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What to Wear if You're Broad Shouldered

By Adam Glassman
Adam Glassman
Photo: Patrick Andersson

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

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From the October 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine