The Inverted Triangle

How the shape is read

The inverted triangle is read from a single comparison: shoulders and bust measure wider than the hips. The upper half leads the tape; in fitting terms the waist is undefined and the bust reads fuller than the hip.

The conventional fit logic

Tops and jackets are sized to the shoulders and bust, because that is where the cloth must clear first. Below the waist, the guides reach for fuller-cut bottoms, adding cloth to the lower half so the garment’s own lines answer the wider top. Sizing to the frame’s leading measurement, then cutting the rest to meet it, is the whole of the convention.

The cuts that sit easily

• Wide-leg or flared trousers
• A-line and full skirts
• V-neck and scoop tops
• Raglan or dolman sleeves
• Tops with minimal shoulder detail

Conventionally passed over

• Halter and boat necklines that widen the shoulder line
• Puffed or heavily detailed sleeves
• Shoulder pads and structured epaulettes

Set aside, not struck off: every entry on that list adds structure or width exactly where the frame already leads, which is the only thing the convention is recording.

Between the categories

Real bodies sit between categories far more often than inside one, and a shoulder line can carry a reading toward this shape by a margin the tape would call small. The finder shows its full point spread for exactly that reason – when two shapes finish close together, both pages are yours, and the mirror makes the final fitting.