The red dress here shows an optimal cut. The A-line directs the focus on the slender legs.

Dresses and Skirts

If you are a V-type and like to wear dresses in the office, pay attention to the following: Long vertical lines in the upper half of the body visually stretch the body, making the shoulders look slimmer. Best choice is unicoloured dresses. A unicoloured dress creates a continuous line and balances the dominant shoulders. The A-line cut is also recommendable for skirts, it flatters your legs and balances the body. Don’t go for too much of a pencil cut, that would stress the V-shape even more. A pencil shirt only works in case it comes with a peplum around the hips.

Trousers

Whereas trousers may well be flashy. The optical focus should be set on your legs. This is the good news for you V-types: your slim legs and hips are your big plus. Always try to call attention to your amazing legs, that should be your priority. In case you are a smaller woman, the Marlene cut (wide and long legs) is your ideal cut, like Alexandra wears here. If you are taller, let’s say over 1,73 m, you should go for the trendy Culotte trousers, even with flats. As for skirts and dresses, the trick is the wider cut, this way your board shoulders appear slim. In case you have long slender legs, you might as well try skinny trousers, however, you should choose a perfect top with it.

The plaid Marlene pants stretches the legs and balances the shoulders well.

The black dress has a good neckline for V-types and the loose fit at the bottom visually compensates for the shoulders.

Cut-outs

A décolleté can also help to let your upper body appear more feminine and to distract attention from board shoulders. Of course, a deep décolleté is not such a good idea for the office. Therefore you have to go for the golden middle course.

A V-Neck is a good choice. It doesn’t have to be a classical V, a round or cornered cut-out also works well. As long as it opens facedown and makes your upper body narrower. Wide cut-outs or a waterfall cleavage are not recommendable for the V-type.

Materials

The appropriate use of materials can also make the upper body appear narrower. Therefore, we recommend soft and flowing materials for blouses, jackets and tops. The classical silk blouse should become your loyal companion for your office outfits. It is an all-time classic anyway and gently hugs your body without being too voluminous. Alexandra wears a soft and plain green silk blouse here to demonstrate the effect. By the way, you are more than welcome to wear lots of colour!
Soft and thin knitwear is a great and easy friend for your office outfit as well. It always looks classy in business and is also a good traveller since it is robust and almost crease-free. In general, the same rule applies for all tops: a straight, plain and simple cut at best unicoloured.

The blue blouse with flared cuffs scores twice: color and shape!

This longblazer is very suitable for V-types. It’s best to combine it with a wide pair of trousers!

Here is what you should avoid at best

First and foremost, you should avoid shoulder pads, of course, they will make your upper body appear even wider. However, many blazer have integrated shoulder pads. Make sure they can be removed after you bought the jacket. In general, we truly recommend to avoid heavy and bulky materials for any tops you might wear. The same applies for shapeless cuts and big belts. They seem to enlarge the difference between your body halfs even more. A classical turtle neck is a no-go for the V-type, it stresses board shoulders. Another no-go are short boxy jackets or tops, because they also create a stouter body, after all.