How to Dress if You Have Petite Rectangle Body Shape

Do you have rectangle shape?  Some people call this pencil body shape, or straight body shape, i.e. you do not have much curves.  In today’s Hollywood, Natalie Portman is the most typical inverted triangle shape.

At Petite Dressing, we believe each petite body type have their own unique treats and everyone has the potential to be attractive, as long as we use the right dressing techniques to enhance our assets.  First things first, let’s take a look at what is a rectangle shape.   If you have a rectangle shape, you generally have the following body traits:

1. If you are petite rectangle shape, you have a very athletic frame.
2. Your hips, waistline and shoulders are pretty close in terms of width.
3. You have little to no waist definition.
4. You may feel like you look straight up and down.
5. You gain weight evenly, but may gain more weight through the upper back or neck.
6. On the other hand, you have small bust and your buttocks tend to be flat.

In one word, petite rectangle shape women have a “boyish figure”, and above are the typical features of petite body shape.  However, because human body have some many different variations, most likely not one body would fit into all features of one body type.  If you feel like you have some but not all of the traits above, it is possible you are a combination of inverted triangle and other body types.  Click on Petite Body Type to read more and take the quiz and find out what body type is closest to you.

Now that we talked  about how to define the rectangle body shape,  it may have become clear to you that the best assets is your athletic build and long legs. On the other hand, the key to dress the straight up and down rectangle body shape is to create an illusion of curves thus making your boyish shape look more voluptuous through what you wear.

To create the illusion of curves is to make the waist look smaller and butt look fuller.  Asymmetrical styles give a natural waistline.  The asymmetrical dress gives that visual break adding volume and balance. One shoulder shirts and dresses give lightness to the look.

Best Tops for Petite Rectangle Shape

Tops with belted or gathered waists make your waistline look smaller.  If they have fullness around the bust and hips then that will create the effect of a very feminine hourglass figure.

Off the shoulder shirts and wide necklines will lengthen your shoulders and create the illusion of a smaller waist too. If you want to enhance the effect, wear a wide belt to further emphasize the waist line and padded bra to draw more attention to your curves.

Flowing tops with draping in the body and sleeves and a wide banded waist help create the illusion of an hourglass figure too.

Billowy tops that add volume to the bust with a snug fitting waist will balance out your athletic feature.  Add flutter or princess sleeves for a more dramatic effect.  However, because of your petite height, you should stay away from too much fluffiness to avoid being swamped by the clothes.

Shirts with a fitted waist and embellishments around the bust and shoulders will give you a more curvaceous appearance.

Jackets with full or structured shoulders and a nipped-in or belted waist enhance your waistline. Draw attention to your bust with pockets or details. Choose a jacket with a pocketed or flared bottom.

Best Skirts for Petite Rectangle Shape

Choose full, tiered, or bubble skirts of any length. Pair with shirts that provide an equal amount of volume to your bust and shoulders to create an hourglass effect.

Find skirts with details, seaming or pockets that add the illusion of curves to your hips.

Best Dresses for Petite Rectangle Shape:

Shorter length always looks great on petite women in general.  The best length is 10 inches above your knees.  Especially with rectangle shape women who most likely have long and lean legs, you should not hesitate to show off those assets through mini dresses and high heels.

Wrap dresses are most flattering to petite women with rectangle shape, as they hug your body and create the nice feminine curve, while making you look taller at the same time.  Wrap dress accentuates cleavage and waistline, which visually adds curves to the look.

A-line and empire waists look great on rectangle body shape.  Peplum dresses call attention to the waistline, giving more balance to the look.

Dresses with details at the waist are flattering to petite rectangle shape women.

Matching set of shorts and shirt are perfect to rectangle body shape.  Shorts emphasize the beautiful legs, while cropped top gives the accurate cutting on waist, thus breaking the body shape H column of rectangle shape.

Bold prints give a voluptuous illusion.

Avoid dresses and clothes too loose in general, as they are not flattering to petite women in general, and they look even worse on rectangle body shape.

Best Jeans for Petite Rectangle Shape

Your athletic build allows you to wear boyish clothes as well as a wide range of feminine styles, so you have many choices when it comes to jeans.

Choose pants with a wide waist band and full or slightly flared legs. Flap rear pockets, pronounced hip pockets and cargo pockets will add curves to your lower half.

Boot cut or flared jeans with mid or high rise waist will make you look more feminine. Whiskering at the hips will add the illusion of curvier hips and flap-type back pockets will add fullness to your bottom.  Boyfriend jeans might look good on you, given your athletic frame.  However, for petite women, we generally do not recommend boyfriend jeans that is too loose or too big, as that will overwhelm your small body frame.  On the other hand, if you prefer more feminine style, for instance, you want your buttocks to look less flat, then the best petite jeans for you are those with pocket details.  Pockets with flaps will add extra volume and  will make your butt look less flat.  Slit pockets also help to give you more curves back.

Natalie Portman (5’3″) is petite rectangle body shape, and as you can see, both casual skinny and sexy high waisted jegging looks great on her.