




One commenter asked “who can wear a boyfriend jacket” ;that my friend is for the V shape. But what should a V shape avoid?
- Puffed sleeves
- Lots of shoulder detail
- Boat necks
- Wide lapels
- Straight skirts (if you are very broad shouldered)
- Shoestring straps
- Too much waist shaping if you don’t have a defined or slim waist
Vs – what do you avoid?







I'm an X but my shoulders are quite square, so I avoid enlarging them. Indeed I avoid puffed sleeves, shoulder detail, wide lapels … Scoop/boatneck (low boatneck) look good though, I think because of my face shape it works.
– tall & slim anon
This is me! I agree with everything. Thanks for posting Imogen!
I just love these posts about how to dress body shapes. I'm a V and you are right on! Also, your post on A's show things that look good so that was helpful as well! Thank you so much!
This is a fascinating study of shapes. It's very helpful.
I'm a short-waisted v with a lower bust…I avoid belts, cropped shirts or jackets, boatnecks, thin shoulder straps, wide open necklines that emphasize the wide expanse of space (decolletage?), or anything baggy on top. But I think longer tops with waist definition work well as do any pants that aren't high-waisted.
Everythong i read says a cone is easy to dress-i disagree, I am a petite cone and find it difficult. I dislike dolman and raglan sleeves and full and aline skirts. Whenever i wear that I feel like the clothes are wearing me.
Peaches – petite’s of all body shapes need less fabric and bulk than women who are taller. Raglan sleeves don’t add any extra size or bulk to you, unlike batwing sleeves which won’t work as well for you. You may not like full a-line skirts, but could easily wear a slight a-line that isn’t too long. It’s all about balance and proportion with your size and scale.
its me.. now i know i’m V type. the pictures that V should avoid such as showing lots of shoulder detail and boat necks are the fashion i love the most, and i have a lot of them in my closet.. no wonder i looked so weird every time i took a picture.. like something doesnt seemed right.. since i’m skinny and tall, i thought any fashion will suit me.. but i’m totally wrong.. i am soooo glad that i’ve found your blog.. it helps me a lot. thank you ^^
Glad that I can help you Prue!
Hi i am a V shape but love a pencil skirt its the style i wear.
They work for some V shapes who aren’t really broad through the shoulders as compared to hips. For many who are much broader in the shoulders than hips they make them look unbalanced.
Short and very busty “V” here and I generally avoid dresses (or anything one-piece) because they tend to be designed for women with more typical bottom-heavy proportions. Any fitted dress that has enough room for my boobs and broad upper back is at least two sizes too big on the bottom. Sometimes, I’ll find a dress made from a stretchier fabric that allows me to buy to fit everything below my bust. Wrap style dresses tend to work well for this, particularly if you put a lacy camisole underneath to compensate for the fact that stretching the top half of the dress to fit big boobs can make it more low-cut than it’s meant to be.
Aside from that, I avoid halternecks because I need to wear a real bra…always….and because they make my shoulders look comically wide. And I don’t like turtlenecks or higher crewnecks because they make my bust look massive. Oh, and shoulder pads are a big no….obviously. 😉
I’m surprised that you suggest staying away from straight skirts. They are actually my preference because anything with volume that floats away from my waist just swallows up what minimal “feminine curves” I do have on my bottom half which makes me look dumpy. A little bit of a trumpet-shape is fine but a real a-line? Nope nope nope.
Many V shapes look completely unbalanced in straight skirts as they are narrow and make their shoulders look even wider.
Oh and remember that these are all guidelines based on a very broad spectrum of body shapes that are similar. You are unique and need to take the guidelines that work for you and leave the rest. There are NO hard and fast rules
Hi
Really useful.
However, I find pencil skirts work really well for me. Would love to send you some photos for your comments.
You must not have really broad shoulders as compared to hips They work if you are only a little bit V but not an extreme V
Many thanks Imogen for taking the trouble to reply. Yes, you are correct I am not an extreme V shape.
What do you think about cap sleeves versus regular short sleeves for a V shape?
A cap sleeve will further broaden shoulders – so if you’re happy to do that then wear them. If you don’t want to have broader shoulders, then don’t!
Really pleased to see this body type finally come out of the closet at last- I have been feeling like an outcast for years in style guides almost wholly geared towards women who are worried that their bum looks big in something. I noticed that about one out of every 5 women I sam this morning at the gym had this sort of body so why have we been neglected for so many years?
In comment on pencil skirt discussion above – I think I get away wearing this by topping it with a dark, close-fitting v-neck top.
V shapes are much more common at the gym, less common everywhere else! As far as pencil skirts go too – depends how different shoulders are to hips. The wider your shoulders are, the less they suit a V shape. If you’re only just a little wider, you can wear them.