How to Dress the Inverted Triangle Body Shape

Last Updated: May 18, 2021

If you have an inverted triangle body shape, then your shoulders are wider than your hips, your bust is proportionally large, and you've got slim legs. You probably struggle with figuring out what clothes best complement both your wide shoulders and narrow hips and waist. Don't worry--with just a few easy tricks, you can learn to choose clothing that slims your shoulders, accentuates your waist, draws attention to your hips, and balances your silhouette.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Slimming Your Upper Body

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Experiment with tops and outerwear that feature vertical details. If you embrace wearing tops with vertical lines, you can lightly minimize your shoulders and your bust.^{[1]
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Research source} Choose tops with fun, striped patterns or other vertical designs. Or, play around with dramatic, vertical necklines.
- Try unbuttoning your jackets and blazers. Wearing unbuttoned, open outerwear will also create vertical lines that lightly elongate your upper body.^{[2]
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- If you need shoulder slimming casuals, go for u-neck and v-neck tops and t-shirts.
- If you want to accessorize with necklaces, choose slim, long chains that also include vertical details.^{[3]
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Wear a dark top. For a simple slimming effect, wear a dark top with a light-colored skirt or pair of pants. The dark color will downplay your broad shoulders.^{[4]
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Research source} Pairing this top with light-colored bottoms will also create the illusion of a little extra volume at your hips and waist.

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Search for pieces that accentuate your waist. Because your bottom half is on the slimmer side, you can find plenty of tops, dresses, and outerwear that show off your neat waist. Look for wrap style tops and pieces that feature wide waist belts and sashes.
- Collect waist belts in a variety of styles. If you find a top that is too loose at the waist, you can play around with a few fun belting options.^{[5]
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Dazzle at a formal event with a strapless dress or gown. If you're looking for a formal outfit that will slim your shoulders, choose strapless pieces with very little embellishment around the neckline and bust line.^{[6]
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Choose casual v-neck and u-neck dresses. Looking for a dress for day-to-day wear? Find simple, casual dresses with long, "v" and "u" shaped necklines. Avoid high cut, casual dresses: they will emphasize your bust and the width of your shoulders.^{[7]
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- If you choose a collared casual dress, try to avoid large, dramatic collars.^{[8]
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- Don't select halter dresses. A halter cut will exaggerate the wideness of your shoulders.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Exaggerating Your Lower Body

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Fill out your lower body with cute A-line skirts. A-line skirts fit snugly at the hips and gradually widen at the hem. An A-line skirt will widen your lower body and draw attention to your hips. Try out a few A-line skirts that have eye-catching embellishments and patterns, especially at the hips and waist.
- If you're shopping for A-line dresses, experiment with pieces that flare out dramatically at the hem.
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Try elegant full skirts that create texture. Because you have such a slim bottom half, you can afford to choose dresses and skirts that create volume below the waist. Full skirts use textures, layers, pleating, and draping to create that volume.
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Use horizontal patterns to widen your bottom half. Select pants and skirts that use bold, horizontal patterns. The stripes will create the illusion of wideness and volume.^{[10]
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- Avoid horizontally striped dresses if the bodice of the dress also includes horizontal stripes!
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Choose trousers and pants with wide legs. Finding pants that flatter your shape is easy when you seek out bootleg cut pants and pants with full legs.^{[11]
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Research source} You can also pull off culottes and or a more daring set of balloon pants with your body shape!
- Try pants with interesting embellishments to draw attention to your hips.
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Find dresses, pants, and skirts with bold textures.^{[12]
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Research source} Look for different types of textures that you wouldn't normally wear. You could easily pull off a tulle skirt, or a skirt with lots of layers. If you typically dress simply and conservatively, this is a great chance to shake up your routine.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Avoiding Common Mistakes

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Avoid wearing pencil skirts, skinny jeans, and other tapered cuts. These cuts will minimize your slim hips. If you love these styles and want to wear them anyway, choose tapered pieces with flattering horizontal stripes and patterns.^{[13]
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Avoid shoulder pads and other shoulder details. Shoulder pads, and shoulder embellishments can draw lots of attention to your wide shoulders.^{[14]
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Research source} Similarly, boat necklines and halter dresses will accentuate your shoulders, so try to steer clear of them.^{[15]
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- Avoid wearing puffed sleeves that emphasize your shoulders.^{[16]
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- Wearing layers of scarves at your neckline and bust will make your top half look wider. If you want to wear a scarf, choose a thin, delicate one.^{[17]
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Avoid wearing skirts and pants that feature vertical patterns. Vertical patterns will slim your hips and legs, which will only accentuate the wideness of your upper body. If you really love vertical patterned skirts and pants, find some options that counteract the slimming effect.^{[18]
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- Choose wide-legged pants with vertical patterns or select vertical patterned skirts that are very full at the hips.^{[19]
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- If you want to wear a dress with vertical stripes, choose one that accentuates your waist and features pleating or other textural details at the hips.
4
Avoid off-shoulder tops. An off-shoulder top will typically emphasize your broad shoulders. If you love off-shoulder tops, try to experiment with wearing dark off-shoulder tops. The dark color will minimize the wideness of your shoulders.^{[20]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do I show off my legs?

Stephanie Fajardo
Professional Stylist
Stephanie Fajardo is a Personal Stylist based in Portland, Oregon. Stephanie has over 17 years of styling experience in personal consulting, television, photography, and film shoots. Her work has been featured in Esquire Magazine and Portland Fashion Week.

Stephanie Fajardo

Professional Stylist

Expert Answer

Show off your calves by wearing short ankle boots with a skirt that falls right below your knee.
Question

Am I an inverted triangle if I gain weight on my breasts, butt, thighs and stomach?

Ainsley

Community Answer

I would say you aren't an inverted triangle shape, that usually would mean you would have smaller thighs and butt; the whole bottom half would be smaller than the top (bust, etc). You may be more of a round shape.
Question

Shoulder: 38", bust: 33", waist: 28", hips: 35.5"; am I inverted body shape?

Ainsley

Community Answer

It is possible that you are, but maybe a less severe one. It basically means that your shoulders and bust are quite a bit larger than your stomach and hips. Your bust is a bit smaller, though, so I would probably say you are either a rectangle or triangle based on your measurements. It may be different in person, however.