Best Dresses for a Rectangle Body Shape

Your bust, waist and hips are close in size, so dresses that create the look of a waist are the ones to try.

This guide is for the rectangle body shape: bust and hips within 5% of each other, with a waist between 75% and 85% of the wider measurement.

Look for

  • Wrap dresses and belted styles that mark a waist
  • Peplum, ruched and gathered waists
  • Fit-and-flare dresses with a defined bodice
  • Two-tone or colour-blocked dresses with a darker section at the waist

Skip or adjust

  • Straight shift dresses with no shaping
  • Very stiff or boxy fabrics
  • Long, shapeless maxis with no waist definition

More for the rectangle body shape

Dresses for other body shapes

These are starting points, not rules. If you love a style that isn’t listed, wear it.