide-leg and skinny jeans. They still provide fullness to your legs with the slim fit of a skinny jean. A cropped pair is very on trend!

4. High-Waisted

High-rise jeans cover and hold in the extra weight apples carry in their middles. They sit at the smallest part of your waist and emphasize the narrowest part of your middle.

The best rise depends on your torso length, and should hit at the smallest part of your waist. My torso is short, and I’ve found that I like a rise around 11 inches.

5. Non-Stretch or Heavier-Weight Stretch

Non-stretch or heavier-weight denim is flattering for an apple body shape because it provides structure and weight to your smaller bottom half. Rigid jeans also skim along the stomach and create a straighter line down your belly.

The best rigid denim style is wide-leg or straight-leg because they’re not meant to be super tight. Even though they don’t have any stretch, this style can be comfortable because of their shape.

If you don’t like non-stretch jeans (or can’t find any that fit), look for stretch jeans in a heavier fabric that still provide structure to your bottom half. Your jeans should look like jeans.

The Worst Jeans For an Apple Body Shape

This section may throw you for a loop. I don’t agree with much of the advice on the internet about the best jeans for apple body shape figures. My experience comes from years of dressing my own body following these same “tips” and never feeling good in my clothes.

1. Skinny Jeans

The problem with skinny jeans for apple body shapes is that they make our top halves look larger. Our bodies are unbalanced, especially if we wear oversized shirts.

It’s also really hard to find skinny jeans that fit properly. If they fit in the waist, they’re often too large in the bottom and legs.

2. Thin, Super Stretchy Jeans

Thin, super stretchy jeans cling to the rolls and round parts of your stomach. They highlight exactly what you’re hoping to hide.

A little stretch for comfort is fine, but avoid super stretchy jeans like jeggings.

I know I’m in the minority by advising you to avoid super stretchy jeans. Pretty much all other advice says the opposite, and I used to think that way, too. I wore stretch jeans for years until I realized they didn’t help my figure.

3. Mid-Rise and Low-Rise Jeans

Mid-rise jeans hit at the widest part of your waist and draw attention to your thickest area. Low-rise jeans sit low on the hips and can create a muffin top.

Plus, when I wear these rises, I’m constantly pulling them up because my narrow hips don’t hold up the wider waistband. But with a high rise, my jeans sit at the smallest part of my waist (on top of my stomach pooch) and don’t slide down.

Apple Body Shape Jeans Brands

Here are jeans that I’ve found fit wider at the waist compared to other brands. Not all styles from the same brand will fit well, and not all washes in the same style will fit the same.

And sometimes the fits vary from season to season. I might have good luck one time, then their jeans don’t fit me the next time I try.

My brand recommendations are based on my straighter apple shape.

1. Old Navy

Old Navy’s wide-leg jeans look nice on my apple shape. These ones are soft, but still a substantial weight to smooth my stomach. If you have a short torso like me, just beware that the rise is quite high.

Plus, they come in petite, tall, and plus sizes!

2. MOTHER Denim

MOTHER Denim’s styles to try are:

• the Roller, for a wide leg;
• the Rambler, for a wider straight leg;

MOTHER Denim’s jeans typically have a lot of stretch, but they are more flattering than other super-stretchy styles I’ve tried.

3. Other Styles

I’ve found that some Reformation jeans fit me, like the Emma High Rise Wide Leg Jeans. I have them in black, and they feel more like pants rather than jeans because they’re stretchy.

For a relaxed straight leg, I recently purchased Everlane’s The Rigid Slouch Jean. They stretch out a little in the butt, but not nearly as much as other jeans I’ve tried.

Madewell’s Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg Jeans have fit me well in the past, but I haven’t tried them on recently. These have more stretch than I prefer, which is why I don’t typically buy Madewell jeans.

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Final Thoughts on Jeans for an Apple Body Shape

I wish I had a different body shape. I wish I had an easier time finding jeans that fit. I wish I looked like the Instagram influencers who could make a paper sack look good.

But this is the body I have, and it’s the body I need to make the most of. I’ve spent most of my life trying to hide it, and I’m finished with that nonsense.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• The Best Hairstyles for Broad Shoulders
• The Best Dresses for Apple Body Shape Women to Wear

This post is about the best jeans for apple body shape figures.