How to dress for a triangle body shape

Knowing how to dress for a triangle body shape can be somewhat tricky, because the top part of the body isn’t that generous compared to the lower part. Here we’ll learn how to rebalance them by knowing what is a triangle body shape, the ideal closet and what accessories tend to suit better.

What is a triangle body shape?

It’s also known as a pear or as an A-like shape. Loved by many artists throughout history, it’s actually pretty coveted and it’s common in the Mediterranean Basin and South America.

The top part of the body looks thinner compared to the lower part of the body: you can look at how wide your shoulders are compared to the sides. (This might not be necessarily true: you can have this body shape and have broad shoulders…) The torso isn’t particularly abundant, and the waist point is also particularly thin. It’s difficult for people with this body shape to have belly fat, but a bit of swelling on the belly is physiological and lots of people have it regardless of body shape.

The more visually important area is the sides, sometimes accompanied by saddlebags and more generous thighs and knees. The lower part of the body in these people often has stronger muscles, and tends to also accumulate more fat. In comparison, the top part if the body is more minute, if not more bony.

People with a triangle body shape have this eternal dilemma: thinner legs or a dry face or softer legs and a plumper face? Most of the time, they tend to give way to their face first: this way, they won’t look tired or sick and most often they will have also conciled with their more abundant sides.

How to dress for a triangle body shape: the ideal closet

Most often, and especially in the Mediterranean Basin, it presents a low barycentre. It may happen that your barycentre is slighly high: in this case, you may still want to give these dressing tips a try.

Here, the general rule is to create a focal point on the top part of your body. Look for those tops that have these particular details: shinier textiles, prints, more vibrant colours, chest pockets, large and round necklines, puff sleeves… anything that can create a focal point on your torso.

Try to avoid details at the height of your legs or glutei, since that can emphasize their roundness. Here it depends though: if you want to emphasize them, go ahead with it.

Tops

If they’re a bit short, it’s fine. If you don’t like that though, you can always wear them tucked into your bettoms. Go for shorter jackets, like gilets, and prefer more structured cuts. When wearing a longer jacket, choose ones with a belt (or wear them with one) and you may want to try ones with a small back slit. This way, you can improve your wearing experience.

Bottoms

Here, go high waisted for anything. The best trousers are palazzo and bootcut, but in general, anything with a wide flare. When it comes to shorts, choose high waisted ones and in a colour that matches your skin tone. If you choose to wear those extremely short ones, make sure they cover your thighs a little bit (by 3cm at least). With a triangle shape, skirts work better. Try knee-length ones (if high waisted) and ones that end below the knee. Maxi skirts elongate the figure when worn correctly, so give them a try too. Avoid minskirts because they emphasize the hips in a not very flattering way. If you like wearing leggings and skinny fits, wear them with a pair of knee-high boots of the same colour. Ideally, choose fabrics that are soft and flowing: they will help emphasize your curves without showing too much.

Socks

Choose dark coloured socks in matte fabrics. If you like embroidered or netted socks, prefer those with smaller and more dense designs, as they give a more thinning effect. If you choose nude tights, then wear them with a pair of shoes in the same colour.

Accessories

As said before, you want to create a focal point on the top part of your body. Using scarves and other important accessories will help drive attention towards your skinny bits and your waist. You can also emphasize your waist with a thick belt. You may also want to try to look for tops and dresses that have lace on the sleeves.

Shoes

Shoes are really important when it comes to making the look and giving it a tone, so they do deserve a special mention. Unless your barycentre is high, avoid flats. Now you’ll say that you can’t wear heels or you don’t like them. Truth is, you actually only need a couple of centimetres to see the effect. Pointier shoes suit better, and a pair of decolletés like Kate Middleton’s work magic. In colder weather, wear a pair of knee-high boots the same colour as your bottoms or socks. If you like cuissardes, choose them the same colour as your bottoms or socks, matte and more fitting. Basically, the trick is to create that continuity between the colour of your bottoms/socks/the skin on your legs and that of the pair of shoes you’re wearing.

Bags

How you wear your bags also influences how to dress for your triangle body shape. Opt for ones the buckles of which are at chest height. This way you drive attention towards the top. Also, you can optically balance the weight and the volume at the bottom. If you like wearing your bags across your torso, you can do three things. One is to shorten the buckle. Two, if you can’t shorten the buckle more than much, add another hole. Three, if you have a chain you can have some rings taken out of it.