If you have the rectangle body type, you are known for a straight up and down shape. Choosing the right style of cocktail dress is important because different types of dresses create different silhouettes. In this detailed guide, we’ll take a deep dive to fully understand your body traits and then walk you through the most flattering dresses for your next cocktail occasion.
Characteristics of rectangle body shape
Most women with a rectangle body shape typically have these characteristics:
- Flat hips and butt area
- Lack of curves around the entire body
- No defined waistline
- Broad shoulders
With these characteristics, your styling goal should be to focus on your waist and make this into a more defined waistline. You should also wear dresses that add more volume to both halves of the body so that it can create the illusion of curves.
Empire line dresses
For a style of dress that has a fitted bodice below the bust and flows into a gathered yet loose-fitting skirt, there are a lot of advantages the empire line dress has for women with a rectangle body shape.
This impressive silhouette helps to create the illusion of a defined waistline. The rectangle body shape is a naturally straight silhouette and one of the ways to play this up is to wear dresses that can create feminine curves.
Empire line dresses are great for this as they work wonders on this body type. This all has to do with the high-waist style right below your bust which helps to enhance short torsos. The empire line dress can elongate your torso and further create the illusion of longer legs.
Combined, you’ll effortlessly add a few extra inches to your overall frame and have a more curvier frame with your slender outlook. This is an effortless way to create a structured and sexy appearance.
Wrap dresses
Petite rectangle shaped women will really love how wrap dresses create a desirable silhouette on their usually straight frame. This style of dresses has the tendency to accentuate your bust area and waistline, which is just what you need to emphasize the illusion of an hourglass look.
The beautiful thing about wrap dresses is that they are a fitted style that create a lovely feminine curve, as opposed to loose clothing styles that create a boxy silhouette. Therefore, this hugs your body beautifully in all the right places, including creating a waist cinching effect that enhances the illusion of curves.
So, with wrap dresses, you can easily encourage an elongated frame where you look slender and taller. Remember that wrap dresses may be tight-fitted but they are not excessively tight like bodycon dresses that make your rectangle body shape look more obvious.
The goal is to create a flattering silhouette and you need the kind of fit wrap dresses provide to achieve this.
Peplum dresses
The rise of peplum dresses in the fashion world was inevitable as they have a unique style that appeals to the silhouette of women with a rectangle body shape.
At first, you may think that this is just like any straight dress style that makes the lack of curves on the body extra visible. However, peplum dresses have a more flattering result than this.
A feature that is majorly responsible for this is the flare around the waistline that draws attention to this part of the body and creates a waist cinching effect. This is what enhances the illusion of curves while giving your overall body frame a more balanced outlook.
To make this dress look so amazing on your body, you should tilt more towards a monochromatic look that won’t lead to a squarish look. Overall, peplum dresses are incredibly flattering for women with a rectangle body shape, and you can definitely use them to draw attention to great parts of your body.
Belted dresses
Belted styles are perfect for creating the illusion of curves on women with a rectangle body shape. This is what makes belted dresses one of the best styles to have in your wardrobe as a woman with this body type.
So, since your body type naturally has no defined waistline, you can easily create one for yourself with a dress that is specifically designed to give your body a better structure.
Wearing belted dresses to help cinch your waistline will create a more defined curve that tilts your body more towards an hourglass silhouette. Make your dress even more interesting by wearing belted dresses with a belt that has a completely different color from your dress.
Some amazing combinations are a brown dress with a black belt, or white belt on a black dress. Play around with colors to find one that suits your unique body structure, as your personal preferences have a huge role to play.
X-line dresses
You can already tell from the name of this dress that it has an X shape which is specifically designed to add volume to both halves of your body.
This extra volume on both the upper and lower half of your rectangle body shape helps to create a smaller waist and the outlook of a curvier figure. The beautiful thing about this is that the transformation appears on all parts of your body, effectively balancing your shape and adding more length to your body frame.
So, if you’re in the mood to enhance a more feminine shape on your body by drawing more attention to your shoulders and waist, you should definitely consider buying a few X-line dresses in bold colors.
Another major feature of this style of dress is the full hem that helps to add more volume to your lower half. Meanwhile, every part of the dress is specifically designed to align perfectly with your rectangle body shape including the neckline style.
Dresses with puff sleeves
Adding more details to your shoulders is another effective way to restructure your rectangle body shape such that you can proudly wear a curvier outlook. A great method to add details to this part of your body is wearing dresses with puff sleeves.
This is an attention-grabbing addition to dresses that easily creates a stunning and flattering look. Dresses with puff sleeves draw the eyes upwards which is what creates the illusion of volume on the upper half of your body.
Some of the best dresses to wear with this sleeve style are X-line dresses, belted dresses, A-line dresses and wrap dresses. This is a better alternative to fitted sleeves, as this style only draws more focus to concerned areas on your body.
Details and embellishments like puff sleeves are more stylish for the rectangle body shape and you’ll love the results.
Sheath dresses
Any dress that emphasizes your column-like shape is a huge no. Therefore, the major appeal of sheath dresses is that they are great for adding more dimension to your body structure.
This form-fitting style doesn’t hug the body excessively but naturally snugs on the body to give a pleasant silhouette. With sheath dresses, you can create a more streamlined silhouette on your rectangle body shape where you appear taller and slender.
This taller appearance is accompanied by the illusion of curves, so you can call this a model-like structure. Sheath dresses are perfect for petite women who want to naturally add a few inches to their body frame without wearing extra long heeled shoes.
Another huge appeal of sheath dresses is the vertical line it creates that draws the eyes from up to down, thereby enhancing the illusion of a taller body frame. This is super flattering for most women with a rectangle body shape, especially for styles that stop just at the knee.
Scoop-neck A-line dresses
Show off your collarbone and draw more attention to the upper part of your body with a scoop neck A-line dress.
When choosing dresses for your body type, it’s important to pay attention to the neckline as this would determine how flattering it is on your upper body and how you draw attention to your best assets.
Scoop neck is an open neckline that helps to accentuate the shoulders and bust area. Combining this with an A-line dress silhouette will create a flattering outlook on your rectangle body shape.
The A-shape will create a more defined waistline due to the waist cinching effect while also making your body have impressive feminine curves. Therefore, these make this style of dress perfect for your body type.
Another huge plus with scoop neck A-line dresses is that it reduces attention on your midsection area. This is great if you have muffin top and don’t want to create focus on this part of your body.
V-neckline dresses
Easily create curves around your neckline and boost your overall body frame by wearing more of v-neckline dresses. The goal of this dress is to deemphasize your straight silhouette and move more towards an hourglass-like figure.
V-neckline dresses are effortless to style and have the huge advantage of visually breaking up your straight body structure. This way, you can stylishly elongate your body frame and encourage the illusion of curves.
Also, visually breaking up your straight structure gives you a more attractive look, especially as the eyes are directed upwards where you reveal your collarbone and your upper bust area with class.
When people focus on the upper part of your body, you can easily pull off a classic feminine look that’s great for any occasion, formal or casual.
Ruched dresses
Exhibit a beautifully feminine look when you wear ruched dresses. On petite women with a rectangle body shape, this is an effortless way to create the illusion of a taller body frame.
The right ruched dress in your wardrobe can be an amazing game changer as this ensemble will make you stand out at both formal and informal occasions. Ruched dresses are prefect for creating the illusion of curves around your hips as it has a beautiful waist cinching effect.
You need a dress that can transform your naturally squared look into one with a curvier body frame and a top choice is a ruched dress. However, be sure to pick a dress style with ruching at the side of your torso and not the center.
When the ruching is at the center of your tummy, this will hide this area which is one part you would want to show off if you have a flat tummy. Use ruched dresses to create the illusion of a more defined waistline.
Avoid boxy dresses
Boxy dresses are not great on the rectangle body shape as they overemphasize the straightness of your silhouette. This style of dress does nothing to define the waistline since it’s mostly a loose-fitting style with no cinched area.
Therefore, boxy dresses won’t flatter your body type but make you appear bottom-heavy since they are too wide around the hemline. Overall, a loose-fitting boxy dress is not trendy and won’t create any feminine appearance on your overall outlook.
If you want to feel and look stylish, you should lean more towards dresses that will offer the illusion of curves. You can’t achieve this with boxy dresses as they already have a squarish cut pattern that will make your straight shape appear more obvious.
