Best Celebrities with Apple Body Shape of All Time
The all-time greats who made the apple body shape iconic — Adele, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Latifah — ranked by enduring fashion influence, with the styling principles that have defined the silhouette for decades.
Some style icons define a silhouette for a single season; a rare few define it for a generation. This is our all-time ranking of the celebrities who made the apple body shape iconic — women whose red-carpet choices have shaped how the fashion industry dresses fuller midsections across decades, not just one year. For the current-year edition, see our Best Celebrities with Apple Body Shape in 2026.
Best Celebrities with Apple Body Shape of All Time — illustrative figure for this report.
What Defines the Apple Body Shape?
An apple body shape carries weight in the midsection and bust. Shoulders are often broader than the hips, the waist does not dip inward dramatically, and legs and arms are usually slimmer in comparison.
The World Health Organization associates a women’s waist-to-hip ratio of 0.85 or above with apple-type weight distribution. Many women find their shape shifting toward an apple during perimenopause or menopause — a normal part of how bodies change over time. The goal of good styling is consistent across every era: create vertical lines and draw the eye toward the face and lower body.
The All-Time Top 3, Ranked
Adele takes the number-one spot, ahead of Oprah Winfrey at #2 and Queen Latifah at #3.
| Rank | Celebrity | Era of Influence | Signature Style | Enduring Principle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Adele | 2008–present | Flowing gowns, A-line dresses | Comfort & vertical lines |
| #2 | Oprah Winfrey | 1986–present | Tailored blazers, wrap dresses | Structure & balance |
| #3 | Queen Latifah | 1989–present | Colorful gowns, structured jackets | Confidence & color |
How We Ranked Them
This is a career ranking, not a seasonal one. We weighed three factors measured across each star’s whole public life: enduring influence on fashion, long-term consistency in dressing for their natural shape, and sustained advocacy for body positivity and inclusive sizing.
Adele finishes first. She is the most globally recognised apple-shaped style icon of the modern era, scoring at the top on all three measures: her red-carpet choices are the most copied, her V-neckline-and-A-line formula is the most consistent, and her public stance — “I represent the majority of women” — made body positivity mainstream. Oprah Winfrey ranks a close second for nearly four decades of apple-shape power dressing on television, with Queen Latifah third as the original red-carpet disruptor. All three shifted what designers make; Adele simply did it on the largest stage.
Our top three is not an outlier. Independent fashion coverage lands in the same place: FloraDress, in its Hollywood apple-shape feature, leads with the same three names in the same order — Adele, then Oprah, then Queen Latifah. When two mastheads rank a field separately and agree on the whole podium, the ordering reflects a real consensus rather than one editor’s taste.
Adele: The Defining Icon of Her Generation
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins tops most modern lists of celebrities with an apple body shape. From the BRIT School in Croydon to global stardom, her style evolved from dark, simple silhouettes on 19 and 21 to bold colors and custom Armani gowns that highlight her natural frame rather than hiding it.
“I’ve never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women, and I’m very proud of that.” — Adele
That authenticity is why she endures. 21 sold 208,000 copies in its first US week; 25 sold over 800,000 in its first UK week; 30 showed a new stylistic confidence. She has won 16 Grammys and earned an MBE. Across all of it, her stylist’s reliance on V-necklines and A-line dresses has been remarkably consistent — the through-line that makes her an all-time, not just current, reference.
Oprah Winfrey: Four Decades of Power Dressing
Oprah Winfrey is arguably the most influential apple-shaped dresser in television history. For nearly forty years she built a media empire while making structured blazers and wrap dresses the template for apple-shape power dressing.
“The reason why so many of us can’t move forward is because you’re in a space too cramped to hold your spirit. You got to be in alignment with what you want to do.” — Oprah Winfrey
Her exhibit “Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture” at the National Museum of African American History and Culture marks a cultural footprint few entertainers match. Her style remains a masterclass in using tailored silhouettes to project authority — a blueprint copied for decades.
Queen Latifah: The Original Red-Carpet Disruptor
Queen Latifah has brought bold energy to red carpets since the early 1990s, long before body positivity was an industry talking point. Her colorful gowns and structured necklines draw the eye upward and celebrate her full figure.
She showed, earlier than almost anyone, that an apple shape could carry bold patterns and dramatic cuts with total confidence. Her message — that style has no size limitations — helped push designers toward more inclusive collections years ahead of the mainstream.
The Styling Principles That Have Lasted
What unites every name on this all-time list is a small, repeatable toolkit that has not changed in decades:
- V-necklines and deep scoop necks to lengthen the torso
- Empire waists that flow over the midsection without clinging
- A-line dresses and skirts for structure without compression
- Structured blazers to define the shoulders and cinch the waist — Oprah’s signature
- High-waisted, wide-leg trousers to balance the upper body and elongate the legs
- Flowing fabrics like silk and crepe over stiff or clingy materials
Adele’s stylist often layers these into monochromatic looks for an uninterrupted vertical line — universally flattering, and a trick as effective today as it was on Oprah’s set in the 1990s.
Why These Icons Still Matter
Most women do not have a textbook hourglass figure — roughly 14% have an apple shape according to the SizeUSA study. Seeing enduring icons succeed at the very top of music, television and film while dressed for their real proportions does more than sell clothes: it normalises a body type and pressures the industry toward inclusive sizing. For how this is playing out right now, read our 2026 edition and our wider trends coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the most iconic celebrity with an apple body shape of all time? +
Adele ranks number one. She is the defining apple-shaped style icon — winning 16 Grammys and topping global charts while consistently dressing for her shape and championing body positivity. Oprah Winfrey ranks second for four decades of apple-shape power dressing, followed by Queen Latifah.
What exactly is an apple body shape? +
The apple body shape carries weight in the bust and midsection with narrower hips and leaner legs. The shoulders and bust are wider than the hips, and the waist does not dip inward much. The WHO associates it with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.85 or above in women.
How do these celebrities style their apple shape? +
They rely on V-necklines, empire waists, A-line dresses, structured blazers and high-waisted trousers — pieces that create vertical lines and define the shoulders while letting fabric flow over the midsection.
Can apple-shaped women wear fitted clothing? +
Yes, when the fabric holds its shape. Structured blazers and wrap dresses flatter the silhouette; clingy stretch fabrics across the midsection do not. The aim is vertical lines, not compression.
Why does apple-shape representation matter? +
Most women do not have a textbook hourglass figure. Seeing enduring icons like Oprah and Adele succeed at the top of their fields, dressed for their real proportions, normalises a body type roughly 14% of women share and pushes the industry toward inclusive sizing.
What is the best neckline for an apple-shaped figure? +
A V-neckline is the classic choice. It lengthens the neck and torso and creates a slenderizing vertical line — the single most repeated trick across every name on this list.
Senior Runway Correspondent
Elise has covered the Paris, Milan and New York collections for over a decade, reporting from the front row on the business and craft of high fashion. She reads a show for cut, construction and commercial intent — not just spectacle.
