The inverted triangle shaped women are known for broad shoulders and narrower hips, which can make you appear top heavy, especially in swimsuit season. In this detailed guide, we will first help you fully understand your body features, and then go over the most flattering bikini styles for your unique body shape.
Traits
- Broad and prominent shoulders – Think of athletes, like swimmers! The broad width of your shoulders is the most distinctive part of your inverted triangle figure.
- Athletic solid build – You possess a strong bone structure and you can achieve significantly toned muscle mass when you work out.
- Very toned and lean arms and legs – This goes along with the fact that you’ve got an athletic build. You barely gain weight in your limbs so your arms and legs are always gorgeously slender!
- Your frame leans toward “top-heavy” – Whenever you gain weight, you carry it above your waist so this, together with the fact that you’ve got broad shoulders, can make you look top-heavy.
- Narrow and small hips – There’s a drastic size contrast between your upper and lower body because your hips are relatively narrower compared to your shoulders.
- Straight, undefined waistline – Your waist and hips are almost the same width so the transition line between the two isn’t as curved and obvious.
- Flat buttocks – Your less prominent lower body doesn’t gain considerable weight so your rear tends to be less pronounced.
It may seem a bit tricky to work around inverted triangle body shapes when it comes to wearing bikinis. However, now that you have a more detailed understanding of the features of your figure, you can easily find the best ones for you.
Here are the best bikini styles to go with your inverted triangle body shape:
BIKINI TOPS
Asymmetrical One-Shoulder
One-shoulder bikini tops are not just stylish and sexy, but they also make a great style choice for inverted triangle body shapes with broad shoulders. The asymmetrical design of the one-shoulder bikini top helps balance out the drastic size difference between your upper and lower body for it attracts attention to your decolletage.
The one-shoulder design will evenly distribute the gaze and lead attention toward the neck, collarbone, and face. The diagonal cut that the one-shoulder neckline creates a visual break that subtly diminishes the wide horizontal line that contributes to the appearance of your wide shoulders.
If you go for an asymmetrical one-shoulder bikini top that dips down in a gentle curve (like a U shape), this can also help add curves to your frame to blur out the harsh angular lines that you have in your upper body.
Plunging V-Necks
V-necks are generally very flattering for inverted triangle body shapes because the shape of this neckline can break up the space between your broad shoulders. This narrowing effect can create a vertical line down the center of the body to visually elongate the upper body and tone down the broadness of your shoulders.
The way that the V-neck bikini top plunges deep into the center can neutralize the expanse of the chest and shoulders, and hence divert attention downward. This will give you better proportions to help your lower body look more in line with your upper body.
Bikini Tops with Padded Cups
The bust size of inverted triangle body shapes can vary from flat to full, depending on your weight. Either way, it’s also wise to wear bikini tops with padded cups to give your breasts a flattering lift and as well as proper support.
Padded cups similar to those found in bras, can provide a gentle curvature to the bust to enhance the appearance of your cleavage. This can add curves to your frame and give your athletic build a more feminine touch by showcasing your alluring decolletage.
When it comes to choosing a bikini top with padded cups, you need to make sure that it will give you a very snug fit. This is to make the most out of the visual effect the padded cups can give, otherwise, it might end up looking more awkward if it’s too loose or too tight.
Sweetheart Necks
Here’s a very dainty bikini top option that can incorporate a nice touch of femininity into your strong, athletic figure. Sweetheart necklines have a curved design that resembles the top of a heart shape, which helps create a curvaceous line that will break up the harsh angular lines you have in your upper half.
This can also be particularly helpful for inverted triangle body shapes who are looking into enhancing the shape of their bust as the gentle dip in the center of the sweetheart neckline can visually create a shapely cleavage, promoting a more hourglass-like silhouette. This additional curve can bring balance by neutralizing your broader shoulders to create a more harmonious flow from top to bottom.
Halter Tops with Wide Straps
Wide halter straps provide substantial coverage over your broad shoulders to divide the harsh horizontal line on your upper half. This will even out the proportions of your body while also providing ample support to your bust.
Halter tops with wide straps typically tie at the back of the neck, and this creates a shape that visually narrows down the appearance of your upper body. To further enhance its slimming effect, go for necklines that dip at the center such as V-Neck or Sweetheart.
Moreover, you should also consider your bust shape and size and therefore go for a bikini top that has a supportive structure according to your upper body build. Halter bikini tops with wide straps can also work well with darker colors so that they don’t bring too much attention to your shoulders.
Dark-colored Bikini Tops
Since you have a larger upper half due to your broad shoulders and the weight you carry above your waist, it can be very helpful to go for bikini tops that feature a slimming effect. Dark colors have a natural slimming effect as they create an optical illusion of a more streamlined upper body by absorbing light so they can help draw attention away from the shoulders and instead highlight the bust and lower body.
In addition to this, dark colors also tend to recede visually and can therefore effectively minimize the appearance of your broader shoulder area and heavier upper half. This visually balancing effect creates a more proportional look especially when you pair it with a bikini bottom that has more volume or interesting details.
They are very versatile so it’s much easier to mix and match them with different styles of bikini bottoms. Its classic appeal plus its visually slimming effect are more than enough reasons for you to make this your beachwear staple!
Tankini with Side Ruching
Ruched seams can be very helpful in terms of adding depth and visual interest to where they are placed. For inverted triangle-shaped beauties who significantly lack waist definition, having them on the sides of your tankini can give your waist a nice cinch for better definition.
The side ruching creates subtle gathers or folds of fabric along the sides and this detailing will naturally attract attention towards the waist and hips. This will help you achieve more symmetrical proportions between your broad shoulders and smaller bottom half.
Most tankinis with side ruching have adjustable ties or drawstrings on the sides so this particular feature allows you to customize the fit according to the level of comfort you desire.
Deep Scoop Neck with Sleeves
As you can tell from the previous bikini top styles I mentioned, necklines that expose a generous portion of your decolletage can really help balance out your inverted triangle proportions. A bikini top with a deep scoop neck, for instance, dips into a U-shaped curve that can showcase your neckline, collarbones, and bust, while also providing enough support for your heavier upper half.
Speaking of coverage, having your deep scoop neck bikini top accompanied by sleeves can help provide additional coverage to the shoulders and upper arms. This look can be flattering if you’re self-conscious about the broadness of your shoulders as the sleeve coverage can help tone it down.
BIKINI BOTTOMS
Skirted bottoms
Ruffles always give a dainty and feminine touch to any type of clothing piece and ruffled bikini skirts can be very flattering for your body shape as well. This particular design adds volume and movement to the hips and thighs and helps create the illusion of a fuller lower body to balance out your top-heavy figure.
Ruffles naturally attract attention so they can be effective in emphasizing the hips and thighs to make the overall silhouette more proportionate and visually appealing. In addition to the additional volume they can provide, bikini skirts also offer more coverage which can be helpful if you’d want a less revealing option.
Scrunch Bottoms
One of your key concerns would be your flatter buttocks, and this is where wearing a scrunch bikini can help you out. A scrunch bikini bottom features fabric that is gathered or scrunched at the back, usually right at the center seam of the bottom and this gathering creates a puckered or ruched effect that accentuates the curves of the buttocks and adds visual interest to the design.
This particular texture created by the fabric scrunching at the back of the bikini bottom adds volume and detail to the hip area and the buttocks. As a result, you can achieve a visually perkier bottom and a more dimensional lower half.
Horizontal Prints and Patterns
Horizontal prints create the illusion of width – this is a very well-known fact. With this mentioned, wearing a bikini bottom that features horizontal details, may it be prints or patterns, can significantly make your bottom half appear wider.
This additional width in your lower body is a subtle way to have it catch up with the prominently larger and wider size of your upper half. They also draw the eyes horizontally across the body, away from the vertical lines of the shoulders and chest, so this redirection of focus can give a sense of balance and harmony between the upper and lower body while also reducing the emphasis on the broader upper body.
Side Ties
One of the best things about bikini bottoms with side ties is the fact that they are adjustable, so they allow you to fully customize the fit according to your comfort and style preferences. This can be very beneficial for your body shape since you have a smaller lower body that doesn’t have much depth.
Additionally, the side ties create a focal point at the hips, which draws attention to that area. This will visually balance out your broader upper body by creating the illusion of wider hips, thus achieving a more even silhouette.
Bikini Bottoms with Busy Prints
Aztec patterns, geometrical lines, floral prints – you name it! As long as you feel like they are enough to grab someone’s attention, then don’t hesitate to go for it because it can really help you increase the prominence of your smaller lower body as well.
By going for intricate and busy patterns for the bikini bottom of your choice, you can create visual interest and distraction from the overpowering width of your upper body. This can make the eyes focus more on the lower half and therefore create a more even distribution of attention for a proportionate look.
