The best tops to hide your tummy

A popular article at 40+ Style is how to hide your belly with clothes, where I share 10 ways to hide your tummy effectively with the right kind of tops, dresses, cardigans and jackets. Many 40+ women develop a tummy and they would rather not show too much of that to the world.

And why would you, when you can easily hide it with the right tops! So I went out looking for some ideal tops to buy right now to hide your belly. Many of these will look good on all women over 40. As you may know, I’m a great fan of draped and asymmetrical tops myself.

Requirements for great belly hiding tops and dresses

Make sure they don’t cling

Make sure your tops don’t cling. Clinging is enemy number one if you don’t want to show your tummy. Instead you want fabrics and tops that losely drape over your belly.

To avoid clingy tops, make sure that you don’t buy your tops too tight.

Also be careful with a lot of synthetic fabrics. Natural materials like cotton and silk are often better.

Woven fabrics usually don’t cling and can be very useful in hiding bellies.

Have drape in all the right places

A draped top can be very effective in hiding bellies. This is also a very useful method in dresses. So rather than plain soft tops that show every bubble on your body look for draped tops instead.

Benefit from asymmetrical tops

Asymmetrical tops are very effective in hiding bellies. Not only are asymmetrical tops hip and timeless they also do a great job in creating very flattering vertical lines. Especially those tops that start on the left and then go vertical down to the right.

Make use of layered tops

Layering in general is super effective to hide bellies. However, in summer you don’t want to wear too many layers. Layered tops to the rescue. Very good at hiding bellies they look super hip too!

Tops that create long vertical lines

If you find asymmetry too edgy or prefer a more traditional way to hide your belly, opt for vertical lines. These can be very effectively created with long (sleeveless) vests and cardigans. Not only do these hide bellies, they are very effective in lengthening and slimming too.

Printed tops help camouflage the tummy

Tops that have a print are excellent at hiding bellies. If you combine that with a non-clingy fabric, vertical lines or asymmetry, it’s a win, win, win!

Jackets are another great layering piece

Layering is one of the most effective tools to hide a belly so it’s essential to have a good jacket or blazer in your wardrobe.

Some great brands for tops that hide the belly

Stella Carakasi: lots of non-clingy asymmetric tunics. **Enter the coupon code 40PLUS15 for an extra 15% off all orders and receive free shipping in the US! One use per customer.
Covered Perfectly: Pauline wanted to hide her belly effectively and decided to create her own tops. Lots of great options here. There is a special line for plus size women too. ** Special offer for 40+ style readers, use 40+ at checkout for 20% off!
Eileen Fisher: Beautiful long tunics and (sleeveless) vests in natural fabrics that create long and lean lines. They have a special line for petites too!
Vince Camuto: makes a variety of draped, layered and asymmetrical tops that are really flattering.

What is your favorite top to hide your belly? Do you have any favorite brands?

p.s. in the 40+ style club we will spend a whole month discovering the many ways and tips & tricks to hide your belly! Discover how to create super flattering silhouettes using the rule of thirds, layering, use of the right clothes, the right use of accessories and much more. There will be a master class, special capsule, videos and group discussions on how to create the most flattering silhouette that DOES NOT feature your belly.