The inverted triangle shaped girls have prominent shoulders, a “model-like” feature, but it can also make it more challenging for you to find the right styles for prom. The wrong dress styles emphasize your shoulders even more and the right styles create a more balanced silhouette. In this detailed guide, we’ll walk you through the most flattering prom dress styles you should be looking for, and what you should stay away from.
Traits
- You have an amazingly athletic figure! Your strong, athletic features are your figure’s most distinctive points and you don’t gain much weight in unwanted areas.
- Your well-toned and slim legs and arms are highly coveted. One of the best features you have is the fact that your limbs are just naturally slender because you don’t gain too much body fat in these areas.
- You’ve got modelesque broad shoulders. This can either be a blessing or a curse (for some) because your shoulder line is the widest part of your body.
- You carry more of your weight from the top of your waist and above. This is where you gain most of your excess weight, which is actually not too bad, but it can make you appear top-heavy.
- You may have a flat and less pronounced behind. Your buttocks don’t have much volume so they may look small and a bit flat.
- Your waist and hips are narrow. They share almost the same width so there are not many curves in this region of your body.
- You don’t have much waist definition. The transition line that connects the two goes on a straight line so there’s no noticeable indentation in your waist.
One-shoulder Dresses
Ruffles are dainty details that can make your prom dress look even fancier! For your inverted triangle figure, you can enjoy the alluring effect of ruffles when you place them in a nice one-shoulder prom dress.
One of the primary goals when dressing your inverted triangle body shape is to create a flattering balance by visually narrowing the appearance of your shoulders and leading some attention to the lower part of the body. A one-shoulder dress can help achieve this balance because the asymmetrical design draws the eye across the body horizontally, which diverts attention away from the broad shoulder area and makes the upper body appear more toned down.
Go for one-shoulder prom dresses that have ruffles that run along the asymmetrical hemline, not only because they make the dress prettier, but also because they can help break up the angular lines in your athletic figure. The waves of the ruffles will also add more curves to your figure.
Tulle Fit and Flare Dresses
Fit and flare dresses are designed to create a balanced silhouette, which can be especially helpful for inverted triangle figures who have a smaller and narrower lower body. It’s a silhouette that cinches the waist and then flares out at the hips which properly balances the lack of volume you have in your lower half.
This shape and design visually counterbalances the broader upper body by making the waist appear smaller and the hips more prominent. The fit and flare silhouette shares the same shape as the hourglass figure so wearing a prom dress with this silhouette can also help you achieve the same hourglass proportions.
Additionally, the tulle fabric that graces these dresses adds a soft and romantic touch to your overall prom look! This can help soften the sharpness and angularity of your athletic figure and create a more feminine and elegant appearance.
Flowy Deep V-neck
Inverted triangle body shapes may differ in bust size, ranging from flat to full. But regardless of the size or shape of your bust, you definitely have a beautiful decolletage to show off, which is why deep V-neck dresses can be a very good choice for your prom night.
The deep V-neckline accentuates the neck and bust area, as well as elongates your neck for a more elegant and feminine appeal. It draws attention to your upper chest, collarbone, and décolletage, creating an elegant and eye-catching focal point.
Moreover, the dress’s flowing fabric can create the illusion of curves as it gently drapes over the waist and hips. This gives your frame a sense of movement to neutralize the harsh straight lines in your figure, especially the horizontal line in your broad shoulders, and achieve a more feminine look.
Structured Peplum Dresses
The Peplum dress silhouette is definitely one of the most feminine dress styles out there, all thanks to its dainty flair and curvy structure. This particular silhouette features a flared fabric overskirt that starts at the waist and extends over the hips.
The design element of peplum dresses creates the appearance of a smaller and more indented waist while also making the hips look more voluminous. As your key objective is to find a prom dress that will give you that flattering hourglass-like balance, the visual effect of defining your waist and giving prominence to your hips can give you the proportions you want.
The structured nature of peplum dresses and their fitted bodice helps tone down the broadness of your shoulders. The cinched waist and flared ruffle naturally shift the focus away from the shoulder area to reduce the visual emphasis on the broader upper half and create a more harmonious and flattering overall look.
Sparkly Dresses With Thick Straps
Prom night is something that gives you every reason to dazzle and shine at your best! So when it comes to prom dresses, sparkly fabric is a standout choice, and combining it with a prom dress that features thick straps can be exceptionally flattering for your inverted triangle body shape.
Whether it’s sequins, glitter, or metallic finishes, the shimmering allure of these fabrics can make you feel like a star on your special night! Not only that, it can also attract attention all over your frame and not solely focus on your broader upper half.
This is also where thick straps come in very helpful because they provide essential support while also visually balancing the proportions of your inverted triangle frame. The thick straps can also subtly break up the horizontal line that emphasizes the broadest part of your body so your overall silhouette will look more balanced from top to bottom.
Fitted Halter Dresses
The combination of a fitted bodice and a halter neckline in a dress can give your frame a sense of symmetry as the fitted bodice enhances your waist to create the illusion of curves in your figure. Simultaneously, the halter neckline softens the upper body’s appearance and provides ample support for your bust line, making your overall look more appealing and harmonious.
The defining feature of a halter dress is its neckline which typically wraps around the neck, leaving the shoulders and upper back exposed. This neckline design works to minimize the focus on the shoulders and add a more elegant vibe to your prom look.
The key to dressing your body type is to create a sense of balance by toning down the prominence of your broad shoulders and heavier upper half. This snug-fitting bodice not only adds definition to your waistline but also diminishes attention on the broader shoulders to neutralize the stark size difference between your upper and lower halves.
Beaded Mermaid Dresses
The combination of the mermaid silhouette and beaded detailing can work in complete harmony to create balance and allure for your highly anticipated prom look! The fitted bodice brings definition to your waist and adds curves to your frame while the flared skirt provides a sense of drama and glamour that’s very well-balanced with your broader upper half.
Mermaid dresses are known for their distinctive charm and curve-hugging silhouette that flares out dramatically at or below the knee. This style can be a total game-changer for your frame because the flared skirt will add a significant amount of volume to catch up with the overwhelming prominence of your shoulders, therefore achieving more balanced proportions!
Velvet A-Line Dresses
The A-Line silhouette is quite universally flattering and so they also make a great prom dress style for inverted triangle body shapes. A-line dresses are designed to have a well-balanced silhouette in which the bodice fits snugly at the waist and the skirt gently flares out towards the hem.
This style of prom dress helps to visually minimize the appearance of the shoulders to give your entire frame a better sense of balance, especially between the contrasting sizes of your upper and lower body. The A-Line silhouette also features a cinched or defined waistline to help bring definition to your waist, a characteristic that inverted triangle shapes lack.
Avoid Dramatic Shoulder Details
As you know, you already have very broad shoulders and their undeniable prominence needs no further emphasis. Dramatic shoulder details like bow knots, ruffles, pads, or other bulky embellishments draw even more unnecessary attention to your shoulder line and therefore make it appear larger and more dominant.
Adding bulk to your shoulders can lead to an imbalanced look that will significantly overwhelm your less pronounced lower half. This will also close the opportunity for you to highlight your body shape’s best features because of the fact that all the attention is fixated on your overpowering broad shoulders.
Avoid Strapless Dresses
Strapless dresses expose the shoulders and upper chest area, which can lead all attention to this already prominent feature of your figure. They also often have a straight-across neckline and a fitted bodice that extends down to the waist which can result in a top-heavy appearance, making the upper body look way larger and more dominant in comparison to the narrower waist and hips.
Strapless dresses rely solely on the bodice’s fit to stay in place, so this means there’s not much support provided for your figure and this can be visually awkward if you have a larger bust size. You may worry about constantly adjusting your dress throughout the evening, which can make your entire prom night experience uncomfortable.
Avoid Bodycon Dresses
Bodycon dresses are extremely form-fitting by nature, so they will hug the body closely from top to bottom. Since there is a clear imbalance between your broader upper half and narrower bottom half, wearing a bodycon dress on your prom night will only emphasize this imbalance further.
Moreover, bodycon dresses usually have a consistent, streamlined silhouette without the added volume or flaring at the hips or waist. This can make your upper body look more overwhelming and the lower body relatively smaller.
Avoid Spaghetti Strap Dresses
Sure, spaghetti straps are truly charming and sexy so it’s not unusual to give into the trend of wearing them for your prom night. However, for inverted triangle body shapes who would find it beneficial to downplay the overwhelming appearance of their shoulders, spaghetti straps won’t be the ideal choice.
Spaghetti straps are very thin, so they won’t provide too much coverage to break up the horizontal line that draws your broad shoulder from side to side. As it bares a huge part of your larger upper half, it will definitely draw more attention to this area and completely overwhelm the smaller appearance of your lower body.
By further emphasizing the broadness of your upper half, you are making the stark size contrast between your upper and lower more apparent. This will result in an imbalanced overall look, wherein your upper body looks awkwardly broader than your lower body.
