Having a rectangle body shape means your body looks straight up and down. To make you look your best in the office setting, it’s important to find the right work clothes that suit the rectangle body type. This is a comprehensive guide that covers everything you need to know about the most flattering work clothing style for your shape.
TOPS
Ruffled V-Neck Blouses
Ruffles and softer flounces of fabric will always be a dainty addition to any outfit and if you’d like to channel a very feminine ensemble for work, try on ruffled V-Neck blouses. The rectangle body shape has shoulders that are almost similar in width with the hips and you also tend to have a smaller bust line because of your athletic figure.
With this said, ruffles placed along the neckline can enhance the appearance of your upper body and break the blunt straight lines that may contribute to the shapelessness of your figure. In addition to this, the V-shaped neckline opens up enough space to showcase your upper half and draw the eyes to your decolletage.
Wrap Style Tops
The universally flattering sophisticated appeal of wrap tops is definitely a great office wear choice for rectangle body shapes because of its distinct features that address the concerns of your athletic body frame. With its self-tie belt, it gently cinches the waist to bring definition to your waist, where there tends to be a lack of shape.
The fabric overlap creates a V neckline that also helps elongate your figure while also drawing attention to your upper half. This attention diversion helps minimize the squarish look of your figure and therefore adds more depth and dimension to your figure.
Scoop Neck Peplum Tops
There’s no doubt that peplum tops have a very feminine and elegant style aesthetic that make them very suitable for your business outfits, not to mention how having them in scoop necklines can add more curve! But apart from the design itself, peplum tops also have a structure that visually brings more curves and shapes to rectangle-shaped beauties like you.
Peplum tops feature a fitted bodice to flatter your upper half and a waist seam that perfectly cinches the waist to make the transition between your midsection and hips more apparent. Attached to this waistline seam is an overskirt fabric that gently flares out to add just the right volume for your hips, which can be very helpful in making you look curvier.
BLAZERS/JACKETS
Wrap Jackets
Wrap jackets can be a really good style option if you’re looking for office attire that’s more smart casual rather than too formal. Wrap jackets are typically minimal but their wist-hugging structure can immensely influence your frame proportions.
The best part about wrap jackets is that you have full control of how tight you want the jacket to hug your waist, thanks to its self-tie belt. It’s always ideal to prioritize comfort in your work ensembles and you can easily give this inconvenience to yourself with the flexibility of wrap jackets.
One Button Blazer
Wearing a blazer definitely amps up any business wear ensemble and for rectangle body shapes, a one-button blazer is a very sleek way to define your figure without incorporating too many details. The singular button is usually placed right at the center of your waistline (or sometimes slightly higher), which is quite helpful in efficiently indenting the sides of your waist to create the illusion of curves.
Additionally, they can be quite versatile as you can wear them buttoned or unbuttoned and they can be as equally flattering as your rectangle figure. You can also easily layer them with either minimal or dramatic tops because the sleekness of the one-button blazer can help enhance or tone them down.
Tailored Suit Blazer
If you’d love to level up your office wear and go on with a full business suit, try a tailored blazer that features figure-flattering seams and darts that conform to your rectangle figure. Tailored suit blazers typically have a silhouette that’s neat and streamlined, while also nipping in the waist to give your figure extra definition.
Since they don’t have many details, they don’t exaggerate the straightness of your figure. Tailored suit blazers work very well as a part of a full coordinate, so you can pair them with pleated dress pants or A-line skirts in matching colors.
PANTS/TROUSERS
Structured Bootcut Pants
The styling goal rectangle figures should aim for is to add curved lines to your silhouette to visually break the straight lines that add to the squareness of your athletic figure. One of the most subtle ways to do this is by wearing structured bootcut pants.
Its gentle flare in which the pants slightly widen out from the knee to the hem, gives your lower body a sense of curviness, which is absolutely helpful if your lower body’s width is pretty much symmetrical to your upper body. The effect of its subtle flare will softly shape your legs for an added feminine effect.
Pleated Dress Pants
Here’s something to perfectly pair with your tailored blazers – pleated dress pants! This elegant wardrobe piece can instantly bring the girl boss in you while also giving your frame its much-needed additional volume. Dress pants usually hang straight from the waist to the hem, which instantly gives you a more elongated frame.
To add to this bespoke-like structure, the pleats on the pants can also greatly influence the visual appearance of your frame because they help add just the right amount of volume to bring definition to your hips. This will make you look more proportionate and very well-balanced from top to bottom.
Paper Bag Trousers
One of the main concerns of rectangle body shapes is having narrow hips and flat buttocks. So of course, these less prominent areas will need a little bit of help, which is something paper bag trousers can do.
Paper bag trousers are made in a way that the fabric is gathered around the waistline, usually through an elastic band or tie. This technique significantly adds volume to the hip and rear area to make your figure look more curvaceous, all while having the waistband snugly cinch your waist for better definition.
SKIRTS
Ruffled Hem
Ruffles and other types of fabric flounces are very beneficial in bringing more shape to rectangle body figures, but if you would like to keep it subtle and more suitable for work, try skirts that feature a ruffled hemline. The ruffled fabric attached to the hem can help give your straight lower body more shape and depth.
This is because ruffles are specifically designed to create a sense of movement that tricks the eyes into seeing more curves and shapes. This will help detract attention from your shapeless figure, most particularly on the evenness of the size and width of your shoulders, bust, waist, and hips.
Plain-colored A-Line Skirt
It is best to keep your ensembles simple for work and if you are looking for a skirt that goes with pretty much anything, you have to fill up your wardrobe with plain-colored A-Line skirts. A-Line skirts work wonders in giving rectangle shapes a boost of volume and distinct waist definition.
A-Line skirts flare out from the waistline, creating a notable boost of volume to your hips and buttocks. This additional volume will help create more dimension to your figure, which is almost similar to the coveted proportions and curves of the hourglass silhouette.
Belted Full Skirt
Belts are always quite helpful when it comes to cinching the waist for additional definition, and this accentuation can be further emphasized if the belt goes along with the voluminous nature of a full skirt. Just like A-Line skirts, the belt creates a flare that significantly adds shape to the lower body, the only difference is that A-Line skirts are more subtle.
The silhouette of belted full skirts can also help break the harsh straight lines that rectangle body shapes have. Just keep in mind that when you’re going for a little extra volume like full skirts, try to match it with tops that have details that are a little more subdued to prevent overdoing your work ensemble.
DRESSES
X-Line Dresses in Light Colors
The visually proportionate silhouette of X-Line dresses can be of tremendous help if you’d like to create the illusion of an hourglass body figure. To camouflage your shapeless rectangle frame, X-Line dresses can help build additional width and volume to your upper and lower body, while also giving your waist a remarkable cinch.
X-Line dresses feature a shoulder line and a skirt hemline that’s almost symmetrical in width so this alone can help you achieve a curvier and more balanced frame. In addition to this, they can be especially appealing if you opt for visually relaxing lighter colors rather than constricting darker colors.
Asymmetrical Hem Dress
Dresses with asymmetrical hemlines can effectively distract the vision from focusing on the lack of definition in your figure. Instead of bringing attention to your undefined waist and narrow body, the uneven hemline of your dress will be your outfit’s focal point.
They may come in structured or flowy fabrics, which can both be equally advantageous in keeping your frame well-balanced. While this is a fun dress design to experiment with, try to look for simpler hemline designs for them to be more streamlined and put together instead of dramatically cascading ruffles, in order to make the dress look more suitable for work.
Puff Sleeves
Being a rectangle-shaped girl means that you most likely have narrow shoulders that share the same width as your hips. To break this monotony in your straight figure, you can use the volumizing effect of puff sleeves to increase the prominence of your shoulders.
Not only are puff sleeves very dainty and classy, but they can also visually tweak your rectangle figure into making it look more shapely. A quick styling tip: just don’t overdo it by going for extreme puffy volume, a subtle puff enough to make your shoulders a little broader should be perfect!
Blazer Dress with Nipped-in Waist
Blazer dresses have neat and strategic seams, as well as edgy diagonal lapels that create a very tailored and cohesive fit. These features also help bring more definition to your rectangle shape and disrupt the blunt straight lines that make your rectangle frame look shapeless.
In addition to its seamless and sophisticated structure, blazer dresses may also come in different silhouettes so if you are looking into cinching your waist to accentuate its definition, look for those that are nipped into the waist. This can be through strategically placed darts or curved side seams.
SHOES
Oval Toe Pumps
When it comes to shoes, the most obvious way to diminish the appearance of harsh straight lines all throughout your figure is to go for shoes that feature curved or sloped designs. Oval toe pumps can help add visual curves to your lower body for additional dimension.
Oval toe pumps are quite easy to pair with most of your office coordinates because of their versatility and elegance. One of the best bottom pairings with oval toe pumps would be bootcut pants because the gentle flare of these pants will help amplify the curves on your rectangle figure.
Peep Toe Wedges
If you are looking into a generous amount of height elevation without the discomfort of high heels, wedges can be your quick go-to style solution. However, due to the even heel distribution of wedges, they may seem rather straight and monotonous for rectangle body shapes.
This is why you can go for peep toe wedges instead because the subtly curved opening at the edge of your toe will help bring more shape to your lower body. This will efficiently break the straight lines on your silhouette without incorporating too many details in your outfit.
Neutral-colored Loafers
Not a fan of heels? Well, you can always flaunt a work-appropriate look with the help of loafers! Loafers are quite low profile, but they can definitely work with a wide range of ensembles, including semi-formal to formal business wear.
Loafers also make a great shoe option for rectangle shapes because of their softly rounded closed-toe design, which can also help detract from the squareness of your figure. Loafer shoes are quite versatile so you can absolutely pair them with dresses, skirts, trousers, or even tailored business suits!
