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If you’re new here to Poor Little It Girl, you may not know that I specialize in petite styling tips. I have an entire section dedicated to this topic on my blog and, when you sign up for my newsletter, you get access to my FREE complete petite style guide. At 4’11 I know a thing or two about shorter women and how to style your not-so-average height body type.
Whether or not you should wear petite clothing has nothing to do with your waist or hip size. It’s all about how tall you are. Typically, anyone under 5’4 is considered petite in the fashion industry. And through my 12+ years of blogging, I try to share my tips and tricks for ways to make petite women appear taller. Would I ever change my height for some extra inches? Hell no! But I still want to give the illusion of height through my clothing.
Dressing a petite frame does require a bit more thought than your “average” height woman. There are certain styles I just avoid wearing. No matter how hard I try to make them work, they just don’t flatter the petite frame. So in today’s post, I wanted to share a roundup of items of what not to wear if you are short.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There are no such things as hard and fast rules in fashion. No matter what anyone says, you wear what makes YOU feel comfortable and confident. If you love wearing something that I have on this list, you do YOU! My list here are items I’ve found that I feel don’t look great on my specific petite body and frame. So take my advice here with a grain of salt and never let anyone tell you what you can and can not wear. But if you are a petite woman looking for some guidance, let’s chat!
Thick Ankle Strap Heels
When you are petite, one thing you always want to do is give the illusion of a long leg. So we’re always wearing high heels for the extra height, right? But wearing a shoe with a thick ankle strap that cuts your leg off at an awkward spot just doesn’t work. You want the eye to travel upwards uninterrupted and a super thick strap will only make your legs look shorter.
Instead, Wear Thin Ankle Strap Heels
Don’t get me wrong, ankle straps are still a total YES in my book. I love them! But don’t pick a strap that’s thicker than say an inch. The more delicate and thinner the better. This way the eye can simply skim over this part of the shoe instead of being abruptly stopped by a strap that’s super thick and bulky. Here are two examples of ankle-strapped heels that work best on short legs.
Drop-Waist Dresses
I remember back in the early 2010s there was a big trend in all things drop waist. I’m too lazy to go through 13 years of Poor Little It Girl outfit post archives to find examples but, you know what I mean. They look like this. Where the seam to mark the waist is dropped so low, like either across your butt/hip area or below it. Still not entirely sure why I thought making my torso appear crazy long and cutting off my legs was a cute look but alas, I was all about it.
Instead, Wear Dresses That Hit At Your Natural Waistline
Now, I am older and wiser and realize that waistline seams on dresses must hit me at my natural waist. It cinches in the tiniest part of my body and gives an hourglass look that I love. Plus, again, the appearance of those long legs we keep talking about. I would say even an empire waist is better than a drop-wait on my short frame. Here are some examples of dresses that have a waist seam that hit me in the right spot.
Low-Rise Jeans
A quick look through some old Facebook photo albums from college and I don’t think there was ever a time my belly button wasn’t showing. Why why WHY did we all live in low-rise jeans and denim skirts? Someone help me understand! That early 2000’s fashion culture was all about showing as much midriff as possible and I dove in deep. The lower, the better. But was that really helping me look my best? Not sure about that.
Instead, Wear High Waisted Denim
Thank goodness for high-waist, high-rise denim because now, I’m able to give the illusion of a long vertical line with ease. I love a mid or high-rise that hit right at right below my naval and is fitted going down. This elongates your legs and makes me look super tall, we’re talking like 5’3, easily! LOL. Side note – a high waist can even make cropped pants work for petite women. (We’re talking a slightly above the ankle crop, not a knee length crop!) Back to full length … here are some of my favorite high-rise jeans that give me long, lean legs!
Too-Long Maxi Dresses Or Skirts
This rule I think goes for anyone at any height – can we please stop having our skirts and dresses drag on the floor? This is minus formal gowns or wedding dresses, of course. But there’s something that always irks me when I see a gorgeous dress just collecting dirt and leaves under a gorgeous woman. Oh gosh, I just had a flashback. Remember in high school when we’d wear jeans that were WAY too long and, instead of cutting or hemming them like a normal person we’d just use safety pins on the heel and let them drag…why why why!
Instead, Wear Maxi Dresses and Skirts That Hit An Inch From The Floor
Let’s all just make a pack from here on out that if a maxi skirt or dress is too long, we will either hem it or just not buy/wear it. Obviously, your shoe choice plays a big role in if it hits the ground or not. But alas, the hemline of your skirt or dress should be about an inch or so above the floor. Not a lot, but enough that it doesn’t touch and you don’t get your clothes dirty. Here are some maxi dresses I’ve worn that hit at the right spot!
Super Baggy Clothing
Don’t get me wrong, I love some oversized clothing. But you know what I mean when I say super baggy clothing. We’re talking about a sweatshirt or sweater that is 6 sizes too large. A pair of pants or jeans so baggy they fold on top of each other at the bottom. Add in a clunky shoe and it’s safe to say your body just gets lost under all that fabric.
Instead, Have Balance With Your Clothing Choices
Petite dressing is all about balance. So if you wear that oversized sweater, pair it with fitted denim and tall boots to draw the eye up and give the illusion of longer legs. If you want to wear wide leg pants, pair them with a more fitted, tucked-in shirt to offset the oversized vibe. You want to create balance with any look and pick one piece that’s a bit oversized and keep the rest fitted. Here are some examples of that kind of fashion balance.
