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Petite Dressing

Dress for your Body Type and Height

Last Updated on October 24, 2022 By Valery

The Dress Guide for Women with Broad Shoulders

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If your shoulders are broad, finding flattering dress styles is critical. The right styles of dress can balance out your shoulders and make them look in proportion with your body, while the wrong styles can make you feel restrictive in your shoulders and make them appear even broader.

Below is the complete guide with 7 best dress styles and 6 types of dresses you should use caution or stay away from.

Table of Contents

  • V- neckline dresses
  • Fit and flare dresses
  • Halter neckline dresses
  • A-line dresses
  • Wrap dresses
  • Dresses with fitted sleeves
  • One shoulder dress
  • Avoid strapless dress
  • Avoid dresses with spaghetti straps
  • Avoid dresses with padded shoulders
  • Avoid off-the-shoulder dresses
  • Avoid dresses with voluminous sleeves
  • Stay off dresses with horizontal stripes

V- neckline dresses

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-vneck dress

One of the most comfortable and gorgeous neckline dresses for your broad shoulder is the V- neckline dress with a slimming effect on your shoulders. They balance out the general figure of a woman with broad shoulders.

V- neckline dresses oftentimes divert the attention of the eyes away from the shoulders and pulls more focus to the center of the body. The vertical line created by the dress makes the chest region and the collar bones more noticeable than the broad shoulders.

They also make you appear slender and elegant in any occasion. The balance the V- neckline creates in the shoulders prevent it from appearing wider than it is naturally.

Fit and flare dresses

A very simple and easy-to-wear dress that is highly encouraged as an appropriate choice of dress for broad shoulders is the fit and flare dress. It defines the waist of the woman and that is a great way to reduce the focus of the eyes on the broad shoulders.

If you have broad shoulders, then the fit and flare were designed for you, so make the best out of them by adding them to your wardrobe staple.

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-fit and flare dress

Why opt for a Fit and flare dress

They draw more attention to the lower half of the woman and elongate her body frame by giving the eyes the illusion of longer legs.

Fit and flare dress also possess lower necklines necessary to cause a distraction from the broad shoulders.

Halter neckline dresses

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Halter neckline dresses

This dress design divides your broad shoulders to make them appear less noticeable. They are also a way to make your shoulders look smaller because the more material between the shoulders and the neck, the smaller the shoulders will seem.

Dresses with halter necklines are an excellent way to conceal your broad shoulders and flatter your feminine figure. It is a dress with a perfect statement neckline that looks good on a woman with broad shoulders.

Halter neckline dresses are an appealing dress design with a great combination of style and elegance for a woman with broad shoulders.

A-line dresses

A-line dresses are an accommodating silhouette suitable to balance the shape of a woman with broad shoulders.

They also have a slimming effect that reduces the exaggeration in your shoulders. A-line dresses are exclusively beautiful and flattering on broad shoulders because they sit well on your figure to provide a desirable structure.

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-A-line dresses

Benefits of A-line dresses

They are dresses designed to give a great fit at the top and flare out slightly above your natural waistline.

A-line dresses also elevate your height and drag focus from your broad shoulders.

They are very beautiful dress designs that give you the confidence you need to appreciate your shape.

Wrap dresses

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Wrap dresses (1)

Over again, the wrap dresses have proven to be one of the most significantly desirable dress for any body shape and the woman with broad shoulders is not excluded. Wrap dresses are incredibly flattering on broad shoulders because they divert the attention of the eyes.

They have amazing attributes that add a lengthening effect to your shape and also cinches in your waist. Wrap dresses are an ideal way to conceal the broad shoulders and still create a balance in both the upper and lower regions of your body.

You can never be on the wrong lane by styling your figure with a wrap dress and that is a good reason to make them a go-to option of dress for your shape. They are a most forgiving silhouette excellent for a woman with broad shoulders.

Dresses with fitted sleeves

Eliminate volume in your upper half by wearing tops with fitted sleeves because they would reduce the width in your shoulder region. Fitted sleeves are an ideal way to appear smaller around your shoulders.

They have a way of defining your body shape and creating a balance in your overall figure. Dresses with fitted sleeves are very comfortable and could make you appear elegant.

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Dresses with fitted sleeves

Tips to remember when choosing a dress

Be certain that the sleeves of the dress you are wearing is tailored to accommodate your broad shoulders without necessarily pulling the attention of the eyes towards them.

Extra volume in the sleeves is not necessary so keep the sleeves fitted on your broad shoulders.

One shoulder dress

_DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-One shoulder dress

Asymmetric dresses like the one-shoulder dresses are very beautiful on a woman with broad shoulders. They create a balance in the body proportion and are thus a recommended style option for your figure.

One shoulder dress gives a disguise to your shoulders that prevents them from appearing too broad. They should therefore be a go-to option for a woman with broad shoulders.

Avoid strapless dress

Keep your shoulders covered to avoid them from appearing too broad. So avoid wearing strapless dresses because it would expose your broad shoulders and make them noticeable.

Whatever design of dress you intend to put on, make suree you opt for those that have wide straps that could serve as coverage for your broad shoulders. It is a simple way to be confident with your style and figure.

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Avoid strapless dress

Why you should not opt for off-the shoulder-dress

Strapless dresses are not flattering on the figure of a woman with broad shoulders and should not be a style option for her.

This design of dress would cause an imbalance in your body proportion so do not add them as a part of your wardrobe staple.

Avoid dresses with spaghetti straps

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Avoid dresses with spaghetti straps

Styling broad shoulders with spaghetti strap dresses is a wrong styling idea that is not fashionable. Spaghetti straps would easily form a contrast with your wide shoulders by making it less flattering on your figure.

This type of dress design creates more exposure around your shoulders by keeping a strong focus of the eyes on the shoulders. It is better to wear dresses with wider straps instead of those with spaghetti straps as the wider straps would fit the shoulders better.

Avoid spaghetti strap dresses and totally exclude them from being a part of your wardrobe staple because that is a better way to drive attention. They won’t structure your broad shoulders well nor would they maintain your shape.

Avoid dresses with padded shoulders

Dresses with padded shoulders would define your broad shoulders and make them extremely noticeable. Adding pads to the shoulders of your dress especially if yours are broad is not necessary and do not provide the best fit for your shape.

Dresses with padded shoulders are not the most essential and unique design for a woman with broad shoulders. Do not purchase dresses with padded shoulders or better still get the pads removed from your dress

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Avoid dresses with padded shoulders

Padded shoulder dresses are not the best

Padded shoulders are not flattering on you as they would only make your shoulders appear too wide and make them a reason for concern.

This pattern of dress could easily throw off your figure and make you appear imbalanced.

Avoid off-the-shoulder dresses

Avoid off-the-shoulder dresses

Your shoulders are a part of you so whatever dress you wear should be classy and stylish enough to fit your overall figure. Off-the-shoulder dresses may appear stylish but are the least recommended dress for a woman with broad shoulders.

This dress is designed to hang off the shoulders and reveal the skin around them. This is obviously a quick way to keep the keen attention of the eyes on the woman with broad shoulders.

Avoid dresses with voluminous sleeves

Voluminous sleeves do not work best in dresses meant for women with broad shoulders because they would draw too much attention to the concerned area.

Though trendy, do not make dresses with voluminous sleeves an appropriate wardrobe essential for your shape. They would not make you appreciate your shape but rather reduce your self-esteem.
Avoid any form of sleeve that would create so much volume in the top half of your figure.

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Avoid dresses with voluminous sleeves

Why you should not opt for a dress with voluminous sleeves

The last thing you should try to do is style yourself with a dress that would make your broad shoulders more noticeable.

They may appear stylish but are not the best design of sleeves recommended for your shape.

The eyes would assume so much width around the shoulder region and this could create a form of visual imbalance in your figure.

Stay off dresses with horizontal stripes

DRESSES FOR BROAD SHOULDERS-Stay off dresses with horizontal stripes

One key way to avoid focus of the eyes on your shoulders is to stay off dresses that add width to your figure. This can be done simply by avoiding dresses designed with horizontal stripes.

Dresses with horizontal stripes would make wide shoulders appear wider than normal because they leave the eyes to move left and right. They do not flatter a woman with broad shoulders, so it’s best to stay off them.

Most preferably, wear dresses with vertical stripes because they generally have a slimming effect that would work best with the woman with broad shoulders. Vertical striped dresses would move the eyes upwards and downwards giving it the illusion of length.

Hello there! My name is Chi Li, 5'2", founder of PETITE DRESSING, the clothing line for women 5'4" & under. Are you petite and have you been frustrated with what to wear?
This is an issue few truly understand and even fewer brands truly address.
Being petite myself, I have been writing about fashion for short women since 2016 and my brand petitedressing.com has touched the lives of millions.
My styling concepts for petite women not only focus on the perfect fit but also on flattering & elongating the petite frame for a lean silhouette, optimizing the proportions.
Shop my clothing line here.

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