How to Dress as a Petite

This is the question I get asked everyday – “tips and tricks for petites”. Of course, there is never a specific set of answers, and new tricks get added as we go. As someone who is blessed to be closer to sea level than others (get it? haha!), I’ve accumulated the perfect tricks I live by:

It’s all about the ankle: The ankle shows to create an illusion of longer legs. So yes, wearing bootie or ankle covering shoes, especially with pants, will make your legs appear shorter.

Accentuate the waist: Wearing hight waisted pants or skirts, crop tops are great. Fitted dresses are great way to create a silhouette, and an oversized piece can be belted around the waist. The key is to highlight the waist, which creates a more proportional upper and lower body ratio.

Pointier shoes: This works wonders! I rarely wear flats. But when I do, they are mostly pointy toes. In addition my favorite shoes have been pointy toe pumps.

Upper body and chest area: Just like showing the ankle creates the illusion of longer legs, how much we cover the chest area determines the length of the visible neck. And hence, as much as I love turtle necks, they can be tricky at times (not to mention if you tend to have a bigger bust like me, it is tricky most of the time).

Monotone: Sticking within the same color for top and bottom, or even colors from the same palette, is another great tip. This creates an illusion of a seamlessly flowing look, which completely takes attention off the body’s proportion. Some of my favorite looks have been denim on denim, or even this black set pictured below.

Posture: Last but not the least, yes, posture! I’ve heard it since I was a kid – a good posture adds extra height. Honestly, I can so vouch for it! Slouching, or not standing up with a straight spine and shoulders rolled back, shows lack of confidence. While a great posture has the opposite effect. Being already petite, a key thing to remember is to stand up nice and tall, to rebel against the predisposed assumption of shorter being weaker. Confidence creates a taller and stylish look, just like that!

Some of My Favorite Petite Pieces:

Bottoms:

Tops:

Dresses and Sets:

Jackets and Outerwear:

Shoes: