inverted triangle/long cardigan advice?

Alison

Thanks to all of you guys, I have recently invested in a pair of skinny/straight jeans and a pair of the Gap legging jeans. Woohoo!

The problem comes when I try to figure out what to wear with them. My shoulders are definitely the widest part of me, and I don't have much in the hip/rear/leg department. So, this weekend I tried on many different cardigans, mostly "boyfiriend" style since I need something longish to go with these bottoms. The problem I keep running into is that the cardigans end up making me looking really wide, like a wide rectangle, especially when left open. When buttoned they make my shoulders look huge. Not having much luck with tunics either.

Does anyone have any advice, or do I need to buy a few things and take photos so you all can see what I mean?

Please help! Thanks everyone!

14 years ago

Body Type

6 replies

Latest reply was from Alison

crazyone

Veteran

Alison, try finding tunics and sweaters that flare out when they get to the bottom, rather than hanging straight down like the typical BF cardi...that should balance out your shoulder line.

14 years ago

Carole

Veteran

Hi-fellow inverted triangle, I hear you and relate! Try belting the cardigan a little lower than your natural waist, at least that helps for me. I have a few sash-type belts that work great. or you can try belting the top you wear underneath, but wear that belt closer to you natural waist.

This might help too, it shows the types of cardigans that are flattering for a V shape!

http://www.polyvore.com/choosing_cardigans/set?.embedder=462019&.mid=embed&id=21261506

14 years ago

Alison

Active Member

Thanks for the suggestions, and for the link Carole! Of course I am most attracted to the ones that start around $400! sheesh. But it definitely helps to have visual examples. I guess I need to look harder for those shapes!

14 years ago

Veteran

Hi Alison,

I learn best by seeing examples, so I hope you don't mind that I included some of my pics.

I too am an inverted triangle and I like thin draped cardigans because the ends are not straight across and doesn't make me look boxy:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....646088377/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....019947907/

I also layer or add pops of color to break up the boxiness:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....290999933/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....060710957/

Most of the time, no matter what type of clothes I'm wearing, I try to find a way to keep the eye toward the center and keep dark colors on top to minimize the shoulders:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....168731522/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....168731522/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w.....168731522/

Hope that helps!

14 years ago

shana

Veteran

I'm also an inverted triangle and run into the same issues. I prefer v-necks & draped/angled hem cardigans, and I am not a belter. I think AJ has a good point about thin knits - I know that chunky knits are supposed to be "in" for the fall but they never look good on me. For me, it's also a matter of hitting the sweet spot in terms of length and since I am petite, most BF cardigans out there tend to be too long.

I tried on this cardi the other day and loved the fit:

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_ca...../29880.jsp

It creates a great v-shape that adds from definition to the waist. I only wish it was a sweater knit rather than a t-shirt type of material!

For tunics, I prefer a u-shaped hemline - I guess it's called a shirt-tail hem?? So instead of cut straight across, it would look like:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/31.....erralID=NA

14 years ago

Alison

Active Member

AJ - thanks so much for the links to your photos, seeing the visuals helps a ton! You look great, and I understand exactly what you mean. And I need to figure out belts, clearly they are the friend of inverted triangles.

Shana - you articulated exactly what I was thinking - all the ones I tried on were so boxy, and I don't have the longest legs so I felt very short and squat, not exactly what I'm going for. I will definitely check out the cardigan and tunic you mentioned. And when I think about it, u-shaped hemlines do usually look good on me. Eureka!

Thanks for the tips and I will keep you all posted!

14 years ago

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