I almost titled this something lame like, “How to Look Taller,” or, “Tips for a Petite Frame,” or, “How to Dress Up When Everyone Else is Looking Down at You,” but there is something just too medicinal about those. Condescending, even. Haven’t we all heard the “short girl rules” before? At least I have – but my TV show of choice from 2002-2006 was What Not to Wear, so the “rulebook” has been burned into my memory banks for awhile now. I’m not sure how widespread the Short Girl Rules really are.
So here’s the deal – last Saturday, a friend of mine from Samba called me out to go to a samba show in Berkeley. I don’t write about it too much on the blog, but one of my passions is samba dancing (I even get paid for it sometimes) and I have the good fortune to hang around with a lot of interesting and kind people as a result. One of my friends had a rough injury earlier this year, and Saturday was her first time back on the dance floor in months! So when she called me to join, it was a no-brainer.
I was racing out the door and had Rodrigo snap a few photos with my phone, so I apologize for the low image quality on this post! This is real life, and sometimes outfit photos are done by the skin of our teeth as the Lyft waits outside.
But I wanted to post the outfit anyways because it actually is a great example of practical dressing to elongate a small frame. While I HATE “fashion rules” (ugh, so pretentious!), there definitely are guidelines to achieve a desired effect. In my case, since I am quite short, I usually try to draw the eye up by using long lines with strategically-placed breaks (like at the waist, for example), and I almost always wear heels.
Petite People Guidelines for Dressing for a Night Out
- In general, keep the lines of your sleek, vertical, and long. For example, a high-waisted jean is a great choice to stretch out your cute legs by emphasizing the length of the line from the floor allllll the way up to your natural waist.
- Fit is EVERYTHING. As far as you’re comfortable, go with pieces that fit closely to your body and that fit well. “Well” meaning that you are comfortable, aren’t fidgeting, that your jeans are hemmed appropriately and your top accentuates your natural waist. It is so simple, but so important to how your visuals turn out, and more importantly, how you feel.
- Try a bodysuit. There’s nothing that will bunch up under your jeans, like if you tucked in a t shirt, and it creates those long silhouettes I talked about earlier. This one I grabbed on mega-sale a while back at Urban Outfitters and I find it hilarious because it has a functioning squeeze clip at the front as well as an obnoxiously low deep V. Which brings me to …
- Try a deep V. Go as deep as you dare. The lines of the “v” will emphasize those lines you’ve created with your high-waisted jeans, and draw the eye up to your pretty face. Note though, that if you were to do a deep V with low-rise jeans, it would only serve to elongate your torso and you’d loose most of the lengthening effect that you’d have with high-rise jeans. That balance between the high-rise and the low-V is important here.
- Wear heels, to the extent that you feel comfortable. Not only do they add height, but they change your posture if you’re distributing your weight correctly. What nobody tells you about heels – especially very high ones – is that they are a CORE workout when you are standing and walking. To not mess up your knees, to walk efficiently, and to look like the hot sh*t you are, pull UP from your lower abs, well between your hips. Your upper back will stack itself on top fairly naturally, since there is no way to slouch when your core is properly engaged (engaged, but not in a crunch – that would be super weird – think “long and strong”) . You’ll find too that when you imagine your abs pulling each leg as you walk, like a marionette, walking in heels will feel more natural.
I had these jeans altered so they fit properly at the waist. My suggestion when you’re having denim taken in at the waist is to ere on the snug side. No matter what the Nordstrom associate tells you, those jeans WILL STRETCH throughout the day and you don’t want to feel like you have to hike up your pants come the afternoon.
On a different note, I’m in LA at the moment and blazing through LA Fashion Week (which is why this is being posted at an ungodly hour). Stay tuned for some fun outfit posts and LAFW news!
love,
Stig.
PS. For another bodysuit look, check out this post.
