Inverted Triangle Body Shape: How to Dress It

What an Inverted Triangle Shape Is

An inverted triangle body shape is widest at the top: the shoulders, the bust, or both measure clearly broader than the hips. The waist is usually more defined than an apple's — many inverted triangles have a noticeably smaller waist than bust — the hips are narrow, the seat is often flat, and the legs are frequently a strong feature. Broad shoulders are common in swimmers and other athletes, and many people with this shape say tops fit across the back and shoulders long before they fit anywhere else.

This shape finally gets its own page because older advice — including an earlier version of our own umbrella guide — used its name for the pear and the apple, which sent readers to exactly the wrong strategy. The inverted triangle is the mirror image of the pear: where the pear builds up the top half, the inverted triangle builds up the bottom half. If your shoulders are your widest point, the advice below, not the pear page, is written for you.

How to Identify and Measure for It

Measure your shoulders around their fullest part, then bust, natural waist and hips. You are likely an inverted triangle if your shoulder or bust measurement is roughly 5 percent or more larger than your hips, while your waist sits visibly smaller than your bust. In the fitting room, the signs are jackets and buttoned shirts that strain across the shoulders and upper back while sitting loose at the hem, and trousers that fit easily everywhere.

Shop tops by your shoulder and bust measurements — a top that fits the shoulders can be taken in at the waist, while a top that is too small across the shoulders can rarely be fixed. For bottoms, your hip measurement is easy to fit, so your choice can be driven by style rather than necessity. Keep your shoulder measurement in your notes; it is the least commonly listed on size charts and the one that decides whether structured garments will work for you at all.

What to Wear: Features That Flatter

The strategy has two halves: keep the top simple, and give the bottom half the interest. On top, choose clean, uncluttered lines — plain V-necks and deep scoop necks break up the width of the chest, raglan and dropped sleeves soften the shoulder line, and darker or quieter colors above the waist recede. Avoid adding anything at the shoulders themselves; your frame already supplies the structure that other shapes buy with shoulder pads and puff sleeves. Longer tops and jackets that finish below the hip also shorten the visual dominance of the top half.

Below the waist, add the volume and detail the pear shape avoids: A-line, flared and full skirts, wide-leg and palazzo trousers, harem and cargo styles with hip-level pockets, horizontal detail, lighter colors and bold patterns on skirts and trousers. These widen the hip line toward the width of the shoulders and produce the balanced silhouette. Dresses that work hardest for you fit cleanly through the shoulders and then flare — fit-and-flare and A-line dresses are the reliable shapes — and a belt or waist seam keeps your defined waist in the picture while the skirt supplies the width.

Denim, Dresses and Swim for Inverted Triangle Figures

In denim, bootcut, flared and wide-leg fits add width at the hem, and details that other shapes skip — lighter washes, fading, flap and cargo pockets — work in your favor at the hips and seat; compare leg shapes in the women's denim fits guide below. For dresses, choose simple bodices with fuller skirts. For swim, reverse the usual pattern placement: plain, darker, halter or deep-V tops that narrow the shoulder line, with patterned, ruffled, skirted or tie-side bottoms that add width at the hips. Boy-short and skirted bottoms are especially effective for this shape.

What to Wear

• Plain V-neck and deep scoop tops in darker, quiet colors
• Raglan, dropped-shoulder and set-in sleeves without padding or puff
• A-line, flared and full skirts; fit-and-flare dresses
• Wide-leg, palazzo and bootcut trousers and jeans
• Pattern, lighter color and pockets on skirts and trousers
• Belts and waist seams that keep a defined waist visible

What to Avoid

• Shoulder pads, puff sleeves, epaulettes and strong shoulder detail
• Boat necks, wide square necks and off-the-shoulder tops that widen the top line
• Embellishment, logos, ruffles and bold patterns across the chest and shoulders
• Skinny, tapered bottoms worn with a fitted top — they shrink the lower half further
• Strapless tops, which leave the full width of the shoulders uninterrupted