Apple needs an elegant evening dress. Help please!

[QueenOfIce]

I've been invited to a black tie event, it's going to be very glamorous I suspect, the hosts are incredibly wealthy very well put together and will go all out.

I don't want to look like a bag of sh*t, I need a very elegant dress for my apple shape, I've had a look on John Lewis and there's some lovely dresses but due to my large norks and bingo wings I'd feel very self conscious in a sleeveless number unless I can find a wrap of some description.

Any suggestions please?

Am also an apple and those ghost dresses would look horrendous on me. Suggest you have a look at solace london and preen line (both are on outnet always on sale) - both have lots of formal styles with dropped waists/no waists/sleeves etc.

Those ghost dresses are beautiful but I don’t see how anyone can think they’d work on an apple shape.
Apples are barrel shaped, no waist, big tummy. They have to wear empire line that flies from just below the bust.
I know because I’m an apple and tried on a million dresses before getting married this year.

Op, try Nancy MAC. Some of her shapes work for apples. Look I. The back catalogue at Valaria( or is it . If you find a shape that suits you they will make it up in any of their fabrics, and the customer service is great.
Dresses are about £200 and she uses really beautiful silk velvet and pure silk georgette. Much nicer than the sea of polyester in the high street. Monsoon often wants almost £200 for a nylon dress, yuk.

Those Ghost and Bombshell dresses no good for Apples, even skinny ones!!!

I agree about Bombshell: they look gorgeous and I’d love to have that shape, but I can’t see it working on me! I have literally no waist.

The style that works best on me is flitted and then flared. This sort of shape:

www.johnlewis.com/jolie-moi-fit-and-flare-lace-dress/dark-purple/p4345226

@Ohyesiam Nancy MAC has some lovely dresses thank you!

Fit and flare seem to be my best look or dropped waist. Empire and wrap are awful on me.

Thanks so much great suggestions so far!

She shoots - those dresses look nice. I would have to really think about the red one. But the shift styles I mean are really quite narrowly cut - I mean those 'work' dress styles.

I've just browsed House of Fraser and can't find any cocktail/evening dresses that would be fantastic for apple shapes. There are some smart/posh enough for a wedding guest though.

I can't wear ANYTHING with a waist at all even a fit and flare dress. Needs to be straight and above the knee and V neck. The dress needs to make the most of your hips being slimmer.

My other advice is a really good bar that makes the most of your boobs so they stick out more than your tummy.

Sorry - didn't realise apples had "no waist" - just thought it was a question of proportion and that a bit of a waist on a dress would sort of give you a shape. (I am overweight and have short, heavy legs so shifts and short things just make me look like a rectangle!). Anything with a bit of structure helps me to look less like SpongeBob SquarePants.

Hope that you find something you love