How to dress if you're petite

 
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How to dress if you're petite


It’s not easy to dress in up-to-the-minute fashion when you’re only around the 5-foot mark, but there are ways of dressing fashionably to get the illusion of height. Here are our dos, don’ts and tips.

 - How to dress if you're petite
It’s not easy to dress in up-to-the-minute fashion when you’re only around the 5-foot mark, but there are ways of dressing fashionably to get the illusion of height. Here are our dos, don’ts and tips.
  
Dos
- Clothes in the right size! 
- High-waisted, figure-hugging trousers. If you wear low-rise trousers, make sure they’re not too short
- Short jackets if you haven’t got a big bust, and longer, looser coats if you have
- High-heeled boots and minis
- Short dresses and skirts 
- Cut-away swimming costumes
- Heels, but not excessively high ones (5cm max)
- Monochrome tops and trousers (similar shades flatter petites)
- Small, preferably vertical prints and motifs 
- Belts the same colour as your skirt or trousers
- Little accessories
 
Don’ts
- Long dresses that fall below your knees
- Oversized trousers that hide your shoes
- Bermudas and shorts
- Built-up wedge heels that make your figure look out of proportion
- Thigh boots
- Shoes that break up the line of your leg, such as sandals with a strap over the ankle
- Huge bracelets and glasses: stay in proportion with your size!
- Tops that clash with your bottom half and cut your silhouette in two
- Horizontal stripes
 
Tips to make you look taller
- Wear open gilets 
- Wear buttoned shirt dresses
- Tie long, dangling skinny scarves loosely round your neck
- Emphasise other features such as your shoulders or décolleté to draw attention away from your lack of height
- Put your hair up in a bun or wear a headband to elongate your top half

Fashion Editor
08/11/2007 15:32:00
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