Having a chunky rectangle body shape means your body goes straight up and down, and you can come across as stocky overall because your lack of waist definition. It is critical to find clothing that can create the illusion of slender waist and balance your natural shape. In this detailed guide, we’ll first help you understand your body features and then walk you through the most flattering clothing styles for your unique shape.
Characteristics
- Symmetrical shoulders, waist, and hips – These parts of your body are nearly similar in terms of width. They are technically well-balanced with each other but this is also one of the main reasons why you lack curves.
- Very minimal waist definition – The transition line that connects your waist and hips isn’t indented enough because these two regions are very close in terms of width.
- Fuller bust size – Being chunky means you carry a bit more weight, hence a bigger and rounder bust line.
- Chunky but balanced limbs – Rectangle shapes usually have slender arms and legs, but since you carry more weight all throughout your body, you may also have chunkier limbs. However, they may still be relatively slimmer compared to other plus-size body shapes.
- You may have a bulging belly – It’s not uncommon to have a heavier midsection when you have a chunky figure.
- Even weight distribution – Despite your chunky figure, you still look proportionate from top to bottom because of how you gain your weight evenly.
- Straight and angular silhouette – You look straight up and down because of the lack of feminine curves in your figure.
- Flat and less voluminous rear – Your buttocks are less pronounced despite carrying more weight in your body.
TOPS
Tops with Ruffled Sleeves
Chunky rectangle body shapes may carry more weight than the usual athletic rectangle-shaped women. But despite the excess weight you have, you still have a relatively straight up-and-down silhouette with minimal natural curves so to break this visual monotony, you can opt for tops with ruffled sleeves to add volume and interest to your shoulders.
This additional detail creates a sense of movement to your upper half and this can be quite beneficial when it comes to distracting the gaze from seeing harsh angular lines. Enhancing your upper half through the help of ruffles can also be an effective way to draw attention to your fuller bust line.
Tops with Asymmetrical Necklines
Asymmetrical necklines are not just super edgy, but also quite helpful for rectangle body shapes who would want to add some curves and interest to the body. Asymmetrical necklines such as the one-shoulder cut can draw attention to a specific area of the body and therefore divert attention away from the straight lines in your figure and bring visual dimension to your overall look.
They can also be slimming as they can help tone down the excess weight you carry by enhancing the prominence of your shoulders and elongating your neck. This can naturally balance out the proportions of your body, as the appearance of broader shoulders and elongated neck can make the waist appear smaller.
Bright-colored Wrap Tops
Incorporating interesting details in your tops, such as bright colors, is a really good way to bring more life to your straight and angular proportions. Bright colors instantly attract attention, and when combined with a wrap-style top design, they can also visually cinch in at the waist to give you the illusion of a more defined waistline.
Wrap-style tops also form a V-shaped neckline as the fabric overlaps and this produces diagonal lines that can have a lengthening and slimming effect on your overall frame. This can make the body appear longer and leaner, which can tone down the chunkiness of your figure and make you look curvier instead.
DRESSES
Sweetheart Neck Dresses
Sweetheart necklines are beautifully designed to mimic the shape of the topmost part of a heart, with its curved and slightly plunging neckline. For someone who lacks curves but is also a bit chunky, tops that have a sweetheart neckline can help enhance the shape of your full bust as well as elongate your neck.
The openness of the sweetheart neckline draws attention to your gorgeous decolletage while also elongating your upper body for a slimmer look. In addition to this, the shape of this neckline can visibly add some curves and dimension to your straight-looking figure.
One-shoulder Dresses with Flounce Details
The asymmetrical nature of one-shoulder dresses as well as the flounce fabric that graces along the neckline, is a very effective way to visually balance out the proportions of your body. Since women with a chunky rectangle body shape tend to have a straighter silhouette, this dress style can help give your look more feminine curves by emphasizing your decolletage and drawing attention away from your potentially heavy midsection.
The flounce or ruffle detail on one-shoulder dresses can add volume and movement to your ensemble, which can be particularly flattering for your angular or boxy body shape. The touch of flounce fabric detail will give your look a sense of movement and therefore distract the gaze from focusing on your angular visual lines.
Tailored Peplum Dresses
The dainty allure of peplum silhouettes will always be an exceptional style choice if you’re someone who is looking into incorporating more shapes and curves into your figure. For chunky rectangle body shapes, you have two style goals that tailored peplum dresses deliver: slim your figure and create curves.
Peplum dresses feature a seam where a ruffled fabric is attached and then flares out from the waist. This snugly cinches the waist and creates the illusion of a more defined waistline, which also doubles up as a way to camouflage your midsection.
The peplum detail also adds volume and shape to your hips, which balances out the proportions of the body, making your waist more indented and curved like the highly-coveted hourglass figure.
JEANS
Retro Flared Jeans
Apart from the vintage charm of retro flared jeans, the elongating effect of this style is particularly advantageous for those with chunkier legs, as it can help streamline your lower body and impart a longer, leaner overall look. The distinctive wide leg of the retro-style flared jeans introduces a dynamic element that promotes the illusion of curves and depth in areas where you look more flat and angular.
Moreover, the high-waisted design of retro-style flared jeans effectively accentuates the waistline, providing superior definition to an otherwise straighter midsection. This waistline elevation creates a natural focal point that draws the eyes upwards and downwards simultaneously to further amplify the additional dimension and depth in your rectangle figure.
Mid-rise Jeans
Mid-rise jeans sit comfortably at the natural waistline in which this positioning creates a harmonious balance by cinching the waist. This also helps accentuate your hips in a way that can add subtle curves to your straighter frame.
While it doesn’t rise too high nor too low, it provides just the natural elevation of the waistline to create a gentle dip at the sides and give the illusion of a fuller hip area. This results in a more shapely and balanced appearance that’s also very easy to style with a number of basic wardrobe pieces.
Wide-Leg Jeans
Some rectangle-shaped women tend to get intimidated by the wide and straight silhouette of wide-leg jeans, but in reality, this particular style of jeans can do wonders to bring definition and balance to your angular frame!
Wide-leg jeans introduce just the right amount of volume and movement to your chunky rectangle figure to effectively soften its angular lines that make your figure look boxy. Moreover, the relaxed fit of wide-leg jeans provides a generous room for comfort without compromising your style and balance and this allows your chunky figure to fully embrace fashion without feeling constricted by overly snug or form-fitting bottoms.
PANTS
Bootcut Pants
To counteract your appearance of looking monotonously straight from top to bottom, wearing bottoms that feature a distinctively curved shape can bring more depth to your figure. Bootcut pants can be your ideal go-to style because they have a slight flare at the bottom, which can visually elongate the legs while also giving you the illusion of curves.
Apart from adding curves to your rectangle body shape, the shape of bootcut pants can balance out the proportions by gently flaring out from the knee, while its mid to high waistline effectively cinches your waist for a more distinguishable definition. Additionally, the slight flare can also slim your frame down by providing a subtle camouflage for your chunkier calves and ankles.
Dark-colored Cargo Pants
Dark-colored cargo pants are a game-changer for you ladies with a chunky rectangle body shape because of how this combines the slimming effect of dark colors and the depth of cargo pocket details. Wearing dark-colored cargo pants can distract the gaze from seeing harsh angular lines and at the same time, visually slim down your chunky lower body.
The cargo detailing itself, with its multiple pockets, strategically breaks up the visual plane to considerably bring dimension and divert attention away from the boxiness of your figure. Dark colors are visually elongating and are very versatile, too, so they won’t be a hassle to style!
Paper Bag Pants
The high-waisted design of paper bag pants effectively cinches at the narrowest part of your torso, which results in creating a more defined waistline. This additional emphasis on the waist can instantly make you curvier and therefore counteract the harsh straight lines in your figure.
More than these style benefits, the pleated, gathered fabric at the waist adds texture and dimension to shape up your hips and provide tummy control. This particular detail also draws the eye to the waist and away from the midsection.
SKIRTS
Skirts with Electric Pleats
Electric pleats add volume and movement to the skirt while its textured pattern also visually elongates your lower body. This specific design detail adds more interest to your look, which therefore effectively detracts attention from the angularity of your rectangle frame.
As the pleated design elongates your frame, wearing them can also make you appear slimmer. This will help your chunky figure to look leaner and more streamlined, camouflaging any potential presence of excess weight.
Streamlined A-Line Skirts
It’s very important for chunky rectangle shapes to always prioritize waist definition because of the fact that you lack curves. The fitted waist of an A-line skirt cinches in so it has the ability to create the illusion of a more curved and defined waistline.
The gradual flare of the A-line skirt which begins from the waistband down to the hem, helps add volume to your lower body for a more pleasing body ratio. This gives you curves similar to hourglass proportions, making your silhouette appear more shapely and feminine.
OUTERWEAR
Moto Jackets
Moto jackets have a distinct and stylish aesthetic that can totally give your straight-looking frame more depth and dimension. The edginess of the jacket attracts attention and its zippers and pockets can help tweak your upper body’s shape.
Moto jackets usually have structured shoulders and a very defined waistline due to their design wherein the zipper pulls the sides in for a cinched look. This can create the illusion of prominent shoulders and a more curved and defined waist, which can be especially flattering for your shoulders and hips which are relatively similar in width.
Structured Single-Breasted Blazers
The simplicity of single-breasted blazers is what makes them very flattering for most body shapes, including chunky rectangle figures. They typically have a cinched waist and a streamlined front which can bring more balance to your silhouette.
The streamlined front of a single-breasted blazer creates a clean and polished overall look. Its streamlined design can add structure and shape to your upper body, which can be quite helpful for someone whose curves may be less pronounced.
