The rectangle shaped women are known for having a straight up and down body type, and many have a well-toned athletic build. Even though you can pull off just about any style, you still want to pay more attention the silhouettes of the clothes because not all will look equally good on you. The right styles can create the illusion of curves, while the wrong ones do exactly the opposite. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn everything about your body traits and how to find the most flattering clothes for your shape.
Characteristics
- The body is not particularly curvy
- Lack of a well-defined waistline
- Typical straight up and down silhouette
- Weight is usually distributed evenly throughout the body
- Measurements of your hip and shoulders are almost the same
Typically, a lot of people refer to this as a boyish frame. Since this is a completely straight silhouette without any curves, the key to dressing an athletic rectangle body shape is to balance both halves of your body by accentuating your legs and curves.
Use more form-fitting styles than loose styles as you don’t want to pick clothing styles that will overwhelm your body. This mostly applies to the petite rectangle body shape as well. Draw attention to your best assets such as your shoulders and nicely shaped legs.
Finally, any dress that creates a waist cinching effect is a huge plus for making your shape tilt more towards a feminine one.
Belted tops
One of the best ways to add curves to your straight rectangle shape silhouette is to create a defined waistline with belted tops. Tops with a belted waist will make your waistline appear smaller, which is exactly what you need to add curves to your body.
This works even better if you have a full bust as this will complement your hips to create a feminine hourglass-like shape. Therefore, enhance a curvy silhouette on your athletic rectangle body by emphasizing your waistline.
Feel free to wear a padded bra to give your curves a lot more attention. Adding a belt to your favorite top will always be a great idea for spicing up your outfit. However, be sure to avoid wide belts that will overwhelm your outfit rather than upgrade it.
Wrap tops
Wrap top is a huge favorite as whenever I believe I have run out of options on what to wear and you can do this to as a woman with an athletic rectangle body shape. This style of top will make you look effortless feminine as it creates the waist definition that your body type lacks.
Wrap tops are incredibly versatile, so you know that there’s no occasion you can’t rock this style of top. Apart from this, you don’t have to worry about how to style it. All you have to do is pick one with a firm fit on your body as a loosely-fitted top will not be flattering on your figure.
Also, stick to colors that are attention grabbing as the goal is to add more volume to your body while creating a curvy silhouette.
Bootcut jeans
The bootcut jeans starts fitted around the waistline and hips, then proceeds to a gentle flare from your knees to the hemline. This is a less dramatic flare that adds more volume to your legs and is just enough to accommodate your shoes without throwing your silhouette off balance.
With bootcut jeans, you can give your hips more volume and create waist definition for a curvier outlook. If you’ve been worried about how to add more volume to the lower half of your body without wearing padded shorts, here’s an easy fix.
This style of jeans is perfect for a casual day out in the summer sun or a fun hangout with friends where you need to look as awesome as possible. The style of the bootcut jeans is tailored to your leg shape to give a flattering silhouette that won’t overwhelm your body like baggy styles.
Flare jeans
Unlike bootcut jeans, flare jeans have a more exaggerated flare that’s super flattering for the athletic rectangle body shape. The secret here is that the flare makes your legs look so much longer.
So, if you’re petite and don’t mind adding a few extra inches to your overall heights without wearing stilettos, this can be your go-to hack. Naturally, your athletic body has long legs and you can play around this to give your body a more beautiful look.
While it’s not a must to make your legs appear longer, doing this will make your legs look more shapely and that adds more balance to your overall silhouette. You can also use flare jeans to create the illusion of a well-defined waist by choosing one that has a wide waistband.
This doesn’t mean you should go for a baggy style as you need jeans with a comfortable yet firm fit.
Jeans with pocket details
Any style that adds more volume to your lower body is a huge plus for your athletic rectangle body shape. Therefore, it’s a great idea to wear jeans with pocket details around your buttocks as this will reduce the naturally flat look of this area of your body.
Pocket details will add extra volume and this comes with a great deal of curves. You can also opt for pockets on both sides of your buttocks to enhance the illusion of curvier hips. Overall, jeans with pocket details will add fullness to your waist and hips, and this is great for creating the illusion of an hourglass-like silhouette.
When paired with the right top, you can project a more feminine outlook that’s great for diverse occasions.
Cargo pants
Where body types like the pear and apple naturally have more volume around the lower half of the body, this is not the case with the athletic rectangle body type. Therefore, cargo pants are an amazing addition to your wardrobe if you want to add more volume to your lower body.
The bulky nature of cargo pants, especially around the pockets, will help to create a more prominent shape around your hips, waist and buttocks. Many of these cargo pants feature buttons that overlap, and this increases the visual volume it adds to your figure.
This is a trendy street-style fashion pants that will definitely inspire a new look on your body frame. So, if you’re in the mood to try something different for your rectangle body shape, you can definitely rely on cargo pants to give you that outlook without emphasizing your straight silhouette.
X-line dresses
X-line dresses are exactly how they sound, and are quite effective at adding volume to both halves of the body. This has a lot to do with the X-like silhouette it creates, where your shoulders look broader and the lower half of your body has a more voluminous outlook.
The direct result of this is that your waistline appears slimmer and this is the perfect recipe for a curvy hourglass-like silhouette. Wearing X-line dresses is one of the best ways to enhance your best features and transform your naturally straight silhouette to a more feminine one.
However, if you have a small bust, you can spice things up with a padded bra or opt for an x-line dress with a plunging neckline. This helps to balance your upper half by further creating the illusion of a fuller chest. This also shows off your neckline.
A-line dresses
This universally flattering dress style is also a great addition to the wardrobe of any woman with an athletic rectangle body shape. Of course, you can already tell that it has an A-like silhouette which is super flattering because it helps to create waist definition.
As a woman with a naturally straight silhouette, wearing a dress that helps to add waist definition to your structure is a recipe for a curvier silhouette. This cinches your waist so that there’s more curve on your upper and lower half.
Ultimately, this is effortlessly elegant for your shape and can be worn for diverse occasions. You can make things a lot more interesting by wearing an A-line dress with a plunging neckline.
This helps to create the illusion of a fuller chest as it draws the eyes downwards and highlights your slender neck.
Peplum dresses
Use peplum dresses to draw more attention to your waistline and you can effortlessly create a more balanced outlook on your rectangle body shape. Your body type naturally comes with no waist definition and this is what you need to have a curvy frame.
However, with a peplum dress, you can easily fix this as this style elegantly flares out above your hips. It’s the perfect position to create the illusion of a defined waist and strategically add more volume to your lower half.
This can transform your straight athletic frame to a more feminine body structure.
Tiered skirts
Layering with skirt details can help the athletic rectangle body shape add more volume to the lower half of the body. Typically, you have a straight structure from your waist to your thighs and it would be a bad idea to wear a skirt that emphasizes this.
Rather than draw focus to this area of your body with straight styles, make it more visually interesting by wearing a tiered skirt. This is a super stylish way to add a dramatic effect to your body while balancing your structure.
With a tiered skirt, you can easily transform your straight up and down silhouette to one that’s curvier. Don’t wear this in dark colors as this has a natural slimming effect and may disrupt the effect you’re trying to create with the extra details.
Bright colors will work wonderfully well.
Trench coats
Use a trench coat to strategically give your body a more defined silhouette that stands out in all its feminine glory. This style of coat has a lot of details that are flattering on women with an athletic rectangle body shape including the collar, belt and lapel.
The huge collars and wide lapel on the trench coat will provide an amazing overall balance that builds up a more feminine outlook on your body. Use the belt to create a waist cinching effect that enhances the illusion of a curvy body.
Every detail on the trench coat works together to create a flattering figure that will make you stand out effortlessly. Even the oversized buttons neutralize the straight lines on your rectangle body which is what you need to make your figure appear curvier.
Tailored blazers
Give your body the illusion of curves by upgrading your upper body with a tailored blazer. Tailored blazers usually have a snug fit underneath the bust and highlight the best features on your lean body as it moves all the way to your waist.
This creates an amazing look where there’s very little emphasis on your straight silhouette as it creates a curvier outlook. With a tailored blazer, you can also create volume around your shoulders as it has a structured seam around your shoulders.
Use tailored blazers to add more sharpness to this part of your body and you’ll effectively create more balance around the upper half of your figure. Be sure to choose one that’s not too loose-fitting and incorporate your personal style as much as you can.