If you are a plus sized rectangle, finding the right types of clothing is important to flatter your shape. Because of your generous curves as well as the typical feature of the rectangle, i.e. lack of a waist, there are some styles that are best to be avoided. Let’s dive right in!
Appearance
The plus size rectangle body shape has the following features:
- No waist definition
- Evenly distributed weight across the body
- Lack of curves
- Same size of hips and bust
- A straight up and down look
The similarity between this and the athletic rectangle body shape is that both have proportionate hips and a body frame that’s in line with other parts of the body. Therefore, the secret to styling your clothes as a plus size rectangle shape woman is to accentuate your femininity with the right necklines and wear clothes that create curves on your silhouette.
You’re definitely encouraged to include accessories like a belt and cincher. This means leaning more towards fitted clothing styles than loose ones without any defining features. However, here’s a guide on what not to wear for the plus size rectangle body shape.
Baggy jeans
As attractive as the idea of wearing baggy jeans can be, this is not flattering on the plus size rectangle body shape. It’s not a great idea to wear clothing styles that are too big on this body frame as it emphasizes your body size and draws attention to flaws you would rather conceal.
As a plus size woman with a rectangle body shape, baggy jeans will only create an unbalanced silhouette when it adds volume to the lower half of the body. The right fit will help you create the illusion of a curvier silhouette, which is what you need to transform your naturally straight body.
Therefore, strategically adding volume to the lower part of your body can only be done with jeans that are firm on the body, especially flared jeans and pants with prints. Pants with prints add an extra volume that will make you look more feminine.
Shoulder ruffles
Flattering your rectangle body shape means strategically adding volume to both halves of your body. Since your silhouette includes equal width all round, any extra volume on only one half of your body will lead to an imbalance in your overall silhouette.
Therefore, it’s best for the plus size rectangle body shape woman to avoid dresses with shoulder ruffles. It’s no secret that ruffles add volume to any part of the body they are worn.
With shoulder ruffles, especially around your sleeves, this means that your upper body will appear bigger compared to your lower body. This imbalance on your overall silhouette is quite unflattering and not a good idea for your body type.
Rather than wear dresses with shoulder ruffles, a better alternative is a ruched waist dress that appears horizontally on your waistline. This creates the illusion of a more defined waistline by introducing curves to your body.
Boxy jackets
Whether you’re wearing a jacket to accessorize your outfit or as coverage during cold weather, your choice of jacket will have a huge influence on your body silhouette, especially if you’re a plus size woman with a rectangle body shape.
No doubt about it, jackets can bring your outfit to life as they are a fashion statement. However, wearing jackets with a boxy silhouette will only emphasize the straight shape of your body.
This is the last thing you would want to draw attention to as a rectangle shape woman. Jackets with a boxy silhouette are mostly straight styles that draw focus to your body structure.
More than a few of them will also make you look bigger and wider than you actually are. Of course, you can picture how this will project an unflattering fit on your body frame. Jackets for your unique body shape should have a slight flare around the hip area as this helps to create a curvier silhouette around this area.
Straight necklines
Straight necklines don’t project the body of a plus size rectangle shape woman in a good light. Rather, these styles which are usually strapless and square neck are just as straight as your rectangle shape and will draw attention to this.
Plus size women with a rectangle body shape don’t need to make the exact shape of their silhouette obvious as this creates an unflattering look. Instead, with the right neckline, you can transform the silhouette of your body and upgrade your outfit to have a more sophisticated look.
Therefore, it’s best to avoid straight necklines. A better alternative for your body type is to wear curved styles. Necklines that are more flattering for plus size women with a rectangle body shape are round necklines, scoop and boatneck styles.
These are curvy and draw attention to your slender neck. Regardless, be sure to wear this on a dress or top with a comfortable yet firm fit on your body.
Straight skirts
Your plus size body will benefit a lot from skirts that are not unnecessarily tight on the body frame. Therefore, this means avoiding skirts that hug the body to form a straight silhouette.
Since the rectangle body shape is naturally straight with equal width across your body, you don’t need to draw the eyes towards this structure. Straight skirts are exactly how they sound.
They emphasize a boxy silhouette and won’t give you a feminine outlook, especially on plus size women. Therefore, you should avoid straight skirt styles. A better alternative to this is the empire waist skirt with a fitted waistband. This has a firm fit on the body.
However, the most important thing about this style of skirt is that it doesn’t hug the body tightly but flows out with pleats. This helps to create the illusion of curves around the waistline, effectively transforming your naturally straight silhouette to a curvy one.
Double-breasted coats
The double-breasted coat style is a bulky one with a lot of large buttons. For the athletic rectangle body shape, wearing a double-breasted coat will definitely add more volume to your upper body, making you appear wider.
However, this is not an exactly desirable effect for the plus size woman. This is because you have more body width and need to focus more on styles that help with waist definition. Your rectangle body shape needs to be enhanced with clothing styles that create the illusion of a curvy silhouette rather than just adding more volume to a section of your body.
Therefore, it’s not a flattering choice to wear double-breasted coats on your body type. Rather than this, lean more towards peplum jackets that create the illusion of wider hips alongside a curvy waistline. This will give your silhouette a feminine outlook and flatter your rectangle body shape.
Drop waist dresses
Also known as a flapper dress, drop waist dresses typically have a low waistband that falls more around the hips than where your waist is naturally. A major feature of this dress style is that it hangs loosely over the body without clinging in any way.
However, this is flattering for women with long legs, and looking to create a balanced proportion between both halves of their body. For the rectangle body shape with proportionate halves, this will only make your torso look unproportioned and less flattering.
Also, the loose style doesn’t help to create a defined waistline or the illusion of a curvier silhouette. These are both features that you need on your straight rectangle shape to stand out.
Since, you won’t be getting any of these from drop waist dresses, it’s best not to wear them. A more flattering style for the plus size rectangle body shape is the A-line dress which draws attention away from any tummy bulge and has an elegant finish.
Pea coats
Pea coats are a structured coat style similar to double-breasted styles as they have structured silhouette. Wearing a structured coat on your structured body type is not a great combination.
Pea coats are great at highlighting your rectangle body shape and athletic shoulders, drawing more focus on your straight silhouette. The double-breasted detailing can draw more attention on your midsection.
Therefore, if like most plus size women, you have a little tummy bulge, the pea coat will make this more noticeable than you would like. When your pea coat doesn’t sit firmly on your body, this creates a boxy figure that overwhelms your straight silhouette.
What you need is a coat style that creates a waist cinching effect, preferably with a belt that is not bulky. A lovely choice is the trench coat which creates a nice silhouette on the body and offers a firm fit with its waist cinching effect.
