If you have an inverted triangle shape, you are known for having broad shoulders. This feature can make you appear wider in the top half, which is why it is critical to find the right clothes that can flatter your shape. This is a comprehensive guide to help you find the most suitable casual clothes for your body shape and make you feel confident everyday.
TOPS
One-Shoulder Tops
The key advantage of wearing one-shoulder tops is that it helps break up the broad horizontal line that makes your relatively wider shoulder line a little too overwhelming for your narrower lower body. It also features an open neckline that perfectly showcases your modelesque decolletage, which most inverted triangle figures have because of their athletic features.
In addition to this, the asymmetrical design softens the sharp edges of your broad shoulders and evenly distributes attention all throughout your torso. When choosing a one-shoulder top for your figure, try to stick to darker colors and minimal designs to not add any unnecessary amount of volume to your already prominent upper half.
Plain V-Neck Shirts
Plain V-neck shirts will always be a casual wardrobe staple and while you might think they are quite plain and simple, they can be very flattering on your inverted triangle body shape. The V-neckline draws the focus downward and elongates your neck, while also minimizing attention from your broader shoulders.
The visual effect of this particular neckline narrows the upper body and brings attention to the center to give the illusion of a more even figure. They are also very versatile so styling and layering them with your other casual ensembles should be effortless!
Dark-Colored Tops
Going for darker plain colors should be more helpful in downplaying your top-heavy figure so that it will look more in balance with your less prominent lower body. Dark colors have the ability to absorb light and therefore visually slim your figure down for a much leaner appearance.
This helps take some visual weight off of your upper body without totally underwhelming your features. When paired with bottoms that offer more volume, you can instantly give your inverted triangle frame a more balanced silhouette.
SWEATERS
Sweaters with Raglan Sleeves
Sweaters with raglan sleeves feature diagonal seams that extend from the underarm to the collarbone, which contribute to their very relaxed fit. This particular sleeve structure effectively softens the shoulder line as they seamlessly blend with the rest of the arms to visually reduce the emphasis on the broad shoulders.
Because how raglan sleeves can create an illusion of narrower shoulders, sweaters with this particular sleeve design can neutralize the attention from the upper body to make your upper and lower body ratio look more proportional.
Scoop Neck Knitted Sweaters
Open necklines are very helpful for inverted triangle body shapes because they divide the attention from your potentially overwhelming broad shoulders by exposing your decolletage. This is also why scoop neck knitted sweaters can help bring balance to your frame by being the focal point, instead of your broad shoulders, undefined waist, or narrow hips.
Knitted sweaters are also quite soft and cozy by nature so they tend to be form-fitting, which can be helpful in enhancing your well-toned features and accentuating your waist. Just keep in mind that when choosing knitted sweaters, try to stay away from chunky knits as they can significantly add more volume to your already heavy top half.
Ribbed Button Cardigan
Ribbed button cardigans have one key styling feature that can be immensely helpful for inverted triangle body shapes – they create a sense of verticality. The rib stitches that run vertically create a subtle texture that draws the eyes up and down to give you a leaner appearance and a more toned-down shoulder line.
In addition to this, button cardigans also feature a single row of buttons placed at the center of the top and this can also add to the slimming and elongating visual effect top-heavy inverted triangle body shapes can benefit from. As these buttons fasten right at the center, it pulls the stretchy nature of the cardigan from the sides of the waist, creating an apparent cinch that softly defines your waistline.
JEANS
High-rise Flared
Wearing the right pair of jeans can relevantly influence the overall balance and proportions of your inverted triangle body shape. As you have a relatively smaller lower body due to your narrow hips and slender legs, they will need just the right amount of volume boost to catch up on the prominence of your upper half.
This is exactly what flared jeans do as they feature a flared design in which the leg of the jeans gradually widens out from the knees or mid-thighs right down to the ankles, resulting in additional depth and volume.
In addition to this, the high rise of the waistband gives your waist a proper snug fit. This effectively brings additional definition to your waist to make your waistline curve more visible.
Rinse Wash Bootcut
Rinse-wash jeans create a more uniform and neater appearance due to the minimal amount of dyeing involved in the process. As a result, this gives a more solid look that doesn’t attract too much attention and this, combined with the bootcut design, can be especially beneficial for your inverted triangle body shape.
Bootcut jeans share pretty much the same style concept as flared jeans, with the only difference being that bootcut jeans feature a more subtle flare. The wider leg opening of rinse wash bootcut jeans visually makes your lower body look fuller and therefore efficiently counteracts your overwhelming broader shoulders.
Boyfriend Jeans
Boyfriend jeans have a loose and relaxed fit that you will find highly beneficial if you are looking for a pair of jeans to give your hips and rear additional depth and volume. Despite its relaxed fit, they are not too baggy so they won’t overwhelm your slender and well-toned legs.
The additional depth the boyfriend jeans give your lower body is just sufficient to balance out your top-heavy figure. To further enhance the additional depth this type of jeans gives, you may also opt for those that feature a rolled or cuffed hem at the bottom of the jeans and pair them with chunky shoes.
Jeans with Pocket Details
Since your hips and buttocks lack curves and prominence, pocket details that are strategically placed on these areas can help boost the volume of your lower body. Look for jeans that have details on the side pockets or back pockets such as embroidery, button embellishments, or even subtle prints.
While it’s advantageous to add details to your jeans to amp up the definition of your lower body, you still need to be mindful of how many details you would like to incorporate. Steer away from details that are too dramatic and bulky, otherwise, it may overwhelm your overall figure.
DRESSES
Ruffled Wrap Dress
Note that for inverted triangle shapes, it is your upper body (particularly your broad shoulders) you want to downplay so for ruffled wrap dresses, choose those in which the ruffles are placed on the lower part of the dress.
Ruffles add volume to your figure so you would want those dainty flounces of fabric on the skirt part or right at the hem of your dress. In addition to this, the wrap design of this particular dress allows you to properly cinch your waist to give it more shape and definition.
Dresses with Thick Straps
One effective way to tone down the broadness of your shoulders is to go for dresses with thick straps as these will break the harsh horizontal line that makes your shoulders quite overpowering for your narrower lower body. Moreover, thick straps may downplay the width of your shoulders to look more balanced with your lower body, but they won’t leave your beautiful shoulders looking dull.
What thick straps do is just evenly distribute the attention to your upper body so that your shoulders won’t look too overwhelming. If you also happen to have a bigger breast size, you will find better support in dresses with thick straps.
Button-Down V-Neck Dress
As I have previously mentioned, open necklines can be immensely helpful for women with inverted triangle body shapes because the space they open on the top half of your figure helps diffuse attention and not make your broad shoulders look too overwhelming. Button-down V-neck dresses can be exquisitely helpful in creating a sense of verticality in your figure to make the size discrepancy between your upper and lower body less apparent.
The buttons that run through the center of your dress attract the eyes to look up and down, resulting in a symmetrical balance between your broad shoulders and narrow hips. In addition to this, the V-neckline in these dresses allows you to gracefully showcase your decolletage, which is oftentimes one of your figure’s best assets.
Dress with Asymmetrical Neckline
Dresses with asymmetrical necklines such as one-shoulder dresses can also be a very ideal casual dress choice if you are looking into downplaying the width of your shoulders while injecting a playful, sexy style. Asymmetrical necklines are also a type of open neckline so it gives the same elongating and slimming effect that’s significantly considered as universally flattering for most body types, including your inverted triangle figure.
Just a quick style tip when choosing a dress with an asymmetrical neckline: keep the details on the upper body minimal. Steer away from a bodice that’s full of ruffles or bulky embellishments as these can add more volume to your already heavy-looking upper half.
JACKETS
Single Breasted
Single-breasted jackets typically have a tailored fit and narrower shoulder line, which can help minimize its broadness in order to look more balanced with your less pronounced lower body. Because the single row of buttons runs vertically at the center, this type of jacket creates a V-shaped effect in which the lapels point downward and inward toward the waist.
This particular visual effect perfectly cinches the waist for additional definition, while also giving your entire frame a sense of elongation that creates a harmonious ratio between your upper and lower body. Unlike double-breasted jackets, single-breasted jackets don’t create additional bulk that can make you look wider and more top-heavy.
Belted Leather Jacket
Belts are extremely helpful in addressing your lack of waist definition, which is why belted leather jackets should look flattering on your inverted triangle body shape. The belt accent in this leather jacket can bring emphasis to your waist as it gives it a proper snug cinch to indent the side curves of your waistline.
In addition to this, leather is a very structured material that can firmly hold its shape without looking too bulky. The combination of these two can harbor great style benefits to make your silhouette look more well-balanced and flattering.
Dark-colored Jackets
The slimming effect of dark colors can also be especially helpful in jackets as this allows you to layer your clothes without worrying about looking too bulky or top-heavy. Dark-colored jackets can help tone down the prominence of your upper body to not mask your narrow hips and flat buttocks.
Apart from the fact that dark-colored jackets are visually slimming, they also veer attention away from the heaviness of your top body and instead draw an even distribution of visual weight from top to bottom. Dark colors are always a must-have for your casual wardrobe as well, because they offer extensive versatility that allows you to mix and match them with a vast variety of clothing ensembles.
SHOES
Chunky Sandals
Lucky you, chunky shoes have been securing a constant spot in the hottest fashion trends in recent years and they can be immensely flattering for your inverted triangle body shape! As you can already tell from the name itself, its chunky nature significantly adds volume to your less prominent lower body.
Wearing something chunky and eye-catching for your footwear can bring a better balance between your upper and lower body due to the fact that these types of shoes counteract the heaviness of your top frame. They also give proper elevation, which can be particularly helpful if you are looking to add more height to your stature.
Platform Sneakers
Another type of shoe that can give you that sense of volume and height is platform sneakers. Compared to chunky shoes that may have more curves and asymmetry in their design, platform sneakers typically feature an evenly elevated sole that has a consistent height and width.
Platform sneakers also add volume to your lower body and create more depth that prevents your narrow hips and undefined waist from being too noticeable.
