4 Ways to Style Broad Shoulders

About two weeks ago, I was doing some online shopping as I tend to do these days and I ran across this gorgeous red blazer and shorts two-piece set. I had to have it, I needed it, I yearned for it! Dramatic I know, but it was sooo cute! Fast forward to last week and being elated to open my package. Let’s just say, I ended up being pretty disappointed in my purchase.

Anyway, I thought this would be a good time to figure out how to work around broad/pronounced shoulders. Initially, I thought I would just share some tips that I found online, but honestly, there’s not much. All I really found was tips on how to hide your shoulders or things you shouldn’t wear. Also, some of the information was pretty outdated. So I kind of came to the conclusion instead of hiding your shoulders and wearing oversized shirts…embrace them.

Because I am attempting to dress more feminine these days,  (for another post) most of these tops are a bit more girly if you will. My first tip is to wear a boat neck neckline or an off the shoulder top. I know it seems like your shoulders would appear even broader, but when wearing these tops, the focal point will be drawn to your collar bones, neck, and (sometimes) cleavage. Basically, you’re creating a tiny inverted triangle to take away from your shoulders which tends to create one big inverted triangle.

The next type of top is a halter top but with thick straps. Thin straps work too, however, they don’t create as much of focal point as thicker straps will. A halter top will create a teardrop shape and draw the eye to your cleavage. This is also great if you have small breasts as well. The teardrop shape accentuates your teardrops, essentially. Halter tops also tend to show off your back which can be incredibly sexy.

I used to think wearing strapless tops was a big no-no for me due to my smaller boobs, but that all really just depends on the strapless top. I know wearing strapless seems like you’re accentuating your shoulders yet again. For some reason, having nothing at all on your shoulder makes them appear smaller, at least for me anyway. This is especially true if you wear wide-leg pants with a cropped strapless top or bandeau. This look will give you a regular triangle look versus an inverted one.

Lastly, I want to talk about the elusive square neckline that not only flatters broad shoulders but also small breasts yet again. The deeper the square the better. This is by far the sexiest out of any of the necklines in my opinion. I might purchase or even make more tops that have a square neckline. The focal point here is your chest – not necessarily your breasts but your actual chest. Layering necklaces will take this style to the next level. This is by far my favorite neckline if you couldn’t tell already.

Now, I just want to say that these styles won’t work for every person out there. So many factors can change the look of any of these tips. For instance, if you have bigger boobs and broad shoulders, the boat neckline may not look as good. Or if you have extremely prominent shoulders, you may not want to rock the strapless tops. However that square neckline with poofy sleeves seems like a good happy medium for all…in my opinion. I hope this helped someone out there who struggles with styling broader shoulders. Embrace those bad boys and stop hiding them under baggy clothes. 😉

Thanks for reading,

ChelsiKay