The inverted triangle shaped women are known for their prominent shoulders, and their athletic build in general. It is quite common for you to be skinny and have the inverted triangle features at the same time. In this detailed guide, we’ll first help you understand your body traits, and then walk you through everything you need to know on how to dress the skinny inverted triangle.
Traits
- Strong athletic features – Despite being skinny, you still have an athletic build. Your figure also has the ability to gain a well-toned muscle mass if you work out religiously.
- Modelesque broad shoulders – Just like athletes and runway models, you have prominent-looking shoulders! This is also the widest part of your body.
- Skinny arms and legs – Your limbs are quite slim and you almost never gain considerable weight in these areas of your body.
- Flat stomach – You don’t have that midsection bulge to worry about because your skinny figure doesn’t really have much volume overall!
- No waist definition – This can be deemed a weakness in your body shape. There’s no distinct curve in your waist because of how narrow your hips are.
- Narrower hips compared to shoulders – The drastic contrast between the broadness of your shoulders and the narrowness of your hips is very distinguishable because of how relatively small your lower half is.
- Less pronounced bottom – Along with your skinny figure and smaller hips, you also don’t possess much structure and volume in your buttocks.
TOPS
Dark-colored V-Neck Shirts
Despite your skinny figure, your inverted triangle body shape is still considered top-heavy due to the broadness of your shoulders. Dark colors are known for their visually slimming effect and this can help you achieve a more proportionate balance between your upper and lower body.
Wearing a dark-colored shirt also minimizes the contrast between the shoulders and the rest of the body while the V-shaped neckline efficiently directs attention to the center of the body, particularly the chest area. This visual effect can be particularly flattering for skinny inverted triangle shapes who have a smaller bust.
Tops with Vertical Patterns
Vertical patterns can be your instant rescue in downplaying your top-heavy figure because of how they draw the eyes up and down to create the illusion of length. This can bring better balance in your proportions by elongating your torso and minimizing the emphasis on the shoulders.
Being skinny means that you don’t have much to worry about gaining excess weight, but this can also mean that your silhouette may look too flat. This is where vertical patterns can bring more interest to your top rather than plain tops.
Kimono Tops
Kimono tops feature a flattering amount of volume that can bring more depth and volume to your skinny frame. Kimono tops have a loose, flowing silhouette with wide sleeves that gracefully drape down from the shoulder and this is the very design element that helps create a vertical line that visually narrows down your shoulder area.
In addition to this, the generous fabric and draping provide an illusion of curves and shape around the waist and hip area, which is something your figure lacks. This will allow you to achieve a more balanced proportion and a more shapely lower body.
JEANS
Bootcut Jeans
Bootcut jeans are nicely fitted through the hips and thighs and then slightly flare out from the knee to the hem. This subtle flare creates a more balanced silhouette by matching the volume of your wider top half (shoulders) with the lower part of your body.
They also usually sit at the natural waist to make sure that your waist is cinched and accentuated, especially because you lack curves in this area. This will make your overall proportions look more even just as hourglass shapes are.
Classic Straight-Leg Jeans
Straight-leg jeans work wonders in your skinny inverted triangle shape by subtly enhancing your curves while maintaining a streamlined and balanced look. The beauty of going for this classic jeans style is that they feature clean lines and the vertical orientation of straight-leg jeans creates an illusion of added height, giving off an elegant and timeless vibe that never goes out of style!
Comfort is another key advantage of wearing classic straight-leg jeans due to the relaxed fit that ensures ease of movement and versatility in styling. Additionally, straight-leg jeans pair well with various types of footwear, from sneakers to heels – so you have the freedom to mix and match your ensembles without any hassle.
Boyfriend Jeans
Boyfriend jeans, with their relaxed fit and slightly loose cut, help bring more depth and dimension to your less pronounced lower body. The roomier fit around the hips and thighs effectively minimizes the drastic contrast with your broader shoulders, therefore making your upper and lower body look more proportionate.
Many boyfriend jeans have a slightly longer length, which can be cuffed at the hem. This cuffing detail dives more volume into the pants while also drawing attention to the ankles to balance out your top-heavy figure.
PANTS
Neutral-colored Sailor Pants
Sailor pants feature vertical elements such as front button closures, pleats, and stripes along the sides, which all work in complete synergy to bring more shape and depth to your undefined waist and smaller hips. Additionally, these vertical lines can visually elongate your legs to create the illusion of height.
Because the details of sailor pants are quite eye-catching, this can help offset the broader upper body and therefore make you look more proportionate from top to bottom. Neutral colors, especially lighter ones like beige, taupe, or khaki, can also help draw more attention and naturally expand the look of your less pronounced lower half.
Structured Dress Pants
Structured dress pants are incredibly flattering due to how they are tailored as the design neatly streamlines your figure, providing more depth and balance. They naturally skim the body without clinging too tightly, so it allows your lower body to catch up with the prominence of your heavier top half.
make sure to opt for structured dress pants that feature a mid-rise or high-rise design to ensure a proper waist cinch. Since your figure lacks waist definition, you need to pay close attention to the details of your pants to make sure they provide the waist definition you need.
Cargo Pants
Cargo pants are known for their distinguishable multiple pockets and extra fabric around the thighs and hips which are not just stylish, but also beneficial in adding volume to your less prominent lower body to counterbalance your broader shoulders.
These cargo pockets and details on the thighs also draw the eye downwards in a subtle manner. This helps shift the focus away from your heavier upper body towards the lower half, resulting in a more evenly distributed visual weight from top to bottom.
SKIRTS
Bright-colored Skirts
Skinny inverted triangle-shaped women can absolutely benefit from wearing bright-colored skirts because of how brighter hues draw attention and create a focal point, therefore redirecting the gaze to your lower body to minimize attention from your heavier upper half. This particular visual redirection will not fully dismiss the beauty of your broad shoulders, but instead, just tone its appearance a little bit to prevent it from overpowering your other beautiful features.
More than this style benefit, bright colors bring a pop of visual interest to the outfit as they can inject energy and personality into the overall look for a more dynamic and lively appearance. This can be especially beneficial for those with a naturally skinny frame, as it prevents the outfit from appearing too muted or understated.
Flowy Tiered Skirts
The tiered design of this skirt style effectively injects volume and promotes movement to the lower half of your body, without looking too bulky. This visual effect helps visually counterbalance your broader shoulders and creates the illusion of curves, which is also helpful in softening the angular lines of the upper body and providing a more feminine and proportional look.
The flowy nature of tiered skirts also creates a graceful movement that enhances the overall aesthetic appeal of your entire ensemble. As skinny inverted triangle shapes tend to have an athletic figure (which is sometimes deemed less feminine), the design of tiered skirts adds a touch of whimsy and elegance to an outfit, providing a romantic and bohemian flair that complements the natural features of your figure.
DRESSES
Tailored Fit and Flare Dresses
The fit and flare silhouette is a genius design that creates the illusion of a balanced, hourglass-like shape as it is designed to cinch in at the waist and then flare out at the hips. This gives you a more defined waistline, which can also help balance out the broader shoulders to downplay your top-heavy figure.
The flare in the skirt subtly draws attention to the hips, which can be very helpful because this is the very area that lacks volume and depth for skinny inverted triangle body shapes. In addition to this, a tailored fit and flare dress features a structured bodice that can provide support and definition to the upper body, therefore enhancing the appearance of the bust and providing a polished and put-together look.
Sweetheart Neck Dresses
Your figure most likely has a smaller bust size due to your skinny stature – and that’s entirely okay! Because with the help of something as simple and dainty as a sweetheart neck dress, you can achieve a curvier and more feminine figure, which is something most inverted triangle shapes lack.
The gently curved shape of the sweetheart neckline effectively enhances the appearance of your bust by providing a slight volume and creating the illusion of a fuller chest. The curved shape that mimics the topmost shape of a heart, traces along your cleavage to incorporate more femininity into your ensemble.
Flowy One-Shoulder Dresses
The way that the asymmetrical neckline draws along the chest area is a great way to cause a slight disruption that would break the blunt horizontal line that’s making your shoulders look too broad. This particular design of the one-shoulder dress draws attention away from your top-heavy figure and instead, creates a more balanced appearance that’s more even with your hips.
Moreover, flowy one-shoulder dresses often have a soft and loose fabric that drapes elegantly over your figure. This draping effect can add curves and movement, which is something that your skinny figure would need to achieve a more voluptuous stature.
OUTERWEAR
Single-Breasted Blazers
Single-breasted blazers have a clean and streamlined front, which is why it’s a very classy choice for those who love minimalist pieces. Their structure doesn’t add extra bulk or width to your already heavy upper body, so you can easily achieve a more balanced overall proportion.
While not as cinched as some styles, single-breasted blazers still offer some waist definition because of how the button is placed right at the center. They also usually have neat side seams that trace along the waistline to make it look more curved and defined.
Wrap Coats
I will never ever get tired of saying that wrap coats are a must-have in every woman’s wardrobe because of the fact that they tick all the right boxes to make sure your silhouette is enhanced. Wrap coats are cinched at the waist with a belt or tie closure and this particular design element creates a focal point at the narrowest part of your body, perfectly bringing more definition to your waistline.
Additionally, the wrap design of the coat creates a V-shape and this effect visually narrows the shoulders and balances the length of the torso. This will subtly downplay the broadness of your shoulders but still maintain its modelesque prominence!
