The 13 Near-Perfect Pieces If You Have An Adorable Stomach Pooch
Also known as being a human woman over the age of 35!
by The Candidly Team
We are not here to say that a lower belly needs to be “handled” or “dealt with,” because it doesn’t. We just want to dress in such a way that makes us feel confident and comfortable and that takes many forms.
For example, here is one of our faves.
We also don’t subscribe to wearing tents, because if our entire goal is to wear flattering clothes, this dashes those dreams.
So, it’s a balancing act. And a fairly universal one.
Lower bellies in particular are such fickle hormonal things that fluctuate throughout a given day or month. Even the slimmest among us and the pearest of pear shapes tend to have rounder ones once we hit 40. Given all this, we’ve learned a lot about what looks best on them.
And so, here we present 12 pieces in our closet that have made a world of difference when dressing comfortably with a pooch.
They’re chic. They’re staple. They’re flattering. They give us proportions we like that make getting dressed more enjoyable.
And isn’t that all we want?
1. These Comfy And Sculpting Cropped Pants
The Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Pants by Maeve
There is nothing more annoying than having a waistband cutting into our flesh, creating a tight circle that forces our entire tummy to pile into a protruding roll beneath. It seems like this could all be avoided by some simple math or, in the case of these pants, a “magic fabric” that’s designed to be flexible. The material stretches across our abdomen, softly sculpting along the way. We heard over and over that these were Anthropologie’s best-selling pants. And while we do love their pants in general, trying this pair was honestly a bit cathartic. Years of angst at having our bellies bashed into stiff, restrictive styles poured forth. We finally found the dream: pants that feel like leggings and look incredible on the stomach and bum.
Price: $120
2. This Relaxed-Fit Tee That’s Made For Apples
A lot of t-shirts fit like sad sacks. If we have any degree of boobs or belly, they just kinda puff out and fall flat, giving us a zero shape. This tee has a drop shoulder and an almost A-line at the bottom that narrows us up top and frames our torso in such a lovely way. It’s long enough for an easy, unbudgeable tuck but also looks great hanging loose. Not sad, not sacky…and sort of French, no?
Price: $78
3. This Fit And Flare Dress You’ll Wear Every Time It’s Clean
There’s a sleeveless version of this dress that practically broke our site, because it was clear how flattering this shape looks on any shape human. Forget for a moment the 6ft model. It’s made for curves, especially stomachs. The top is a soft, stretchy ponte that hugs right to the small of our waist, then floats into a light European cotton skirt, so we don’t feel a smidge restricted when our tummies inexplicably swell up at 4PM. It all feels very easy and loungewear-ish but definitely reads chic. And now, the added sleeve means we can wear it any time of year. Cinch it with a wide belt (see below) to give yourself even more of an hourglass. If it’s chilly, pull on a pair of boots. It’s one of those things that expedites getting dressed but still makes us look styled. Even all by itself.
Price: $118
4. This Astonishingly Chic Sweatshirt
Frank & Eileen Effie Long-Sleeve Funnel Neck Capelet
This is a dip into splurge territory, we admit. But the thing is, if you’re an apple shape, we’d bet cold hard cash that this will be your new favorite go-to staple. The clean, yet floaty A-line shape is wildly flattering. The neckline is chic. The triple fleece fabric is soft and lovely but not thick, so it gives off those sleek lines you so rarely get from a spacious top. It’s belly coverage without the bulk, and therefore a superhero piece for any human who doesn’t love tight things, but especially those of us with a pooch.
Price: $228
5. These Supportive Yet Stretchy Wide-Leg jeans
Madewell The Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg Jean
Madewell always talks about the “holds-you-in sorcery” of their “Magic Pockets™ in front.” It all sounds like marketing mumbo jumbo up until the moment you try on their jeans. If you have a lifelong lower belly, you may already have identified the brand as making the most comfortable denim for midsections. This pair has that precise amount of stretch, and the wide-leg has a narrowing effect at the small of our waist. Tuck in #2 on this list, and you’ve taken your whole jeans and tee look to a different level where we feel styled instead of lazy.
Price: $128
6. This Spacious Button-Down You Can Style 17 Ways
The Bennet Buttondown Shirt by Maeve: Striped Edition
A crisp button-down is one of the easiest ways to look put together and classic. Cue mental montage of Katherine Hepburn and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Sharon Stone at the Oscars in 1998 (Google it!). But if you have a wider waist or thicker arm, it can also add bulk and be a pain in the ass to tuck or tie. This shirt from Maeve solved the problem in a simple but very smart way. It’s longer in the back, which means yes, we can leave it open for a light coverage outer layer, but it also has these high side slits, so you can easily tuck, half-tuck, or tie it in the front and leave the back loose. It falls in a way that’s very flattering and easy (See our very own try-on photos HERE). And it saves you tons of time fussing with Stay-Puft-Marshmallow-Man-level puffing.
Price: $98
7. This Silk Skirt And Slouchy Sweater Combo
Quince 100% Washable Silk Skirt and Quince 100% Organic Cotton Fisherman Crew Sweater
Stay with us here, because we’re not just talking about one thing. But we promise, it’s only two, and in combination, they may be our favorite outfit to wear when we want to look reeeeeally well-dressed but are feeling bloated and blah. It works for any occasion, and we’re just gonna come out and call it foolproof, because it looks great on everyone. Enough build-up. Basically you take a soft, slouchy sweater (our current favorite pictured). You pull it on over a silky slip skirt, which is cut to glide over curves. The result will look very sleek despite you feeling totally covered up. Plus, it’s as comfortable as PJs. Try it. It’s sort of magic.
Price: $60 for the sweater, $70 for the skirt
8. These Strategically Pleated Trousers
Madewell The Harlow Wide-Leg Pant
A high-waisted, wide-leg pant makes our waists look smaller. They just do. Maybe that’s not your goal, but if a drapey, tailored trouser speaks to your soul as someone who wants to look like they care about their clothes but feel extremely comfortable, these are the best pants. The light pleating doesn’t add an ounce of bulk, but instead creates a sort of forgiving (we know, that word sucks) front panel. Again, we’ve been told these are Madewell’s most popular pants. And between the fit, the size range, and the sea of colors, we get why.
Price: $118
9. This Little Black Dress That Makes Your Legs Look 8 Miles Long
This dress follows a little trick we like when it comes to wearing something looser or more covering so we don’t look too stiff or shrouded in fabric. And that is to show more skin somewhere we’re deeply comfortable. This dress being swingy, A-line, and short, in combination, makes our legs looks longer. Add a comfy, walkable heel, and you’ll never collect more compliments. And you won’t spend a single second sucking in or squeezing into shapewear to get there.
Price: $198
10. This Invisible Thong That Melts Your Midsection
Panty lines are the bane of our sartorial existence, which is why we’re so often willing to wear what’s essentially a piece of string betwixt our bottoms. Still, a lot of thongs create deep, annoying lines around our waist. Plus, there’s no support at all. Enter this one from Spanx. It’s seamless but has a soft compression waist-band. It’s very smoothing, but you hardly know you’re wearing it.
Price: $24
11. This Slouchy Cashmere Sweater We’ll Be Living In Til Spring
Quince Mongolian Cashmere Oversized Boyfriend Cardigan Sweater
First, we’re just gonna straight up tell you that if draping yourself in 100% cashmere is your dream, but you don’t have anywhere near the budget to do so, Quince is your brand. They’re making our favorite sweaters in lush fabrics for about a third of the price of luxury brands. This sweater in particular is ideal for apple shapes for reasons you can probably gather just from looking at it. It’s slouchy, but the cut is very intentional, so it looks lovely open over a long tank or you can button and tuck it like THIS. You can also use this slightly genius device to be in complete control of how much puff you want over your pants.
Price: $140
12. This Stretchy And Skimming Blazer
Spanx The Perfect Oversized Blazer
We all wish we owned an easy, throw-on blazer that suddenly turns our schlubbiest clothes into an outfit. But finding one that doesn’t feel restrictive and stiff is damn near impossible. Until now. There is actual stretttcccch in this blazer. And it sizes up to 3X.
Price: $168
12. This Skimming Going-Out Top
Tuckernuck Miranda Off the Shoulder Blouse
See? We’re using that trick again of showing a sliver of skin in one section so we can feel nice and tucked away in another. In this case, our shoulders get to be the star, but our tummy is skimmed by the subtlest flare. It sizes up to XXXL and comes in black and other colors. Also, we can’t stress enough how easy it is to wear a full-support strapless bra underneath. No weird lines. No boob tape. The dream.
Price: $98
13. This “Quiet Luxury” Piece That’s Replaced Our Boring Blazers
M.M. Lafleur The Merritt Jardigan
This unique little jacket/sweater/blazer gives us that clean, tailored shape that perfectly frames the rest of our outfit. So many pieces of outerwear are either boxy and boring or stiff and restrictive. We hate both. This one is made of a luxe, stretchy knit, but it has the sharp cut of a blazer. Leave it open for a little extra coverage with zero bulk added. Or tie it up at the small of your waist. It’s a bit of an investment piece, but you’ll reach for it all. the. time.
Price: $325
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.
We have to eat.
