Even though the inverted triangle is considered the typical body shape for the super models, because you have broader shoulders than average, it can make it challenging to find the right work clothing. It is critical to find the styles that flatter your shape and create a balanced silhouette. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know for the best work clothes for the inverted triangle.
TOPS
Pinstripe Button Shirts
Women with the inverted triangle body shape tend to be top-heavy because of their very broad shoulders and lean athletic arms. This upper half prominence usually overwhelms the lack of definition on an inverted triangle figure’s lower body, which is why it can be helpful to opt for tops that can downplay your larger upper half.
Vertical pinstripes create a lengthening effect that extends your torso vertically, as well as gives your upper body a slimmer appearance. Along with the pinstripes, the button-down design also draws the eyes up and down to create more balanced upper and lower body proportions.
Pinstripe button shirts are usually very minimal, so you can achieve a polished and professional look without excessive layering or styling.
Peplum Top
Inverted triangle body shapes typically have an undefined waistline and relatively narrow hips so it can look like your frame significantly lacks definition from the waist down. This is where peplum tops can be especially beneficial due to the fact that they can cinch the waist to build waist definition and also add volume to the hips.
The additional volume peplum tops give comes from the flared overskirt attached to the waist seam. This cleverly accentuates your waistline while also boosting the prominence of your hips to balance out your broad shoulders.
When going for peplum tops to flatter your inverted triangle body shape, look for structured fabrics to fully maximize the definition your top gives. This is because structured fabrics can hold shape better and therefore add a more consistent amount of volume to enhance your hips.
Tailored V-Neck Blouse
Whether you’re planning to layer on a blazer on your office blouse or wear it by itself, a tailored V-Neck blouse will never fail to complete your classy work ensemble. V-neck blouses are always very effortless to style, but apart from this fact, they can also contribute to the visual balance and appeal of an inverted triangle-shaped woman.
The V-neckline efficiently draws the eyes to your modelesque decolletage, which is one of your figure’s best assets. This effect visually elongates your torso and softens the sharpness of your shoulders and therefore this way, you can give your upper and lower body a more pleasing proportional ratio.
Dark-colored Wrap Tops
Most of us are fully aware of how dark colors greatly influence our body shape’s visual weight and that is why everyone has at least one (or maybe five) dark-colored clothes in their wardrobe. For inverted triangle body shapes, dark-colored wrap tops can help bring balance to your silhouette by accentuating your best features and downplaying your areas of concern.
Wrap tops in general are universally flattering and inverted triangle girls can greatly benefit from its structure that features an open neckline and a cinched waist. Wearing a dark-colored wrap top tones down the broadness of your shoulders to give you a slimmer look, while also cinching your waist to resolve your shapeless midsection and undefined waistline.
BLAZERS/JACKETS
Schoolboy Blazer
Your inverted triangle figure can absolutely benefit from the fitted and structured design of schoolboy blazers because this classic blazer, however simple it may look, can efficiently accentuate your body shape’s features and conceal your perceived flaws. A schoolboy blazer is usually single-breasted and it also has a notched collar that can help break the overwhelming broadness of the top body.
It features a tailored fit that gives your waist a snug cinch to accentuate this less prominent region on your midsection. The sleek details of this blazer and its slightly shorter length also detract attention from areas you want to downplay such as your broad shoulders and narrow hips to achieve a more balanced silhouette.
Structured A-Line Jacket
A-Line jackets feature a silhouette that gently flares out to the hem, resulting in a seamless visual balance that tones down the relevant size discrepancy between your broad shoulders and narrow hips. Its structure also softens the look of your upper half which is usually considered as a strong feature that overwhelms your smaller lower half.
Look for structured A-Line jackets that feature darts, seams, or button details that nip in the waist to make sure that your midsection gets its much-needed waistline definition. You can also opt for interesting (but not too bulky) details placed near the hip area to add dimension and volume to your relatively narrower lower half.
Long Blazer with Pocket Details
Ideally, long blazers in which the length reaches the hip level can help add some depth to this narrower portion of your body. Additionally, this volume and definition boost can also be further enhanced if you choose to go for those with pocket details that land right at the sides of your hips.
Wearing this will not blur out the prominence of your beautiful broad shoulders, but instead neutralize the overall visual weight from your upper half to your lower half. This even distribution of volume can make your inverted triangle body shape look more pleasingly symmetrical and lean.
Blazers with Wide Lapels
Wide lapels form diagonal lines similar to what V-shaped necklines give, in which they help divide the focus on your upper half and slightly tone down the broadness of your shoulders. This way, your broad shoulders won’t look overpowering especially because your waist, hips, and thighs are way narrower and less pronounced.
Blazers that have wide lapels are also quite edgy and elegant, which makes them very suitable for work. Pair them up with matching dress pants or well-fitted skirts to further accentuate the balance and sophistication in your work wear!
PANTS/TROUSERS
Flowy Palazzo Pants
For someone who lacks a significant amount of volume and depth in their lower body like inverted triangle-shaped women, bottoms that are wide and flowy in nature can be very helpful in balancing your figure overall.
Flowy palazzo pants feature a wide and loose leg shape that can instantly amplify the volume in your lower body. This is quite important so that your relatively broad shoulders won’t overpower the narrowness of your hips and thighs.
In addition to this, the flowing fabric gracefully drapes over your hips to offset your broader shoulders while also creating the illusion of depth and length. Try pairing your flowy palazzo pants with tailored tops and blazers to fully flaunt your classy business ensemble.
Straight-leg Dress Pants
Here’s a classic pair of semi-formal to formal pants perfect for your business engagements: straight-leg dress pants. This one is totally a timeless workwear piece thanks to its straight, streamlined cut and this particular pants structure can be especially beneficial for inverted triangle figures like you!
The straight cut of these pants gives a streamlined look due to the consistent width the pants have from hips to ankle, which efficiently balances out your broader shoulders. In addition to this, these types of dress pants draw an invisible vertical line on your silhouette to give you a taller frame, while also downplaying the fact that there’s a clear imbalance between your prominent upper body and smaller lower body.
Pleated Wide-Leg Pants
If you don’t like the extreme volume of Palazzo pants but at the same time want a nice amount of volume to your lower body, you are going to love a pair of pleated wide-leg pants. They are not as wide as palazzo pants but they are constructed in a way that they extend slightly wider than the natural shape of your legs to give you additional depth.
If you look for those with pleats along the waistband, this can help add shape to your narrow hips and thighs to look more harmoniously symmetrical with your wider upper half. A pair of pleated wide-leg pants that features a snug fit at the waist can also add more definition to your midsection to create a more obvious curve on the sides of your waist.
High-rise Sailor Pants
Sailor pants typically have a high waistband that sits slightly higher than your natural waistline, which is why it helps inverted triangle body shapes, who naturally lack waist definition, achieve that much-needed accentuation. On top of this, these pants have rows of buttons on the front panels which effectively diminishes attention from your broader shoulders for a more visually balanced silhouette.
Sailor pants typically have a wide-leg cut as well, and this can be particularly helpful for your less prominent lower body. The combination of these style elements creates a more flattering silhouette by bringing out your best features and enhancing what your frame lacks.
SKIRTS
Structured A-Line Skirts
A-Line skirts widen gradually from the waist to the hem and this particular silhouette can create a visually balanced look that effectively offsets the appearance of your inverted triangle figure’s broader shoulders. Structured A-Line skirts also flare out at the hips and thighs which considerably adds volume to your less pronounced lower body, resulting in a more shapely frame.
The structured nature of these A-Line skirts also provides a defined shape that can enhance your overall silhouette. In addition to this, you’ll also love how they can accentuate your waist to make this curved transition between your waist and hips more noticeable.
Tulip Wrap Skirt
There is no doubt that tulip skirts are very dainty and feminine, which makes them a good choice if you are looking into setting up your “girl boss” work wardrobe. Apart from being stylish, tulip wrap skirts are also tremendously flattering on your inverted triangle body shape because of how they are specifically structured to add some volume right at your hips and buttocks.
Inverted triangle beauties often have an undefined waist, narrow hips, and flat buttocks. Fortunately, all these three key concerns can be something a tulip wrap skirt can easily address because of its self-tie wrap belt that cinches the waist and the tulip-shaped silhouette that adds depth to your hips and rear.
Full Skirts with Electric Pleats
The flared design of full skirts is generally quite comfortable as they allow ease of movement, so there’s no doubt that they also make a great workwear fashion piece. In addition to this, the fullness of the skirt with electric pleats significantly adds volume to the lower body to counterbalance your very broad, athletic shoulders.
The design of electric pleats also creates vertical lines that visually elongate your lower body to make your legs appear longer. This lengthening effect can make you look leaner, but without underwhelming the less prominent features of your lower body.
DRESSES
Scoop Neck Peplum Dress
Inverted triangle body shapes take pride in their athletic features and well-toned body, including the decolletage. This is why open necklines such as the scoop neck can help bring emphasis to this beautiful feature of yours while also balancing the size discrepancy that you naturally have between your upper and lower body.
Combined with the flattering structure of the peplum silhouette, you can create the illusion of fuller hips with the help of the flared overskirt attachment in peplum dresses. This also efficiently cinches the waist to create a more shapely figure, especially because your figure typically struggles with an undefined waistline.
Princess Seam Dress
Princess seam dresses can be visually flattering for inverted triangle shapes for they feature long, vertical seams that help bring your frame into more complementary proportions. These seams run from the shoulders down to the hem and they are designed to follow the natural curves of the body.
The vertical lines created by these neat seams visually elongate the torso and draw attention away from the broader shoulders for you to achieve a more balanced overall look. Additionally, the tailored fit of the dress perfectly accentuates the waistline, resulting in the illusion of an hourglass silhouette.
SHOES
Bright-colored Block Heels
Wearing bright-colored shoes in general can be very beneficial for inverted triangle shapes who lack lower body definition. These bright colors attract attention so the eyes would focus more on your shoes rather than the obvious size difference between your upper and lower body.
Additionally, block heels provide just the right amount of volume to add definition and prominence to your lower body.
Oval Toe Chunky Heels
Just like the style concept of block heels, oval-toe chunky heels can also be an exceptional pair in adding depth to your less pronounced lower body. The oval curve and the chunkiness of the heels can visually add curves to your overall frame.
