Inverted triangle

What works and what to avoid

Inverted triangle — the shoulders are noticeably wider than the hips and legs. Balance comes from volume below: wide and flared trousers, pleats at the waistband, a skirt with movement, a denser fabric on the bottom — all of this balances the shoulders rather than increasing the imbalance. The top, on the contrary, is kept simple: no shoulder pads, no boat neck and no horizontal lines across the chest; a V-neck and raglan sleeves soften the shoulder line. A dropped shoulder, on the contrary, is a poor choice: it extends the shoulder line outwards and makes the shoulders wider — it is a technique for narrow shoulders, not wide ones. A tapered bottom with wide shoulders strengthens the inverted triangle.

Tips

• Volume below balances wide shoulders: flared trousers, a skirt with movement, firm fabric. Keep the top simple, with no shoulder pads.
• A V-neck narrows the shoulders and lengthens the neck. Boat necks and horizontal lines across the chest do the opposite.
• A raglan sleeve is softer than a set-in one: the shoulder line is not emphasised, it flows downward. A dropped shoulder does the opposite — it extends the shoulder outward and makes it wider.