Style tips for petite girls who want to look taller

Short people problems

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Being short can sometimes hamper your style, you say. Our opinion? Don’t sweat it. We have fashion tricks a-plenty that can help you petite lasses look taller. Bonus: These tips don’t necessarily involve putting on a pair of heels, and you’re likely to already have many of these looks in your closet.

 

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Go for waisted bottoms

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How it works: When the proportions are done right, wearing high-waist skirts, shorts or pants can give the impression the middle part of your body and your legs are much longer than they really are. Bear in mind that when wearing waisted bottoms, the tops should always be tucked in so that the look really pops.

Photo: eleanoracarisi / Instagram

 

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Go for a mono-coloured outfit

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How it works: When dressed in one colour, you present one long, vertical image, thus making you appear taller. Monochrome dressing is a trick stylists use on celeb clients to help make them look taller, but note that the pieces ought to be tailored and structured.

Photo: margaret_zhang / Instagram

 

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Crop your top

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How it works: Going for a cropped top when wearing high-waisted pants and skirts helps create the illusion of a longer torso. No abs? No worries — you don’t have to flash too much, just a sliver of skin (just a couple of centimeters) will do.

Photo: kimcamjones / Instagram

 

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Go for vertical, not horizontal, stripes

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How it works: If you’re wearing stripes on a pair of pants, long dress or a skirt, the visual effect is that your limbs will seem longer than they really are. The best part? Stripes suit all sizes, skin colours and shapes.

Photo: nimabenati / Instagram

 

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Bottoms with mixes of opaque and translucent fabrics

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How it works: Wearing something gauzy and sheer, with opaque and translucent pieces, tricks the eye, especially as material floats around your legs. Please, however, always make sure that there are opaque panels that cover hips and derriere. The translucent fabrication of the garment ought to start from above the knees, all the way to the hem.

Photo: songofstyle / Instagram

 

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Top it off in a top knot

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How it works: Similar to how beehives made women of the 1960s — like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s — look more statuesque, a top knot will add a little volume to your frame, and actual inches to your height.

Photo: sarahharris / Instagram

 

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Go for a low-vamp shoe

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How it works: The vamp is the part of the shoe that covers the foot. And the lower the vamp, the more of your foot you reveal. Combined with heels, a low vamp elogates your legs, making you look both taller and slimmer.

Photo: leandramcohen / Instagram

 

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Love your flares

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How it works: Flared trousers create the illusion of a longer leg, especially with a hemline that goes all the way to the ground. Choose a pair in one solid colour, and with a rise that begins right at your waist (not below the belly button). Pair your flares with heels for optimum length.

Photo: camillecharriere / Instagram

 

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Go maxi for maximum effect

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How it works: Afriad that a maxi skirt or dress will just make you look shorter? Nah — just the opposite, in fact. A ground-grazing hemline will help create that one, long visual. The thing to watch here is that there should not be too much volume in the skirt. Don’t go for a look with too many ruffles, for instance. If you’re wearing pleats, make sure they are thinner, rather than thick.

Photo: chrisellelim / Instagram

 

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