What to Wear if You're Broad Shouldered

By Adam Glassman
Oprah.com | From the October 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

Q: I'm shaped like a vee: broad on top with skinny legs. What's the best way to dress?

A: Strong, commanding shoulders are a thing of beauty—they make clothes hang better. All you need are a few figure-balancing strategies:

Offset your upper body with volume below: wide-leg pants; fuller skirts.
Look for details that draw the eye up and down, not across—vee or scoop necks, vertical embellishments, long scarves and necklaces.
Choose soft shoulders, raglan sleeves, halters—anything that isn't crisp and squared-off.
Define your waist, or you'll look boxy. If a jacket fits your shoulders but is too big overall, have it altered.
Adam's figure-balancing picks

Halterneck narrows shoulders: Cocktail dress with black rosettes

Color-blocking sculpts the body: Long-sleeved dress

Eye-catching, strategically placed jewels: Scoopneck sweater

Vertical design elongates the torso: Button-down shirt and argyle vest

O's Fall Fashion Handbook: More instant updates for all of your wardrobe staples

Printed from Oprah.com on Saturday, February 11, 2012