Well, you gorgeous thing, you, you have a great starting point!!! Pretty face, lovely skin and modern hair. There are lot of us around here who are racy rectangles or (not you, me) inverted triangles. Every body shape has its own dressing challenges, but you will find lots of us having fun with what we wear.
Depending on my weight, I'm an inverted triangle or a rectangle with slight apple tendencies. I always gain weight around my belly and I have never had a flat stomach. I don't have a particularly distinct hip or waist. Another lovely rectangle with inverted triangle tendencies is Una (Alaskagirl). We both run short-waisted, as does Rachylou. Texstyle has a slim rectangle shape too. In fact, I think Annagybe runs a little rectangle too. Oh! And ironkurtin. Between us, you couldn't come up with a wider group of fashion styles and trendiness levels. We're all linked by similar body shapes, though. You could start by looking through our forum posts and seeing what shapes work for us and which of our styles appeal to you. (And I'm almost embarrassed to include myself in the list with those other gals--they are so incredibly stylish!--but the list is really about body shapes, not fashion mastery, so I think I can sneak in.)
Here's a quick list of the shapes that I like for me:
I wear tops that are more closely fitted, hugging my curves, with trouser cut or straight cut bottoms. The fitted top fills out my shape and highlights my curvy chest. I wear ruching or patterns or cross-overs to cover my not-flat belly.
I wear tons of skinny jeans. You, like me, have lovely slim legs. As a rectangle, a skinny cut jean helps make your bottom half curvier. I also love skinnies tucked into boots--more ankle boots nowadays, but knee high boots are nice too. Mid-calf boots can be hard on any shape, so I generally avoid them in favor of shorter or taller.
If your rear is flatter, like mine, patch pockets are your best friend because they add extra dimension to your rear-view. Still, I personally avoid blingy jeans because they feel dated and teenager-ish to me.
I have a short neck, so I don't wear true turtleneck sweaters (you call them polo neck, right?). I wear lower cut cowl necks or drape necks to get a similar feel in a more flattering shape.
I like pencil skirts or tulip skirts to give me shape. I don't wear a-line or full circle skirts as well, since my waist isn't particularly small.
I can't wear fit and flare dresses very well, but no one fills out a sheath dress like a rectangle! Shift dresses aren't bad either. Maxis are probably fine, but they don't do anything to highlight my figure. They just look okay.
If I wear a looser shirt, I need it to be anchored somewhere. Looser tops like tunic or peasant tops are always most flattering for me with skinny bottoms. I always wear looser shirts in very floaty, soft fabrics. Stiff fabrics are a disaster for me. I used to wear a lot of empire waist tops a few years ago, but the shape doesn't feel as current to me now. I wear more boat necks, button downs and fitted tunics or peasant tops. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not a cutting edge style maven. I'm more of a classic dresser who is trying hard to make her style more current.
There is a lot of conflicting advice out there. I can say, Angie's advice is 100% spot on and she is amazingly generous with her time on the forum.
When you look through Angie's guidelines, pay particular attention to her most valuable gem: you are in control. You make the decision just how much figure flattery or trendiness or classic style or any other style descriptor is important to you.
If you are looking for a complete revamp of your style or even just a few tweaks, the forum is a great resource. The most important thing is getting to know your own style, which takes some time!
