Fact: I’m not a tall girl. Never have been, never will be, but that’s never stopped me from looking and feeling my best, fashion-wise. In fact, in a rewarding twist of fate, most people are actually surprised when they find out my height, because they’d never think of me as a short girl, based on how I look and dress. I attribute this to a few tricks I’ve learned along the way, which I’ll be sharing below with a little visual help from some of my favourite street style stars.
Scroll through to read (and shop) my tips!
Long tops are great if you’re six feet or taller, but for the majority of us who aren’t so blessed lengthwise, they take up quite a bit of valuable real estate on your legs, thus making them appear short. I often go as far as to have my tops (even tees) tailored to be just where I want them, and I also sometimes tuck (or half-tuck) them in, both creating the illusion of longer legs and highlighting my waist.
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Almost all my pants and jeans are tailored to a slight crop, and if they’re not, I fold them to appear like they are. I also stick to midi skirts as opposed to maxi styles so there’s a good bit of skin showing between my shoes and the hem. The point is to avoid looking like you’ve drowned in fabric, as well as showing off the slimmest part of your leg: the ankle. If you are wearing pants that go over your shoes, try to have them be the same color so that there’s at least a long, lengthening line from your waist to your toe.
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Related: The New A-List Trick for Looking Taller (It's Not Heels)
As I mentioned before, the pairing of similarly coloured items with each other creates the illusion of longer lines, and thus length, on your body. This is clearly seen through the pairing of Adenorah’s pants and shoes (above). So whether you’re simply matching your top to your trousers, matching your trousers to your ankle boots, or all three, any bit helps.
Luckily, the rise of the midi hemline has rendered its the knee-length counterpart useless, as it should. Unless you have legs for days, in which case it doesn’t matter, anything knee-length literally cuts your legs in half, making neither the top nor the bottom portion appear long. Instead, opt for either mini or midi hemlines, both of which are immensely more figure-flattering.
Before you revolt, this doesn’t mean you have to wear "heels." Whether you’re a sneaker lover, a sandals girl, or ankle-boot-obsessed (I’m admittedly all three), with so many comfortable shoe options, there’s no excuse not to always have at least one added inch of height, as opposed to wearing a shoe that’s completely flat. Some trainers feature slightly hidden wedge inside that can add a crucial inch or so. This really makes a huge difference in how I feel on a day-to-day basis.
Do you have any style tips that make you feel better every day? Share them with us in the comments!
