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Petite style guide: 6 fashionable ideas that are perfect for short girls

Frustrated with your clothes always being just a little too tall for you? Don't worry, we have the best stylish shopping secrets for short girls.

Updated

Petite women can have a lot of trouble dressing well and finding outfits that show off their stature. Regardless of your body shape, if you are under 5’5″ there are a few suggestions you can follow that will both complement your petite frame and give the illusion of height and length to your body when needed.

Of course, we think you’re beautiful at any height, but we understand sometimes you need to stand tall.

Here are some ideas for fashion staples that will help you elongate and flatter your unique shape.

Try bold, pointed toe shoes

Whether you rock them with a heel or without, a pointed shoe will elongate your leg, giving the appearance of height. Matching your shoe color to your pants, socks or tights will also help lengthen your frame, especially if it’s a dark color like navy or black. If you can, try to avoid ankle straps: they tend to divide your leg and make it appear shorter.

Best stores to shop for pointed toe shoes:

Rock the high waist.

High waisted pants or a high waisted skirt will give the illusion of longer legs. Tucking your shirt or blouse into a high waist will lengthen your lower half, making you appear taller. A wide-leg structured pant or an a-line midi skirt is a good style for shorter girls to wear when they want a taller silhouette. Add a statement belt to your look to highlight your waist. This will give the body definition and curve as well as length.

Best stores to shop for high waisted looks:

Go vertical with your stripes

It’s one of the oldest fashion tricks in the book: we all know vertical stripes give length to the body. You could rock this print on bottom or top. Try a cigarette leg pant with a cinching paper bag waist or a collared striped boyfriend shirt.

Best stores to shop for vertical stripes:

Go monochrome.

All women, tall or short, know the rule: When in doubt, wear all black. Sticking with one color creates a vertical line and gives flow to your entire body. While black is usually the go-to color, there’s also something to be said for monochroming bold, statement making colors like red and blue.

Best stores to shop for monochrome:

Shawties love shorts.

High-waisted, low-waisted, whatever you prefer. Short girls can wear shorts and the shorter the better! Just be wary of shorts with a cuffed hem: they break up the line of your legs and can shorten your frame.

Best stores to shop for shorts:

Slim and skinny jeans

Unfortunately, as tragic as it is, baggy boyfriend-style jeans are not necessarily a short girl’s friend. It’s better to go for a style that’s slimmer, a skinny cut, or even something bootcut or a straight leg jean. Wearing a looser fitting pair will run the risk of making you look stumpy.

Make sure you buy the correct length or hem your jeans to make them fit. If you are especially short, buy a cropped style to wear as full length. Jeans that drag along the ground shorten your legs significantly, plus the hem will fray, ruining your pants.

Best stores to shop for skinny jeans:

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