How to Dress a Woman With an Inverted Triangle Body Shape

Women who wear the right types of clothing will look proportional.

Women who have inverted triangle body shapes typically have wide shoulders and narrow hips. They usually have long, thin legs and straight or well-defined waists. A woman with this body type should wear clothes that will minimize broad shoulders, emphasize her waistline and add curves to her lower body. She should also wear clothes that make her upper body look proportionate to her longer lower body. Women with inverted triangle body shapes can wear soft, loose fabrics that hang well on wide shoulders.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil skirt
• Straight-legged pants
• Boot cut jeans
• Shirt with vertical stripes
• Button down blouse
• Sleeveless dress with wide straps
• Tailored jacket
• V-neck shirt
• Belt
• Shorts
• Strapless dress
• Empire-waist shirt

Instructions

1. Create curved hips to balance the width of your shoulders. Wear a pencil skirt to work or a formal event. Put on straight-legged pants instead of tighter pants to create a wider lower body. Wear boot cut jeans to an informal outing since they make your hips look curvy and have wide hems.

2. Narrow your shoulders. Put on a shirt with vertical stripes that will draw attention to your waist and away from your shoulders. Wear a button down shirt that emphasizes your waist and creates a vertical line with the buttons. Wear a dress with wide straps that will appear to break up the width of your shoulders.

3. Accentuate your waist. Wear a tailored jacket that has a clear waistline on cold days since it will bring attention to the narrowest part of your waist. Put on a V-neck shirt that will draw attention away from the wide line of your shoulders. Wear a belt with your pants to emphasize your waist and the curve of your hips.

4. Emphasize your assets. Show off your slim legs by wearing shorts. Wear a strapless dress to a formal event because a strapless neckline will show off your defined shoulders. Put on an empire-waist shirt since the loose fabric around your waist will skim it and balance your shoulders.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid styles that add width to your shoulders, such as dresses with shoulder pads and detailing.

• Do not wear fabric that is stiff or does not stretch, since it will emphasize your shoulders.

• Avoid wearing horizontal stripes on your upper body, since they will make your shoulders look wider.

References

• Style Makeover HQ: What's Your Body Shape?
• "Youlookfab"; How to Dress the Inverted Triangle Body Type; Angie; May 2010