Photos – Olympic swimmer Dara Torres models at Fashion Week

In this photo provided by Dan & Corina Lecca, The Charles Nolan spring-summer 2009 collection is modeled by U.S. Olympic medalist Dara Torres during Fashion Week Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Dan & Corina Lecca)

I was really excited to see a designer seeking a normal woman to model his clothing. Not that Dara Torres is your average woman! However, she’s not a skinny fashion model. She’s a world class simmer, and having a swimmer body, her shoulders are far wider than average.

She has an inverted triangle figure, meaning her shoulders are wider than her hips. The photo shown is a perfect example of how to balance this figure type. The top she’s wearing has a deep V, drawing the eye to the middle of the body, making her shoulders appear more narrow. Next, her waist is highlighted, then the bell shaped skirt gives her the fullness in her hips to balance her shoulders.

The overall look is gorgeous and extremely inspiring to me. Typically, even though I’m an image consultant and know how to balance my body, I’m a little insecure about my wide upper body. A lot of the fashion on the market right now emphasizes the upper body, ugh! Here we’re seeing how such a beautiful classic look can be so elegant!