The inverted triangled shape has prominent shoulders, and can easily come across as “top heavy” because your hips look narrower in comparison with your top half. That is why choosing the right styles of tops is critical for you. In this detailed guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about finding the most flattering tops for your unique shape.
Traits
- Prominently broad and square-edged shoulders – Your shoulders are broader than your hips and they may also look more angular due to their squarish edges.
- Weight gain in the upper half of the body – You carry your excess weight in your upper half, specifically right above your waist.
- Slender and toned limbs – Due to your athletic frame, your arms and legs are usually very lean and toned because you barely gain weight in these areas. What you gain is muscle mass when you work out!
- Sporty figure – You’ve got strong features similar to athletes, which may also mean that you’re more angular than curvy in terms of body shape.
- Less pronounced rear – This is one of the consequences of not being able to gain too much weight in your lower body.
- Very narrow waist and hips – Both are small and are almost of similar measurements. As a result, they tend to get overshadowed by your relatively larger upper half.
- Lack of waist definition – This is because there’s not much difference between your waist and hips so the transition line is naturally unnoticeable.
Wrap Tops
There’s no doubt that wrap tops are simply flattering on almost every body shape out there – including inverted triangle-shaped beauties, of course! Wrap tops have distinct features that can work around the strengths and weaknesses of your figure such as a cinched waist, a flattering neckline, and a slightly flared hem.
Wrap tops typically cinch at the waist as you secure the tie and this effect emphasizes the waistline. This particular cinch effectively creates the illusion of an hourglass figure to nicely balance out the broader shoulders.
Another great thing about wap tops is their adjustability. They often come with adjustable ties or straps that will allow you to customize the fit according to your desired level of comfort, which can be especially helpful for those who carry more weight on the upper half of the body.
Asymmetrical One-Shoulder Tops
One-shoulder tops feature an asymmetrical neckline that effectively draws attention to the neckline and to that one side of the shoulders that’s fully exposed. This design element helps break up the strong horizontal line that emphasizes the overwhelming broadness of your shoulders.
The goal of wearing one-shoulder tops is not to fully downplay the appearance of your shoulders, but what it does instead is tone down its width so it to not look too overpowering for your narrower lower body. Additionally, it can also provide better support while showcasing the beauty of your athletic decolletage.
Tailored Peplum Blouses
With its fitted bodice and flared overskirt, you can easily give your inverted triangle frame the illusion of hourglass proportions. Peplum blouses cinch at the waist and they also have this distinct overskirt fabric that gently flares out at the hips to visually neutralize your upper body and therefore add volume to your less pronounced lower half.
In addition to this, the tailored and cinched waist of peplum blouses will accentuate your waistline to give your angular frame a more curvy look. This additional definition creates a pleasing contrast with the broader shoulders to achieve a more balanced overall silhouette.
Because of the athletic nature of your inverted triangle figure, you may seem to look more toned and masculine. If you are looking into adding a touch of femininity to your outfit, wearing a peplum blouse could be a really great way to do it because of its superbly dainty design!
Classic V-Neck Shirts
You can never really go wrong with a classic V-neck shirt as it is one of the most universally flattering basic wardrobe pieces out there. For inverted triangle body shapes, a classic V-neck constructs a vertical line down the center of the body that can subtly draw attention away from your larger upper half and therefore create the illusion of a more balanced upper body.
The way the V-neck dips into the center of your cleavage can enhance the appearance of your bust area, which can be flattering regardless of your bust size. This adds a feminine touch to your athletic frame and gives you a more streamlined silhouette.
V-neck shirts can have a slimming effect because they draw the eye toward the center of your body, resulting in your frame appearing narrower. This is quite helpful if you carry extra weight in your upper half, as some inverted triangle shapes do.
Dark-colored Tops
Inverted triangle body shapes are more or less considered as a top-heavy figure, which is why it will be beneficial to slim the upper region down a bit to help you achieve more balanced proportions. Dark colors create the illusion of a more streamlined silhouette by effectively absorbing and reducing the appearance of light to make your upper body appear less broad and more balanced.
Due to the fact that dark-colored tops don’t draw too much attention, wearing one can help subdue the visual impact of broad shoulders and therefore create less size contrast between the upper body and the lower body. They can also create a swift vertical line on your silhouette to help elongate your upper body and make your torso appear leaner.
Moreover, dark-colored tops are very versatile so it’s not difficult to mix and match them with your other favorite wardrobe pieces and create a comfortable ensemble.
Flowy Tops with Dolman Sleeves
Having your sleeves attract attention is also one of the most effective ways to give your inverted triangle proportions a more pleasing upper and lower body balance. Tops with Dolman sleeves, which can also be considered or compared to kimono sleeves, are characterized by their unique sleeve construction that is typically wide and roomy at the top and tapers down toward the wrist.
Because of this unique shape and ample volume, the gaze gets distracted and therefore steers the attention away from your broad shoulders and heavier upper half. Instead, the interest is more focused on the sleeves, which also falls at the level of your waist and hips where more volume can be very well appreciated.
Additionally, tops that feature Dolman sleeves often provide a comfortable and relaxed fit that is perfect for casual and everyday wear! The roomy sleeves and flowy drape will allow for ease of movement and a comfortable feel as well.
Structured Belted Tops
A cinched waist is very important for inverted triangle body shapes who significantly lack waist definition. With this mentioned, tops made from structured fabric that also comes along with a belt can be very helpful in bringing balance to your figure.
Belts help effectively accentuate your waist in an instant and their snug fit will help create the illusion of curves and proportions similar to the hourglass figure. Additionally, the belt detail will become the focal point of your outfit, so it can help even out the distribution of visual weight and broadness in your figure.
They can also work very well with structured fabrics as they have the ability to hold shape. The combination of a structured fabric and belt detail can help you achieve more depth throughout your inverted triangle body shape.
Flared Tunic Tops
Flared tunic tops are mostly loved for their comfortable nature, thanks to their flowy and loose fit that has an A-line silhouette. They are typically longer in length, often reaching the level a little past the hips, which is also why it’s very flattering for inverted triangle body shapes that lack lower half volume.
Wearing a flared tunic top can effectively create a visual balance by adding volume and width to the lower half part of the body, specifically the hips and thighs. The flared silhouette gradually widens as it goes down, which nicely offsets the broadness of the shoulders to make the upper body appear less dominant.
Scoop Neck with Long Sleeves
Scoop necklines work great for inverted triangle body shapes because of how they showcase your decolletage. This neckline cut has a wider, rounded U-shape that can soften the appearance of the shoulders to make them appear less angular and more balanced with the rest of the body.
Meanwhile, long sleeves help provide more coverage for you to tone the broadness of your shoulders down a bit. Apart from this generous coverage, long sleeves can help balance the visual weight between the upper and lower body for a more proportionate look overall.
Dainty Crop Tops
Dainty crop tops allow you to showcase your well-defined upper body, most particularly your toned arms and shoulders. Going for shorter lengths of crop tops and dainty bodice details can also help draw attention to the details more than the heaviness of your upper half.
In addition to this, the cropped length of these tops visually elevates the waistline to give you the illusion of a higher and more defined waist. Pairing your dainty crop tops with high-waisted bottoms with volume, such as pleated skirts or wide-leg pants can further enhance the accentuation of your waist and hips.
Tops with Bell Sleeves
Bell sleeves create visual balance by adding just enough amount of volume to the lower part of your arm and help offset the overpowering width of the shoulders. Additionally, the flared and flowing nature of bell sleeves can soften the angular and edged appearance of your broad shoulders.
The gentle drape of the sleeves will detract attention from the shoulders and instead, lead the gaze towards the arms and wrists, resulting in a more balanced and feminine look. This design feature also draws attention to the narrowest part of the body, which is the waist, while also giving the illusion of a more voluminous bottom half.
Avoid Off-the-Shoulder
Off-the-shoulder tops are not really the friendliest choice for your body because of the fact that this neckline fully exposes the shoulders and upper chest area, making them more prominent than they already are. For those with already broad shoulders, the off-the-shoulder cut can further accentuate their overpowering width, making the upper body appear even broader and potentially unbalanced in proportion to the lower body.
Since you typically have a narrower waist and hip area, it will be easier to overshadow their appearance. Off-the-shoulder tops can create an unbalanced silhouette by drawing attention away from the waistline and making it less defined, causing a disruption in the natural proportions of your body shape.
Avoid Shoulder Pads
Shoulder pads add extra volume and structure to the shoulders, which is the very area you’d want to downplay. This additional width can make the upper body appear even wider and less proportionate to the rest of the body, creating an imbalanced silhouette by further emphasizing the shoulder width.
Additionally, shoulder pads can disrupt the natural proportions of this body shape by making the upper body appear bulkier while not providing any visual benefit to the narrower waist and hip areas.
Avoid Horizontal Prints and Patterns
As you can easily tell, horizontal stripes and patterns are visually widening as they run from side to side, so they visibly enhance the width of the upper body if you wear tops with these patterns. This will only accentuate the broadness of the shoulders, making them even more overwhelming for your figure.
Your top-heavy figure will look even heavier, as tops with horizontal stripes will draw too much attention and therefore leave your narrower and smaller bottom half even less pronounced.
