This frock gives you a 50’s hourglass silhouette without even thinking about it. Beautifully A-line and generally flattering. It’s in a weighty polyester spandex that drapes extremely well. I mean “wow-drape”. And the Grecian integrity of the dress helps with the drape factor too. Lovely, lovely quality. It looks amazing paired with a cropped white or blue denim jacket and metallic sandals.

The style clings in all the right places and glides over those little extra bits. No back fat. Perfect for pear and hourglass body types and pretty good for apple, rectangle and inverted triangle body types too. Even my less than curvy frame has curves in this dress.

If the V-neckline plunges down too low, then the micro camisoles from Second Base have you sorted for extra coverage. White or black camisoles get my vote as they work with the print, which is quite the  acquired taste. You’ll either like the boldness of it or not. If the pattern and colours are not to your taste, try to find a similar silhouette in another colour. Don’t brush past the style if you’re well endowed either as it can work.

The wash care label states “dry clean only”, but if this were my dress, I’d throw it straight into the machine and wash in cold water on the “hand wash delicates” cycle – after all, I do bend laundry rules.

The racy rectangle is next on the list as I refresh my previous body type guidelines. If you’re still unsure of your body type or the concept of body types in general, read this post for background information.

Two important points before I begin:

1. These are only guidelines: Don’t get too hung up on following the information here in the strictest sense. But we all have to start somewhere in order to dress in flattering ensemble combinations and getting your head around the guidelines is a great starting point. Once you have a firm grasp of the guidelines, you can bend them in clever ways and still look fab. That’s the challenging and fun part.
2. There are 5 simple archetypes: My philosophy about body type, which has served me well for years as a fashion stylist, is to define a few simple body types and then be flexible when working with them. No, you are probably not exactly a rectangle. But that might be your primary body type with another one as secondary. So understanding the guidelines for the rectangle archetype should help you with your own, unique body. For example, I’m a dainty, straight-ish hourglass, but not quite straight enough to be a pure rectangle. But the guidelines for the rectangular body type serve me well because I’m not very curvy.

You are a rectangle if you are well proportioned, have relatively lean limbs and a straight waist. You look naturally athletic, a little boyish in frame, and tend to have a regular sized or small bust. Well endowed rectangles do exist but are not as common. Although you are probably the easiest to dress of all the body types, you’ll still want to think about how clothing affects your shape.

Defining your waist and creating curvature both on top and on the bottom is the flop proof way to go. The fact that volume is fashionable makes surrendering the waistline a third interesting twist, because you wear volume around the mid-section extremely well (especially if you’re small busted). The contours of the waist-less styles were made for rectangular bods, gliding over the straight lines of this body type.

Defining your waist and creating curves on top

• Wear the best possible bra to create curves in all the right places. There’s nothing like a good lift to lift an outfit. And remember to wear a bra even if you’re small in the chest.
• If you have a small chest and long neck, choose higher necklines. Crew, slash, turtle, polo, funnel, shirt, mandarin, halter and Armani necklines are perfect for you. Choose tops with bust ruffles, ruching, breast pocket detail, front panel detail and pleating. Wrap tops are also good and button down shirts are your friend. You can wear lower necklines too, just make sure that you layer with a cami to balance out the depth of the plunge.
• Show off your back, arms and shoulders as an alternative to cleavage. Halter necks are a great option.
• Fuller bust lines with shorter necks look best in V-necks, boat necks, sweetheart necks, scoop necks and wrap tops. You look great in button down shirts so make sure you have plenty of those too.
• If you can get your head around wearing belts, go for it. They add a flattering curve to your straight waist. Blousoning a blouse with a belt can add a bit of shape too.
• You can wear most lengths and styles of structured jackets if they are adequately nipped in at the waist for shape. Belted jackets, trenches and coats are especially good as they offer more waist definition.
• You look great in straight sheath dresses and shirt dresses but look equally good in bias cuts and generous A-lines that are just on or above the knee. Wrap dresses are fab for those with a fuller bust.

Creating curves on the bottom

• The best way to create curves on a straight bottom is by wearing something very tight, but not constricting. In this way, your body will automatically create curves. Your body was made for jeans and you’re able to wear most styles, shapes or lengths with any amount of detail. Make the most of this privilege and get the most fashion forward jean silhouette if that’s your personal style.
• You also look fab in bootcut slacks and cigarette pants.
• With straight limbs, you pull off combat pants with cargo pockets for casual attire. You can also wear high-waisted harem pants, slouchy wide-hipped looks that taper at the leg. Basically, you’ll get away with pant styles that add volume onto the hips because you’re lean limbed.
• A knee-length pencil skirt that tapers in at the side seams creates attractive curves. Tuck your blouse or shirt into your pants or skirt and have fun with belts as this will give you more shape. Heavier belts with eye catching interest will also help emphasize your waist, especially if you’re long-waisted and small in the chest.
• A-line skirts can look nice if they are voluminous in the right way. Choose stitched down, boxpleated styles or silhouettes with gathers at the basque. Trumpet skirts will also work. But skirt styles that only flare out slightly without the right amount of volume have a tendency to look shapeless on you, filling out better on bodies with more curves.

Surrendering the waistline

• You naturally wear voluminous clothing well because straight bodies flatter straight styles. It’s a question of whether you’d prefer to add curves to your straight body by defining the waistline, or to allow clothing to hang even straighter by wearing the right boxy styles. You can do both and in my opinion both silhouettes look equally great.
• If you like fashionable boxy styles like boyfriend jackets, boyfriend shirts, sack dresses and billowing blouses, wear them and enjoy pairing the look with sleek bottoms. If you have a short leg line, add heels and you’re good to go.

If you have further tips on how to flatter the rectangular shaped body type, let me know. If there are further questions on how to wear items when you’re a racy rectangle, let’s hear those too.

If you enjoy watching fashion documentaries, I highly recommend Lagerfeld Confidential and Valentino: The Last Emperor. Lagerfeld Confidential offers a present day look behind the quirky and charismatic man who heads up Chanel. The Last Emperor traces Valentino’s life as he prepares for his final couture show.

Getting a peek into the world of couture is fascinating, but getting a glimpse through the eyes of Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino Garavani is something else. Both in their 70’s, these men have the biggest egos in the world. But as much as they are eccentric, high maintenance and extremely opinionated, they are also intelligent, very talented, mega wealthy and quite a scream. You might not agree with how they view the world, but their perceptions and way of life make for interesting and captivating documentaries.

I have many favourite parts throughout both documentaries. Lagerfeld’s obsession with wearing 20-30 rings and his sincere respect for his Mother were enchanting. Valentino’s adorable five pugs who accompany him from private jet to sewing room made my heart melt.

But my favourite part of all was in a scene towards the end of The Last Emperor. Lagerfeld, who was one of the guests at Valentino’s final couture show, went backstage to congratulate Valentino on his marvelous achievement. After publicly congratulating him, he then pulled Valentino a little closer and whispered to him something to the effect of: “it’s only you and me who make beautiful clothes, the rest of them make rags”. And Valentino lovingly agreed.

The 2008 Spring and Summer Mom-on-the-go (MOTG) formulas are still very much in style. Formula #1 was about walk shorts and clamdiggers, formula #2 was about skirts, and formula #3 was about frocks.

These original MOTG formulas are easy to action and between the three looks, there are plenty of outfit options to get you through a season. But if you fancy pushing your fashion envelope, watch how tweaking the formulas by adding a little creative edge will refresh the vibe.

I’m kicking off with formula #4 which takes skirt formula #2 a little further. I was bored with my denim skirts last year and started adding cropped black leggings into the outfit mix to change things up. Wearing denim skirts WITH leggings is the only way I could prevent the skirts from being orphaned so I’m glad that I stumbled across the pairing.

If you are bored with your denim skirts, this could make a great casual wear formula for you too.

While I was working on this post, fabulous Renata posted the accompanying pictures on our forum. Perfect timing! She nailed the formula and is much more compelling than a polyvore illustration. So be sure to look over her outfits in detail. I’m sure she will answer any questions you have about her outfits in the forum or in the comments below.

First the formula:

Denim skirt + cropped leggings + top + optional second layer + sandals

Here are the components in more detail:

• Denim Skirt: A straight pencil silhouette that hits just above the knee is ideal because it works best with leggings. Choose any wash. A-line denim skirts will also work but pencil silhouettes are easier to style with tops.
• Cropped leggings: I’m a purest when it comes to leggings and prefer black to any other shade. So I vote black leggings above all other colours. I’m all over leggings with side seam detailing so think zippers, studs, ruching and just about anything else. Position the leggings above the calf and below the knee. Experiment and find your sweet post. Ankle length leggings will also work, but this is a Spring and Summer outfit, so the cropped length is more weather appropriate.
• Top: Renata shows both casual and dressier combinations, so it’s really about what tickles your fancy. Graphic T’s layered with cheeky short sleeved jackets or cardigans are flop proof. Button down shirts layered with waistcoats are another good option. Voluminous blouses or knit tops worn on their own will also work. And you might even want to belt the look.
• Second layer: For chilly mornings and evenings it’s useful to layer over a lightweight jacket or cardigan. I’ll layer over a trendy extended shoulder boyfriend jacket because that’s what I’m into at the moment, but just about any cute cropped jacket will do. Both cropped cardigans and longer boyfriend styles will also work.
• Sandals: Renata’s wearing super wedge sandals but you can wear any type of casual sandal, slip-on mule, espadrille, peep-toe or ballet flat.
• Accessories: If you wear specs, sort them out first because they are your most important accessory. If you wear a watch, that’s next on your list. If your outfit needs a necklace, bracelet, scarf or earrings, add those in but they’re not essential. Cross-body bags, slouchy hobos and flat totes are the best practical solutions for gals on the go.

Important point: you’ll need to repeat the colour black in the top portion of your outfit in order to balance out the heaviness of the black leggings. Repeating black on top needn’t be as obvious as wearing a black top, cardigan or jacket. The repetition of black can be subtle, like in the pattern of the top or in the beads of a necklace. Sometimes having black hair is enough of a repeat too.

Thank you Renata for modeling this formula with sass and verve. I’m sure you’ll inspire others to road test this formula by your stylish example. How say you ladies? Think you’ll give formula #4 a bash?