People with this body shape might feel too boxy and might want to look curvier. Actually, the problem is not their rectangle body shape, but the pieces of clothing they wear (it may also be the colour, but that’s another story). Today, we’ll work out how to dress with a rectangle body shape by looking at what it is and its characteristics, the ideal closet and what accessories complement it.
What is a rectangle body shape?
Regardless of weight, a rectangle body shape doesn’t present a lot of curves. In case of height growth or weight gain, this happens pretty much evenly across the whole body. In fact, if you ask someone with this body shape where do they tend to accumulate weight the most, they will have one of two answers. The first is that they won’t tend to gain weight, and the other is that they will point pretty much everywhere, all over their body, meaning it will be distributed relatively evenly.
Shoulders and hips are naturally aligned, and they tend to wear the same size for tops and bottoms. The main thing that distinguishes a rectangle from all other body shape is their waist point: it’s really tight, and sometimes you can’t even make it out. This is because the rib cage ends just before the hip bones, with little space in between. Because of this they tend to present a high barycentre, and they’re able to wear any kind of bottoms between trousers and skirts.
It’s the body shape that is more in “vogue” these days, and was also very popular in the Roaring Twenties (USA) and in the 60s (Swinging London, UK). Therefore the fashion in these 2 decades can be of pretty useful inspiration for those who have this body shape.
How to dress with a rectangle body shape: the ideal closet
Jackets and coats
Here it wouldn’t make any sense to emphasise the waist point, since it’s not very noticeable. What we want to do is work with what we have and give it all the value it deserves. So, when it comes to jackets and coats you really want to try those long ones and trench coats. Also, a one-breasted jacket will do the trick too. It will create a bit of movement around the waist area, without emphasising it.
Tops
Your body shape is suited to wear all kinds of tops, like T-shirts, polo shirts and normal office shirts. If you want to wear something more feminine, try wearing blouses with details near the neckline like frills, embroidery, ribbons and bows. Avoid deep necklines that show your chest. You may also like to try one shoulder pieces, and ones that have diagonal lines on general.
Bottoms
You might prefer trousers to skirts when it comes to bottoms. Here you can wear any colour and style, but you might want to avoid those ones that are flowy under the knee. This because you don’t need to balance with your sides like a triangle shape would want to do.
In case you like wearing skirts, then you can start with wrap skirts, and asymmetrical ones. For inspiration, you can look at 20’s or 60’s styles fashion.
Dresses
These need to be chosen with great care. Either choose ones that cut the figure below the chest, or ones that cut it below the waist. Peplum dresses create more movement under the waist, so you might want to give these a try too. You might also want to look at some illusion dresses and again, look at 20’s or 60’s fashion to widen your horizons and see if anything inspires you.
A couple of tips
- Play with your volumes! For example, wear a more fitting shirt with a more voluminous shirt, all paired with a belt. This helps create more movement, in a flattering way and without showing too much.
- Pay attention to the textiles. For what you want to cover the body, choose a more structured fabric, and for airier detailing like frills you can choose something lighter, softer and more flowing.
Accessories
Belts
Keep your belts tied softly and a bit to side. Also, if it’s a textile belt that sometimes comes with a dress, you can also use that as a hair band.
Bags
Any bag is fine, just bear in mind to keep everything in proportion: a small bag for a small rectangle, a big one for a big rectangle.
Shoes
You can wear any flats you possibly want: anything ranging from ballet shoes to mocassins to sneakers. If you want to have a bit of heel, wear a low one, possibly below 5cm.
Hair
It’s worthwhile to mention because it’s one “accessory” that we wear everyday. In this case, you’ll want to wear them wavy or curly to give a bit more movement to your silhouette. Otherwise, if you like wearing them shorter, you can look at Charlize Theron’s looks for inspiration.
Knowing what wear when it comes to how to dress with a rectangle body shape does not have to be complicated. For the rest, wear what works for you!
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