The inverted triangle is known to be the “model body type”, because your prominent shoulders can pull off any style on the runway. When it comes to choosing the gowns for an important occasion of your life, it is important to find the right style to create a more balanced silhouette. In this detailed guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the right and wrong styles of gowns for your unique body features.
Traits
- Athletic broad shoulders – your modelesque shoulders are your figure’s defining point. Your shoulder line is the widest part of your figure.
- You carry more weight above your waist – this is where you gain your excess weight, which is also why you’re more prone to looking more top-heavy.
- Lean and slim arms and legs – Because of your athletic build and the way you don’t gain weight in your limbs, your arms and legs are always toned and slender.
- Strong athletic build – Think of volleyball players or swimmers, that’s the beauty of your athletic figure! You have toned muscles and a prominent bone structure that other body shapes don’t have.
- Flat and less voluminous buttocks – you don’t gain much weight in your lower body, including your rear. This results in a smaller-looking lower body.
- Narrow hip width – They are naturally smaller and relatively narrower in comparison to your broad shoulders, that’s why they tend to be overshadowed by your broader upper half.
- Undefined waist – Your hips and waist are almost the same width, so this makes the waistline lack significant definition.
Streamlined Sheath Gowns
Being blessed with a striking and athletic inverted triangle shape means that you’ve got to find gowns that can celebrate your strong features, but still help you achieve a more balanced silhouette. Sheath gowns are known for their classic and minimalist beauty and the simple design on this silhouette should flatter your figure’s best features and work around your weaknesses.
Sheath dresses are carefully tailored to gracefully skim over your body, with strategic seams and darts to provide more shape and structure. They usually nip in at the waist to help bring a more feminine shape to your sporty figure and detract attention from your broad shoulders.
When choosing a gown featuring a sheath silhouette, look for streamlined seams and a waist cinch to ensure that your overall look is properly balanced from top to bottom. If you’d like to show off your legs, you can also go for those that come with a slit since they can look amazing with sheath dresses!
Mermaid Style Gowns
It may be discouraging to style and work around your inverted triangle frame that relatively lacks the appearance of feminine curves. But there’s nothing a wise style choice can’t solve – just like how the beauty and glamour of mermaid-style gowns can give you the illusion of a curvy silhouette!
Mermaid-style gowns feature an alluring shape wherein it has a well-fitted bodice that enhances your bust form and cinches your waist, which can be quite beneficial in terms of giving your frame the appearance of curves, highlighting your decolletage, and emphasizing your toned arms. Additionally, the mermaid silhouette gradually flares from the knee down into a dramatic volume to balance out the broadness that is apparent in your upper half.
Flowy A-Line Gowns
Gowns that feature a flowy fabric never cease to exude a sense of softness and elegance, which is why it’s a great choice of fabric to give your angular body shape a more feminine look. Having your flowy fabric tailored into a gorgeous A-Line gown will also considerably help you achieve better proportions as this dress shape is very flattering for almost all different figures.
Flowy A-Line gowns gently skim over your body which means that it covers your upper half without clinging too tightly, while the skirt flares out subtly into a natural volume. This silhouette can be extra helpful in terms of giving your lower body its much-needed shape and volume boost.
By adding this volume to your lower body, you are creating a shape and scale that’s almost similar to your larger upper half. This results in a flattering balance from the shoulder line to the hem.
Plunging V-Neck Gowns
Your decolletage and mesmerizing bust line deserve the spotlight – and this is exactly what wearing a gown with a plunging neckline can do to make sure your best assets are highlighted. The adjoining diagonal lines that form a V-shape on your neckline not only expose your shapely bust line but also help break up the wide horizontal line that makes your shoulders look overpowering.
This also helps minimize the focus that’s initially fixated on your shoulders alone and instead evenly distribute the gaze on your entire figure. The way this neckline plunges into a deep opening is also helpful in elongating your neck to create a slimmer and more elegant effect.
When choosing a plunging V-neck gown, be considerate of your bust size as well. Since the bust sizes of inverted triangle body shapes can vary and range from flat to full, it’s always wise and practical to choose a neckline that can provide the proper support needed and the level of comfort you desire.
Tulle Ball Gowns
There’s nothing more ethereal than the fairytale allure of tulle ball gowns! Apart from its majestic beauty, the way that it is designed and structured can also bring a lot of beautiful style advantages to make your inverted triangle body shape look its best.
Tulle ball gowns are known for their dramatically voluminous skirts, which can be very helpful for your inverted triangle figure that relatively lacks a considerable amount of volume in your lower half. The additional visual weight that this gown provides will help balance your proportions by making your lower body look more symmetrical with your upper half.
Most ball gowns also come in a streamlined bodice, wherein it gently conforms to your figure to highlight your slim waist and give it more definition. Truly, embracing the style of a tulle ball gown is a perfect way to flaunt extravagance on any formal occasion you’d attend!
One-Shoulder Lace Gowns
As the name suggests, this neckline fully exposes just one side of the shoulder, with the neckline cut gradually dipping from one shoulder end to the other. This creates a soft asymmetrical curve that can soften the appearance of your sharp-edged broad shoulders to allow you to achieve a more feminine and curvy silhouette.
To further enhance its figure-enhancing capabilities, you may opt for one-shoulder gowns that feature intricate details such as lace or beadwork to make it look extra glamorous. You can also further enhance the balance in your figure if you look for a one-shoulder gown that cinches the waist to create the illusion of hourglass proportions.
In addition to this, lace fabric has always been a very sophisticated choice that can make any gown look more enchanting.
Trumpet Silhouette Gowns
Trumpet silhouette gowns are quite comparable to the visually appealing benefits of mermaid-style gowns. They both share a nearly similar design and structure, with the bodice being fitted and the skirt flaring out starting from the mid-thigh.
As I have already mentioned, the small difference between the two styles is the level where the skirt starts flaring out. Mermaid-style gowns flare at or slightly below the knee while trumpet gowns flare higher (mid-thigh or above the knee).
This effect adds volume to your lower half to create a beautifully proportioned silhouette, while the fitted bodice highlights your slim waist and showcases your upper body’s prominence. The entire silhouette also mimics the natural balance of hourglass figures so wearing this can also give your figure that optical illusion.
Sequined Sweetheart Neck Gowns
Dazzle and delight with sequined sweetheart neck gowns, the ultimate choice for those looking for more bust enhancement and those who would want to incorporate curves in their frame! The sweetheart neckline softens the appearance of your shoulders while also giving more emphasis to your cleavage, thanks to its dainty heart-shaped cut that traces along the top of your breasts.
Apart from the fact that they are simply romantic and enchanting, they can also help balance out the attention that your broad shoulders have been getting. The way this cut resembles the curvy top of a heart is also a great way for you to soften the angular lines that you have in your athletic frame.
Velvet Column Gowns
We can never deny how indulging and luxurious the velvet fabric is! And for a formal gown that suits your modelesque inverted triangle figure, you can even maximize its flattering elegance by having it tailored in a column silhouette.
The column silhouette is quite simple and timeless, as it doesn’t really feature dramatic details to create a fancy shape. It hugs the bust gently and the rest of the fabric just drapes smoothly to them, creating a consistent flow of width that can also amplify the volume of your hips, thighs, and buttocks.
Belted Satin Gowns
Belts make an amazing choice for inverted triangle shapes who are in need of waist definition. A gown with a belted waist will significantly add definition to your narrow midsection and therefore create a more obvious curved indentation at the sides of your waist.
Belt details may come in many different styles, but if you’d like something elegant and formal, look for satin belts to match your satin gown. You may opt for something plain, but I highly advise that if you want your waist definition to really stand out, look for belts with details such as intricate embroidery, beadwork, or a ribbon tie.
It may also be extra helpful to choose belts that are adjustable so that you can easily adjust them to the level of comfort and fit you want.
Avoid Bodycon Gowns
While bodycon gowns are celebrated for their curve-hugging allure, they may not be the wisest style choice for your inverted triangle body shape. Why? Well, these gowns are known for their snug fit that accentuates every curve and corner in your body and that can obviously highlight the fact that there’s a huge size imbalance between your larger upper half and narrower bottom half.
Again, the problem lies in the fact that bodycon gowns tend to highlight the widest part of your figure (which are your shoulders) and emphasize the lack of waist definition, resulting in the upper body looking even more dominant. To create a more harmonious silhouette, it’s advisable for you to steer clear of bodycon styles and instead explore options that provide more volume in your lower half and a properly balanced overall silhouette.
Avoid Sabrina Necklines
The last thing you’d ever want for your figure is to further enhance the broadness of your shoulders. They are already wide and prominent to begin with, so there is definitely no need to go for necklines that will widen this line out further – such as Sabrina necklines (also known as Boat neck).
Wearing gowns that feature this neckline can pose an obvious risk of having your shoulders overwhelm the entirety of your figure. As a result, you’ll end up overshadowing all your other beautiful features, most specifically your lower body.
Additionally, Sabrina necklines aren’t open enough to show off more of your décolletage. Your chest and your bust are also great assets that you should flaunt, but wearing a Sabrina gown will only cover them up.
