The key is to make sure the belt is positioned high enough to make your torso look shorter and your legs look longer. The best color of the belt is one to blend with your dress. That way will avoid making your body look like cut in half while still adding subtle texture and interesting dimension to your outfit. Dresses with a belt also help those of us lacking a defined waistline to have more waist definition, such as the petite rectangle shape or petite apple body type.
Sure, most stylists advise us to go with short skirts, because that is the most logical way to make our legs to look longer. That is true to some degree. Wearing short dresses above or at the knee is one of the most obvious ways to lengthen our legs and look taller than we are.
However, wearing a long dress is another way of effectively extending our frame and thus could be very flattering to petite girls. So why would it look good on short girls? The reason is creating length in our outfit is one of the key factors in styling short girls, which can be achieved through creating a column of colors.
Because of its continuous color and pattern, maxi dress can effectively elongate your body frame to the maximum. Therefore, wearing maxi dress the right way will actually make a short girl look taller. Picking out the best maxi dresses for short women involves choosing the right length as a starter , the right fabric and the right style. Because how much it covers your body, it is critical to find the right pattern that will not make you look drowning in fabrics.
For the new season, we recommend these maxi dresses in petite sizes from Anthropologie. Of course, there is no cut and dry answer to what is considered smaller print and what is not.
It is all relative, and the important thing is to keep them in scale to your body. If you are petite and skinny, go with tiny prints. On the other hand, if you are short and curvy, prints too small might make you look bulkier than you are. Normally I do not recommend petites to go with midi length.
The reason midi dresses hardly make it to our list of best choices for petites is because the hem ends at your calves, which may make your legs look like cut in half.
Dresses with slide slits are also flattering to petite women because they show some skin of your legs, especially when you are walking or sitting down, which compromises the drawbacks of the midi dresses.
Finding the right dresses for petite women is not easy, and a lot of times it depends on your personal preferences. Petite women come in all different shapes and sizes, and there is hardly any set rules on something that absolutely will look good or bad on you. Fashion is what each of us use to express our own individuality. Dresses with vertical patterns or vertical designs are tried and true most flattering dresses for short women as well.
Short women need to create length in what they wear in order to look longer and taller, and the most obvious way is to go with vertical patterns and designs. Stripes are the easiest choice of vertical prints.
If you opt for bootleg or wider pant styles, you can wear heels underneath them and make your legs look super long. Vertical stripes will also elongate your figure. For your skirts, make sure you choose a length that sits where it should. You may need to look for petite brands or try a few different brands to find the ones that fit best on your figure.
Choose well-fitting, belted styles. Of course, you can choose any shoes you love. But if you want to add some height, you could try a small heel or a wedge. Another trick is to choose pointed toes as they make your legs look longer without having to wear super high heels. If you want to, you could add a little height with a hat. Read our ultimate guide to creating a capsule wardrobe that works best for you. The below capsule, while past season, should give you extra inspiration if you live in warmer climes.
If you ever felt that being shorter than average stands in your way of looking absolutely fabulous, think again! Here are some very famous and fabulous women under 1. I chose these women for their style and their choice of dressing that in many cases follow the guidelines above. These women tend to dress to appear longer. If you like to see great style by women that are even shorter, have a look at the list of celebrities under 1.
Madonna is a spectacular woman over 60 already short on height. She increasingly favors tight dresses just below the knee which she has no problem pulling off with her svelte figure. You can also see that she wears heels under her wide-legged pants, as well as wearing shoes in the same color as her skirt. Victoria Beckham measures 1. Above are some perfect examples of how to dress for lengthening. High-waisted pants, a tight fit, heels and one-color dresses.
She goes quite wide with the shoulder on the red dress, which can be risky, but gets away with it, as she combines it with a v-neck and a very lean silhouette for the bottom part. I love all these looks. Now 55, she increasingly uses mid-length dresses which I think suit her the best. In the first look, she took a risk with the slightly oversized coat, but she has added heels to elongate her figure.
Her floral dress fits her vertical body shape perfectly, drawing in at her natural waist, while her gray dress and blazer create vertical lines. For more inspiration on how to dress your short physique, check out other celebrities who measure under 1. I hope these guidelines will be useful to you. Remember though that they are not written in stone. I feel that petites can wear almost anything so long as you create the right balance within your outfit and create a great silhouette.
If you are petite and have some tips that I did not cover here, please let me know in the comments below! Feature image by Shauna chicover As an associate for Amazon and many other brands, we receive a small commission at no cost to you on qualifying purchases which enables us to keep creating amazing free content for you. I have 1. If you wear heels then the dress can be longer too. Usually that means for petites the dress is above or on top of knees.
Another option is a well fitted maxi dress. Thank you so much Silvia for all the great ideas! I found that your celebrity examples emphasized the notion that petite indicates short and skinny and I felt out of the loop immediately. I would love to see contrasting images of how real women are successfully implementing your suggestions in this category. Hi Olga. You make a good point and I will take this into account for future articles. That is why you see a lot of images of myself on this site to illustrate as I can easily produce them.
I always welcome images through Facebook though! Low waist pants are a no-go. Proportionately my lower body IS longer than my upper body, but I made the mistake of wearing low-rise jeans for too long. Hi Madhure. Really liked the idea of dresses for different body shapes. I am size 10 but found that I was looking very small with my thin slim structure so trying gaining some weight around waist.
Not sure if this would be best. I am confused. If it helps. Short women often look best in short dresses. However, maxi dress can be worn too. Make sure it is well fitted and the dress does not swallow you. The way to make every outfit work is to look at proportion and create a balanced silhouette. Petite is no longer for woman under 5 feet like it was years ago. I wear a size I am enjoying this site and the article.
Thanks Tammila. Yes these tips would be good for anyone would wants to have a taller, leaner appearance! Hi Sylvia I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your interesting article regarding what short people should wear. I am trying so hard to lose some weight as I am attending a wedding in May I just want to look elegant for this wedding but due to me not being able to wear high heels as I have a very bad right hip.
Sylvia can you help to suggest something for me. I have been through menopause and now I have quite big boobs for a little person. I look so so forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards Lesley Cryer. Hi Lesley. I wrote an article about how to downplay your bust. I would say not to focus too much on losing weight. Try and dress for the body you have now and go shopping now to find that perfect dress!
Have fun. Hello, Sylvia! Very healthy and fit. Hi Stef. Pumps can slim your calves especially those that show a lot of your foot. Wearing dark tights can also help.
I need to add length to my torso, rather than to my legs. Thank you for any help! Thank you for replying! I will have to experiment with that as I think it is a sophisticated look. I agree about finding celebrities in casual wear!
I am always searching for photos to get ideas. This is a pretty good article, most is common sense, but good to read in a condensed area. I definitely do NOT agree with this for dressier or formal attire. When I am dressed up I feel best in a 4 inch heel. I also do not agree with skirt or dress length.
No, thanks I hate pretty things. And, if you opt for a pair that are too long, any tailor should be able to shorten this style and extend the split-hem detail, without altering the impact of the silhouette. Before you roll your eyes and keep scrolling—hear us out! Instead, try out tops that hit no lower than your hip bones.
This will even out the proportion between your torso and your legs, which is something a tunic cannot do. Mostly because the long lines help make you look taller. Not into an all-over stripe? Test out a pair of trousers with a tuxedo stripe down the side, which will offer the same benefit in a much simpler effect. To risk sounding like your mother, sack dresses do absolutely nothing for your figure. If shirtsleeves tend to extend a few inches below your wrist, you risk looking sloppy the second your step out the door.
The easy fix here is just to roll those sleeves up to your mid-arm or elbow. Similar to our tip on showing some ankle, this hint of skin will make your arms appear longer than they are—and thus add a few visual inches to your overall appearance. Similar to tip 3 above, drawing attention to the slimmest part of your body will make almost any item look like it was tailor-made for you. Yup, even if you feel that you might have super short legs.
Seriously, just try one out. But harsh lines, like the right angles that compose a square-neck, often do the opposite. In layman's terms, it could make your torso look shorter. Asymmetrical hemlines, cap or flower sleeves, ruffled bodice, etc. Dresses with lighter fabrics like organza, georgette, etc. Bump it up with chunky accessories but ensure they are not too consuming. Pencil skirts complement your body type and blend in entirely, but you need to style the outfit with something that does not shrink you further.
Drop those tank or tube tops and swap them with a plaid or chambray shirt that has the right amount of volume. Tuck it in, and doll up in pointed heels — it is the most obvious way of looking taller.
Swapping your playsuits with a jumpsuit can make a lot of difference to the height. The tieable ones instead of the buttoned downs are even better. Wearing cap sleeves instead of going sleeveless is another trick to open up your frame a little. This with ankle length boots will never fail you. Think a little out of the box and up your fashion game by going for slightly flared up formal pants instead of pencil cuts.
For a complete formal look, pair this with a well-fitted shirt or bodysuits and a blazer with a flared hemline, again to accentuate it a little.
Or, opt for a linen blazer, trousers, and tops that do not stick to your body and give you enough structure. Nobody looks as cute as a petite woman in an oversized sweater and jeggings, skinny denim or leggings. If you can get your hands on sweaters with in-built chokers, off-shoulders styles, etc.
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