Like Me! I'm only 5 foot 2" and not all styles look great when you're short :( Here are some tips for those of us that need a little guide to lead us on the right fashion track!
Avoid Chopping your Body in Half
One of the most important criteria is to learn how NOT to cut your body in half. You need to create a sleeker, single-body look and this means shopping smarter. The golden rule is less width and more height!
One trick that can add the illusion of a few extra inches is by going for a single-color on both your top and bottom half.
Avoid mixing colors and prints if you don’t want to cut your silhouette in two. Monochromes are your best friend when it comes to elongating your figure as dark colors serve to give you a sleeker look
Be Careful with Belts
Belts are a real danger area for short women. If you wear it around your waistline this simply cuts your body in two. This season’s style is to wear it just under the bust-line (empire-line), or wear it lower down on your hips. The size of the buckle, width of the belt will also play an important part in creating an overall effect.
Wearing Stripes and Patterns
Shorter, style-savvy women have learnt to avoid horizontal stripes. Vertical stripes serve to make your silhouette look longer, even a single vertical line (e.g on a swimsuit, top or skirt) works like a charm. Diagonal stripes can have a similar effect. Look for dresses with vertical lines rather than horizontal ones, you’ll be surprised what a difference it makes to your height.
The same applies to patterns and prints. Avoid wide patterns, small prints and big florals. Go for vertical-style prints such as a long paisley swirls or flowers with stalks, accending down the garment.
Footwear is Key
Footwear is critical when you are petite. A sweeping generalization would be, for the most part, to go for the highest heel you can bear, whilst still feeling comfortable. Not only does this give the illusion of height, but improves your posture, throwing you body slightly forward when you walk. A high-heel shoes elongates the legs and give the impression of thinner ankles, providing you don’t wear ankle straps (which tend to thicken the leg). A higher heel makes you feel taller, boosts your confidence and improves your posture.
If you don’t feel secure teetering about in stilettos, then wedge-heels are easier to walk on and will still give you the necessary height, but choose a delicate-looking pair, rather than overtly chunky.
When wearing flat heels, a more pointed toe will give you more height than a rounded one. This year’s trendy ballet flats with chunky rounder/squared toes need to be worn with care, if you are going for an overall, head-to-toe, lanky look.
Trousers, Skirts and Dresses
Tapered legs do no-one any favors, especially short legs; and skinny-jeans will work with high-heels but not flats. Your trouser length is critical as it can either make or break the illusion of height. Avoid wearing pants which sit above the shoe, or those who swamp them. Look for length, whereby the hem covered most of your shoe, but does not touch the floor.
When it comes to jeans, boot cuts and slight flares will make you appear taller. This season’s wide-legged, fluid pants can swamp your figure unless you get the length right and choose a style that is close-fitting. The more diaphanous the garment the shorter you’ll look! Forget oversized if you are short and go for something better-fitting.
Contrary to what you may believe, longer length skirts will not give the illusion of the extra height you crave. A skirt which sits just above the knee is the most flattering. Alternatively wearing a sleek-cut maxi dress (not a maxi-skirt with volume) with a pair of high-heels, will have an elongating effect, providing the dress is of a slimming color or print.
