If you have the inverted triangle shape, it is important to find the right clothing styles to flatter your unique features. Because of your broad shoulders and relatively narrow hips, you may come across as “top heavy”. The right summer styles can create a more balanced silhouette for you, while the wrong ones do exactly the opposite. In this comprehensive guide, we will first take a closer look at your body features and then walk you through the most flattering summer clothing styles for your shape.
Traits
- Your upper body is more prominent than your lower body. There is a clear imbalance between your broader upper body and narrower lower body because you gain excess weight above your waist.
- You’ve got yourself an athletic build! This is the best thing about your inverted triangle body shape because you have strong and notable features that are not that difficult to work around.
- Your arms and legs are slender and very well-toned. You barely gain weight in your limbs – if any, it’s more muscle mass you gain, which means they can be more toned!
- You have very broad shoulders. The most distinctive characteristic of inverted triangle body shapes is their relatively broader shoulder width which can also sometimes have sharp-looking edges.
- Your hips are narrower than your shoulders. They are relatively smaller so your broader upper half tends to significantly overpower the appearance of your hips.
- You have little to almost no waist definition at all. There’s not much size difference between your hips and waist so there’s no obvious indentation at the sides of your waist.
- You may have a flat rear. You gain most of your weight in your upper half so there’s not much volume present in your lower body, including your buttocks.
Cotton Twill Peplum Tops
For peplum tops, you need fabrics with structure for them to properly hold their shape and maintain a streamlined silhouette. Many types of structured fabrics can be heavy or thick, and with this mentioned, they are not really the best for the summer season, right?
So for the scorching hot summer season, your inverted triangle body shape can fully enjoy the breathability of cotton twill and the flattering silhouette of peplum tops! Peplum tops are designed to have a ruffle overskirt that flares out at the waist or hip area to effectively add volume to the lower part of your body to help bring more depth and volume to your narrower hips for a more balanced silhouette.
Another notable feature of cotton twill peplum tops is the fact that the seam that attaches the overskirt also serves as a defining point wherein it cinches in the waist. This gives your frame a more distinct waist definition and is also a great way to draw attention away from the broad shoulders and redirect it to the waist area instead.
Tops with Vertical Stripes
As an inverted triangle beauty, you have a prominent upper body that you may or may not necessarily want to fully downplay. After all, broad shoulders can be a very nice asset, but then their prominence may also completely overshadow your smaller lower body.
This is where tops with vertical stripes come very helpful because they can visually slim your figure down but in a subtle way. It can help balance out your broader shoulders by neutralizing their width naturally but still make sure that they remain noticeable and prominent.
The visual impact of vertical stripes can also effectively create the illusion of symmetry between the upper and lower parts of your body. So this visibly contributes to a more balanced and harmonious overall look.
Scoop Neck T-Shirts
Scoop neck T-shirts will always be a classic summer staple, not only because of the comfort they give but also because of the fact that their design and structure are universally flattering. Scoop necklines feature a soft U-shaped curve that opens up space in your decolletage and therefore effectively helps break up the harsh horizontal line that overemphasizes your broad shoulders.
This particular neckline shape can visually elongate the neck to create a vertical line that counteracts the horizontal width of your shoulders. Plus, they offer just the right coverage to make you feel comfortable this summer season.
Cotton V-Neck Tops
Cotton V-neck tops should definitely be a staple in the wardrobe of inverted triangle-shaped women because these tops offer a perfect blend of style, comfort, and functionality that can beautifully complement your figure! The V-neck design is a strategic choice because it helps counterbalance your very broad shoulders to make them look more proportionate with your smaller lower body.
The way V necklines are shaped draws the eye downwards toward the center of the body to create an illusion of length. Additionally, cotton fabric is very comfortable and versatile so you can absolutely don a stylish summer ensemble without exerting too much effort.
Flowy One-Shoulder Dresses
Flowy dresses will always be a summer must-have and for inverted triangle beauties out there, going for this flowy fabric, together with a sexy one-shoulder neckline design can definitely amp up your summer style game!
The flowy nature of a dress can subtly add a sense of movement and softness to your overall look. Flowy fabrics gracefully drape over your body providing a more comfortable, seamless fit – all thanks to the gentle and airy silhouette that doesn’t cling too closely to the torso.
Meanwhile, you can also greatly benefit from how the asymmetrical one-shoulder design can help draw attention away from your broader shoulder area. As a result, this visually balances your proportions by causing a distraction on your upper body and breaking up the sharp horizontal line that traces the width of your shoulders.
Fit and Flare Dresses
You can never go wrong with the beauty and silhouette of fit and flare dresses, that’s for sure! This silhouette has always been deemed universally flattering, although they can be especially helpful for inverted triangle body shapes who lack waist definition and lower body prominence.
The way this silhouette is tailored flatters inverted triangle shapes by cinching the waist and adding ample volume to the lower body. Its design element, where the skirt flares and skims over the hips, visually balances out your broader shoulders by creating the optical illusion as if your shoulders and hips are symmetrical in width.
Additionally, the cinched waist of fit and flare dresses naturally highlights the narrowest part of your figure. This emphasis on the waist will diffuse attention from your heavier upper half and help you achieve proportions that are almost similar to the hourglass body shape.
Dresses with Thick Straps
The temptation to go for dresses with thin or no straps can be quite strong, in hopes of combatting the summer heat. But sadly, inverted triangle-shaped women may not find strapless or thin strap dresses very friendly on the figure.
Instead, if you’d like a dress that’s free from the restricting nature of sleeves, opt for those with thick straps as this particular design can provide decent balance in your overall proportions. Thick straps create vertical lines that are very noticeable, so they can effectively break up the broad horizontal line that makes your shoulders overwhelming.
Wrap Dresses
Wrap dresses can be a very fabulous choice for your body shape because of their inherent design features that tick two of your main style goals: cinch your waist and add lower body volume. The design elements of wrap dresses can even give you the illusion of hourglass proportions!
One of its most notable features is its self-tie waist belt that cinches the waist. As this belt is tied and secured, it creates a subtle flare from the waist down, adding decent volume to your less pronounced lower body.
Tulip Skirts
Tulip skirts effortlessly exude femininity thanks to its dainty design. It features an overlapping front that creates a slight flaring effect at the hips, resulting in an additional volume that brings more prominence to your narrow hips.
Additionally, many tulip skirts feature a cinched waistline that effectively emphasizes the waist. For your inverted triangle frame that lacks waist definition, this accentuation can create the illusion of a more defined and shapely midsection for a more proportionate overall look.
Mini Skirts
Wearing a mini skirt, specifically those that are shorter in length, can be a perfect opportunity for you to showcase your slim and toned legs! In addition to this, they can also be a very comfortable choice for the summer season since mini skirts don’t really provide much coverage.
Mini skirts expose a larger portion of your legs so they will naturally attract attention by directing the eyes to the lower body, away from your relatively broader shoulders. Also, when you go for mini skirts that have more shape and structure, you can create the illusion of fuller hips and thighs to bring more harmonious balance to your figure.
Tiered Skirts
Tiered skirts can easily resolve the issue of the lack of lower body volume in inverted triangle body shapes thanks to the voluminous structure this design possesses. It features a gradual layering of fabric which adds a significant amount of volume to the lower body to effectively counteract the appearance of your broader shoulders.
Most tiered designs are graced with frills, which makes them very eye-catching/ This effect helps distribute volume downward to blur out the stark size discrepancy between your bigger upper body and less pronounced lower body.
Pleated Shorts
Pleated shorts can help give your inverted triangle body figure a balanced and proportionate silhouette by subtly adding volume where it’s much needed. Pleats are net fabric folds that add just the right amount of volume to the lower body to visually offset the appearance of your broader shoulders.
During the summer, comfort is key! So make sure you go for pleated shorts that come in lightweight and breathable fabrics to ensure comfort and optimal airflow even under the scorching summer heat.
Cargo Pants
If you are putting together a casual, street-style look for the summer season, then you should never miss cargo pants! Wearing cargo pants can offer you distinct style advantages to create balance in your inverted triangle figure as it can add depth to your less pronounced lower body.
Cargo pants typically feature side pockets, which is a great way to add volume and dimension to your less prominent lower boy. This will help neutralize the overwhelming appearance of your broad shoulders and therefore diminish the relevant size difference between your upper and lower body.
Lightweight Palazzo Pants
Volume, comfort, and coverage – these are the things that Palazzo pants can give you in an instant! They are flowy by nature and their wide-leg design is an effortless way for you to achieve a more formidable lower body prominence.
Palazzo pants create the illusion of a more proportionate figure by evenly distributing volume all throughout your lower body while also subtly drawing attention away from the heavier stature of your upper body. Also, the vertical lines created by the length and flow of this particular pants design can elongate your figure for you to achieve a more pleasing balance overall.
Belted Rompers
Waist definition is very much needed for inverted triangle shapes that lack this particular feminine asset. Belted rompers cinch at the waist, which creates a defined and emphasized waistline that adds a significant dimension to your figure.
Belted rompers also help minimize attention from the shoulder area and give a shapely focal point to the midsection. In addition to this, the cinched waist of belted rompers creates volume at the hips, enhancing the lower body and therefore achieving a more proportional and pleasing silhouette.