Inverted Triangle Body Type? Here’s What to Wear
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Another day, another body shape styling, and today we are going to talk about the inverted triangle body type. In case you are asking what it is an inverted triangle body shape?
It is when your shoulders are wider than your hips, making your upper body look broader than your lower body. You also have a fuller bust, narrower hips, and slimmer-looking legs.
I call it the model body.
Many of the top models and celebrities that we know today have this inverted triangle body type, from Naomi Campbell, Winnie Harlow, Cindy Crawford, Taylor Hill, and many more.
The inverted triangle body type is so beautiful, but the problem is that many of us don’t know how to style this body shape to reach its fullest potential. We often chase trends, forgetting that they might not suit our body type. Your body defines the outfit, so before you put on a single piece of clothing, ask yourself: “Does it suit my body?” Because the last thing we want is to put in effort and money on a look that ends up taking away instead of giving.
With an inverted triangle body shape, you want to keep these two key principles in mind: keep the focus away from the shoulders and draw attention to the lower half.
Today, I’m going to show you how to do just that with these 17 best styling tips for an inverted triangle body type. These tips are used by many fashion stylists to style many models and top celebrities with this body type.
Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
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1. Go For Fit-and-Flare, A-Line, And Wrap Dresses
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As an inverted triangle girlie, you need to have fit-and-flare dresses, wrap dresses, and A-line dresses in your closet.
My favourite is actually the fit-and-flare dress.
It’s a no-brainer for me because of how easily it balances your body proportions. It adds volume below the waist, helping create a more balanced frame. Since you already have broader shoulders, pairing them with a flared dress creates the illusion of a fuller lower body to balance out your upper body. It also cinches at the waist, giving you that snatched waistline. I just love it!
My second favourite is the wrap dress because it defines your waist and often comes with a V-neckline that draws the eyes vertically rather than across your shoulders.
And of course, we can’t forget A-line dresses; they flare out from the waist, creating that fuller lower-body effect while giving you a flattering, feminine silhouette.
2. Invest In Drop Waist Dresses
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First off, I find drop-waist dresses incredibly gorgeous. I have never seen a bad-looking drop-waist dress, like, ever! It doesn’t matter what style they come in or what color they are; they always look good.
But apart from their beauty, they also work well for the inverted triangle body shape.
Let me tell you why.
The dropped waistline draws the eye downward, shifting attention toward your lower body. And when you choose styles with pleats or gathers around the hips, they add extra volume right where you need it.
This helps create a more proportionate silhouette by adding fullness to your lower half to complement your broader upper body.
Do you see the catch here? It’s all about creating proportion. The more volume you add to your lower body, the more visually balanced your overall frame can look.
And no, this isn’t about concealing your body. Not at all! It’s about adding volume strategically to your lower half to complement your upper body and create a more balanced silhouette.
3. Avoid Bodycon Dresses
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I know, I know! We all love a bodycon dress. I get it, honestly, especially those mini ones. But they might not be the most flattering option if you are trying to balance an inverted triangle body shape.
Hold on, let me explain. A bodycon dress is a tight-fitting dress that hugs your body and shows off your natural curves.
Now, remember, you already have a broader upper body, so what you want is something that adds a little more volume to your lower half. Unfortunately, a typical bodycon dress doesn’t do much of that because it follows your natural shape rather than flaring out around your hips.
Instead, go for wrap, fit-and-flare, A-line, and skater dresses that add more volume to your lower body.
However, if you still want to rock a bodycon dress (because, honestly, those mini dresses are too cute to ignore), I recommend styling it with an open-front jacket or a trench coat. This adds vertical lines to your outfit and can create a more balanced look without taking away from the dress itself.
4. Choose Open Necklines
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As an inverted triangle girlie, open necklines are your best friends. Think V-necks, scoop necks, asymmetrical necklines, and wrap necklines.
These styles open up the neckline and create vertical or diagonal lines that draw the eyes toward the center of your body rather than across your shoulders. This can make your upper body appear less broad while giving your outfit a more balanced look.
They are also great for styling a fuller bust, which some inverted triangle girls have.
5. Avoid Excessive Shoulder Details
When it comes to dressing an inverted triangle body shape, you don’t, I repeat, you don’t have any business with tops that have excessive shoulder details. Anything with puff sleeves, heavy shoulder pads, or huge shoulder details should have no place in your closet. I mean it!
These details make your upper body appear even broader, which defeats our aim of achieving a balanced silhouette. What you want to do instead is go for simple sleeves, relaxed sleeves, or raglan sleeves that follow your natural shoulder line without adding that extra volume we don’t need.
Remember, the only place we are trying to add more volume is your lower body, to balance out your broader upper body.
And for those of you thinking, “Well, I will just add more volume to my lower body to balance things out,” girl, it doesn’t always work that way.
Think of it like this: you already have broad shoulders and slimmer-looking legs, right? Now, you go ahead and wear a top with exaggerated puff sleeves. Even if you pair it with something that adds volume to your lower body, like wide-leg pants, your shoulders may still look more prominent because you have added even more volume to your upper half.
6. Avoid Boat Necks And Strapless Styles
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One thing these types of necklines will do is make your shoulders look wider, and as an inverted triangle girlie, trust me, that is the last thing you want.
You might be wondering how they do this. Well, they create horizontal lines across your upper body, drawing more attention to your shoulders.
Now, you already have broad shoulders, so wearing boat necks and strapless styles will make your upper body look more prominent compared to your lower half. So, in all you do, try to avoid them if your goal is to minimize shoulder emphasis. Instead, go for open necklines like the ones I mentioned earlier.
7. Choose Tops That Define Your Waist
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Definition is key when it comes how to dress an inverted triangle body shape. We want to show off that waistline while creating a more balanced look between your upper and lower body.
Wearing tops that give you a little shape around your waist helps create that lovely definition between your upper body and lower half. Instead of wearing tops that hang loosely from your shoulders all the way down, go for styles that cinch your waist and show off your curves. Got it?
So we are talking wrap tops, fitted knit tops, peplum tops, and shirts with waist darts. You can also try tops with tie-waist details because they help draw attention to your midsection and give your outfit more shape.
8. Wear A-Line Mini Skirts
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A-line mini skirts are fitted around the waist and flare out toward the hem. This gives your lower half a little extra volume, helping balance out your broader shoulders. And because they highlight your waist while adding fullness around your hips, they can create the illusion of a more proportionate figure.
They are super sexy, and you can style them in so many ways. Pair an A-line mini skirt with a simple fitted top, a V-neck blouse, or a tucked-in shirt to define your waist. The list is endless.
You can also experiment with different fabrics, colors, and patterns to make your lower half stand out a little more. Think denim A-line skirts, pleated styles, or even a cute patterned mini skirt.
9. Choose Patterned and Textured Skirts
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What you want to achieve with this is to draw attention downwards, especially when you’re pairing your skirt with a simple top. Wear skirts with animal prints, floral prints, bold patterns, pleated skirts, ruffles, or skirts with interesting textures. These details add visual interest to your lower half, helping balance out your broader shoulders.
For example, you can pair a plain V-neck top with a floral A-line skirt or wear a simple fitted blouse with a pleated midi skirt. The top keeps your upper half looking streamlined, while the patterned or textured skirt draws the eyes toward your hips and legs, thereby giving you that balance.
The idea is to give your lower half a little more attention instead of having all the focus on your shoulders.
10. Go for Wide-Leg Pants
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I talked about this in one of my viral posts on what to wear if you’re short and chubby. You might want to check it out, too.
But if you don’t have wide-leg pants in your wardrobe as an inverted triangle girlie, then what exactly are you doing? Girl, wide-leg pants should be a staple in your wardrobe.
They add more visual volume to your lower body, helping balance out your broader shoulders. And they generally make you look more put together without you having to do too much.
And guess what? They go with anything and everything. Fitted tops, oversized shirts, wrap blouses, cardigans, shirts, peplum tops, simple T-shirts, you name it. You can dress them up or down depending on where you’re going, whether it’s a casual outing, a dinner date, or even a day at the office.
Honestly, wide-leg pants are every girl’s best friend. Once you find a pair that fits you well, you will understand why I keep going on and on about them.
11. Wear Straight-Leg and Bootcut Jeans
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Still on adding volume, straight-leg and boot cut jeans are your next best bet. Straight-leg jeans have a fairly consistent width from the hips down to the ankles, giving your legs a little more structure. They are also incredibly versatile and stylish.
Then we have bootcut jeans. These jeans are fitted around the hips and thighs before flaring out from the knees. That little flare at the bottom adds some visual volume to your lower half, which can help balance out your broad shoulders. Hope you are taking notes?
12. Try Cargo Pants And Barrel Jeans
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One of the best types of pants you can have as an inverted triangle girlie is cargo pants. Girl, these pants are not only stylish, but they can also help you create a more balanced silhouette.
Now, here is the thing: cargo pants usually come with extra pockets and details around the hips and thighs, which add visual interest and can make your lower body appear fuller. Again, we are trying to balance out those big shoulders, and cargo pants can help us do just that.
Besides, cargo pants outfits are some of the most stylish looks ever.
Another style you should try is barrel jeans. These jeans have a curved shape that creates extra volume around the thighs before tapering toward the ankles.
This gives your lower half more presence and adds an interesting shape to your outfit. Adding barrel jeans to your everyday casual outfits is a great way to elevate and make them less boring.
13. Avoid Skinny Jeans With Oversized Top Combinations
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You really want to avoid this combination at all costs. Let’s paint a picture, shall we?
You put on an oversized top that adds more volume to your upper body, then pair it with skinny jeans that hug your legs and make your lower half look more streamlined.
Do you see the problem here?
Your upper body looks even broader, while your lower half becomes even narrower in comparison. And that defeats the whole idea of creating a more balanced silhouette. It’s a hot mess. Yikes!
14. Wear Darker Colors at the Top and Lighter Colors At The Bottom
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A little trick to step up your style as someone with an inverted triangle body shape is to wear darker colors at the top and lighter colors at the bottom.
The reason for this is to shift attention away from your upper body and draw the eyes toward your lower half. Darker colors tend to recede visually, while lighter colors tend to stand out more. So, when you wear a darker top with lighter-colored trousers or a skirt, it shifts the attention from your shoulders and directs it down to your hips and legs.
For example, you can pair a black fitted top with white wide-leg pants, a navy blue blouse with cream trousers, or a dark brown top with a beige A-line skirt. See how easy that is? You don’t have to do too much to make your outfit work.
if you love colors, don’t feel like you have to stick to black tops and white bottoms. You can wear a deep burgundy top with light pink trousers or a dark green blouse with cream pants. Play with it.
The idea is to use color strategically to draw attention to your lower half of your body. That’s it.
15. Choose Open-Front Blazers, Cropped Jackets, and Trench Coats
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Trench Coat | Cropped Jacket | Blazer
Now, let’s talk about jackets and blazers because they can make or break your outfit when you are styling an inverted triangle body shape.
First, let’s start with open-front blazers. These are great because they create vertical lines down your body, drawing the eyes up and down rather than across your shoulders. This can make your upper body appear more elongated without adding extra heaviness around your shoulders. You can throw one over a simple fitted top and wide-leg pants. Super simple and stylish.
Next up, we have cropped jackets. Now, you might be wondering how a cropped jacket helps. Well, when you choose one that ends around your waist, it draws attention to that area and helps define your waistline. But you have to be careful with cropped jackets. Avoid the ones with padded or overly structured shoulders, as these can make your upper body appear even broader.
And please, don’t pair these jackets with leggings, skinny jeans, bodycon skirts, and similar fitted bottoms if your goal is to balance your proportions. Remember, we’re trying to add more visual volume to your lower half, so wearing something that hugs your legs and hips closely might not give you the balanced look you are aiming for.
Instead, go for wide-leg pants, A-line skirts, barrel jeans, or flared trousers.
And of course, we can’t forget trench coats. These are a wardrobe staple, and I love how effortlessly stylish they look. An open trench coat creates long vertical lines that can make your body look more elongated. You can also tie the belt at your waist to define it while letting the coat fall open slightly.
However, here is one thing to keep in mind: avoid jackets with exaggerated shoulder pads or overly bulky shoulder details. Less is more.
16. Fitted Top and Wide-Leg Pants Combo Are Your Best Friends
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Well, are we surprised? this is a no-brainer. If there is one outfit combination that deserves a permanent spot in your wardrobe as an inverted triangle girlie, it’s a fitted top paired with wide-leg pants.
Let me tell you why this combination works so well. Your fitted top follows your natural shape without adding that unnecessary volume to your upper body, while the wide-leg pants add more fullness to your lower half.
Do you see what we’re doing here? We are keeping the upper half streamlined and adding volume below the waist to create a more balanced silhouette.
A fitted top helps show off your waist, especially when you tuck it into high-waisted wide-leg pants. This gives your outfit more shape instead of having everything hang loosely from your shoulders.
You can wear a fitted T-shirt, halterneck, or tank top with denim wide-leg jeans for a casual look, pair a fitted knit top with tailored wide-leg trousers for work, or throw on a cute fitted blouse with flowy palazzo pants for a dinner date. Like, it’s literally so easy, you don’t have to overthink it.
