The inverted triangle body shape is characterised by broad shoulders and / or bust that narrow down to the hips. The strong shoulders often lend this body shape an athletic-looking physique.
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The inverted triangle body shape is heavier on the top due to the wide shoulder line.
The goal for dressing this shape is to balance the broader shoulders, chest and back with the narrower lower body to create a balanced silhouette.T
his is achieved by choosing clothes that add curves to the hips and bottom while creating a more defined waist, and de-emphasising the upper body.
Reduce the wide appearance of your shoulders by playing them down and balancing them out with the narrower hips.
Add volume and interest to your hips and bottom to make them look curvier and your shoulders smaller.
The right neckline for the inverted triangle body shape is one that plays down the wide shoulders and / or bust.
To achieve this, necklines should be slim and long to visually reduce the width of the upper body. Deep and narrow scoop, U-or V-necklines are great.
Asymmetric styles help break up the chest vertically; and if you have a small bust, halter necks can help elongate your silhouette.
Avoid wide and low necklines - such as off-shoulder, bateau, square, and Sabrina styles, that would add to the width of the shoulder line.
A selection of flattering necklines:
Like necklines, sleeves should make the upper body appear slimmer. If the sleeve is short, opt for tight-fitted, tapered sleeves to avoid adding weight to your shoulders. Dropped shoulder points, shoulder slits, and cut-outs the shoulders appear slimmer.
For long sleeves, the opposite is true: to add volume around your hips, opt for soft sleeves that flare- such as raglans, kimono, or dolman sleeves.
Choose wide straps over thin straps as the latter will make the shoulders look wider and bigger.
Avoid heavy detailing like buttons around the shoulders as well as puff sleeves that would draw the eye to the wide shoulders.
A selection of flattering sleeve styles:
Shirts for the inverted triangle body shape should emphasise the waist and play down the upper body and broad shoulders. Simple straight lines, wrap-style tops, splits on the waist or layering on the hips are great.
To add volume to the hip area, look for shirts that flare from the waist to the hips to give the illusion of shape. Tops should extend past the hip-line to take away attention from the shoulders.
Opt for shirts in darker colours than your bottoms and keep shirts collar-less or with very small collars to take attention away from the upper body.
Avoid cropped shirts that end at the waist, and details or embellishments around the upper body and shoulder area.
A selection of great shirt & top styles:
Since knitwear tends to add volume to the upper body (especially chunkier, heavier styles), the best options for the inverted triangle body is straight-cut and slim fitting jumpers with a fine gauge.
Avoid horizontal stripes and thick, chunky knitwear that adds bulk to the shoulders. Also steer clear of details and embellishments around the décolletage, neckline and shoulders.
Just like shirts, jackets for the inverted triangle shape should de-emphasise the shoulders and upper body, whilst highlighting the waist.
The best options for jackets are either straight cuts or styles with waist definition and that flare out at the waist. Nipped or belted jackets with deconstructed, fluid lines flatter the silhouette.
Pockets or other details below the waist are great to add interest and volume to the hips. Opt for single breasted jackets as double-breasted jackets would add to much volume to the upper body.Jackets should extend beyond the hip-line to balance out the wide shoulders, and should be in a darker colour for a slimming effect on the upper body.
Avoid double breasted buttoning, big collars, shoulder pads and embellishments like epaulets as they make your broad shoulders appear even broader. Also steer clear of structured and tailored jackets as well as cropped jackets with slim fitting bottoms.
A selection of flattering jacket styles:
Coats for the inverted triangle body shape should add volume around the hips and create a waist at the same time.In order to create volume around the hips and lower body, coats should flare at the hip-line.
Details around the hip area are also excellent to add interest and volume to the hips.
Belted and nipped coats will give the illusion of a defined waist. Opt for darker coloured coats for a slimming effect.
Avoid details and embellishments on and around the shoulders - such as shoulder pads, big lapels, and double breasted coats. If you opt for a trench coat make sure it comes without epaulets which would draw attention the your shoulders. Also steer clear of big collars that would add volume to your upper body.
A selection of great coat styles:
Any style that will accentuate and add volume to the the bottom and leg line is great for the inverted triangle.
Baggy trousers, turn ups, combat, palazzo, flares, culottes, wide legs, and harem pants are all great examples.Opt for trousers in bright or light colours to draw attention to your legs. And add lots of details - such as pockets, embellishments on the back or front pockets, patterns and prints, to add volume to the hips.
If you want to wear more slim-fitted trousers, opt for straight and cigarette style trousers - they balance out your silhouette better than skinny fits.
A selection of flattering trouser styles:
Just like with trousers, jeans should add dimension to the bottom and hips to make the shoulders look narrower.
Any style that flares from the knee is great - such as bootleg, wide, boyfriend style, and baggy jeans, to give the illusion of shape. Slim, and straight fits are also okay as long as they have some sort of detail.
Jeans with details around the hip, bottom, and thigh area - such as back pockets, front pockets, various washes, rips, distress, and embellishments are excellent to draw the eye downward. Opt for jeans in lighter colours than your tops to further draw the attention away from your shoulders.
Avoid skinny jeans, simple styles, and darker colours that take attention away from your lower body.
A selection of flattering jean styles:
Skirts should add volume to the hips and balance out the shoulders.Any type of skirt style that flares from the hips and/or adds visual width to the hips is best for an inverted triangle body shape. Straight, full, or A-line, ballerina, bias cut or tulip skirts are great. Tiered, volume or dropped waistlines also work well.
Details such as panels, box pleats or vertical lines at the top ending in a full skirt are good to add dimension and interest to the hip area.Another way to draw attention to your lower body is by choosing skirts in bright colours, horizontal stripes and patterns. They should be lighter or brighter than your top.
Skirt lengths can be extreme from very short and flared to long and flowing.Avoid tight-fitted skirts that hug the hips and visually pull them in.
A selection of flattering skirt styles:
Like skirts, the right dresses for the inverted triangle body add volume at the hips to balance your shoulders.To achieve this, look for dresses that flare from the waist or hips. Simple, straight lines, shift dresses, and A-line dresses are great.
Details on the lower part of the dress- such as patterns and pleats, as well as lighter colours will draw the eye downwards and away from the shoulders.
If you opt for nipped or belted dresses you can also add some definition to your waist.
Strapless dresses are a great way of showing off your shoulders. But make sure you balance them out by adding volume to the hips.
Avoid dresses that emphasise the shoulder area and upper body - either through the wrong neckline or details on the upper body. Also steer clear of dresses that are fitted at the bottom and don't add any volume to the hips.
A selection of flattering dress styles:
Shorts for the inverted triangle body shape should add volume to the lower body and hips.Great styles are wide, baggy and printed shorts. These will balance with the body's broader shoulders.
Shorts should have pleats and fuller legs to add with to the hips. Short jeans are great, especially if the legs are rolled up.
Avoid small and tight-fitted shorts in darker colours that would de-emphasise the hips and bottoms and make you look top-heavy.
A selection of great short styles:
Jumpsuits and playsuits are your best friends if you are an inverted triangle because your broad shoulders let the garments fall nicely down your silhouette. The only thing you need to make sure is to balance out the wide shoulders with the lower body.
This can be achieved by drawing the eye downwards and away from the shoulders. A deep V-neck, for instance, flatters the décolletage and minimises the bust. A defined waist and wider leg, on the other hand, will balance your silhouette, and details around the waist- such as a belt, will draw it visually in.
A pattern, details or a lighter colour on the lower body will also help take attention away from the upper body.
Avoid ruffles, embellishments and details on the upper body as well as tight-fitted trousers to avoid drawing attention to the broader shoulders.
A selection of flattering jump- and playsuits:
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