If you are short like me, wearing the RIGHT dresses can be a game changer for your style. Being 5’2″, I’ve struggled for years how to find flattering dresses for my height, and that’s why I have a clothing line for petite women just like me.
First of all, I have come to the realization that nothing flatters a short woman more easily than dresses.
Not only are dresses versatile and classy, but they have the lengthening effect much needed by short girls. Because of its continuous patterns of fabrics, dresses can create the illusion of height.
Below is my list of must have dresses if you are petite!
Best Length
If you are short, here’s the 3 most flattering lengths for your dresses:
- The best dress length to make short legs look longer: 1″-2″ above your knee
- The most versatile length for petites: right at your knee
- The ideal length to make a petite girl appear taller and leaner: ankle length
Best Styles
Fit and Flare Dresses
Fit and flare dresses (also known as A-line dresses or skater dresses) are some of the best dresses for petite women.
If you are short, the best length is either short (1-2 inches above your knees) or a longer length like a maxi dress. These two lengths are always the most popular in my petite dress collections!
The A shape silhouette is commonly flattering because it is form fitting in your upper body (exactly what we need as short girls) but it is also more forgiving for your lower body.
They do not hug the curve of your bottom, thus they will draw people’s attention away from your butt and thighs. They are especially recommended for women who do not want people to focus on their lower body, such as the pear body type.
Wrap dresses
Wrap dresses are one of my favorite dresses for short women of all time.
Personally, I live in wrap dresses all year long and they are also the most popular among my petite customers!
Wrap dresses are universally flattering, whether you are 4’11” or 5’4″. They are the best choices for short girls who wish to emphasize their feminine curves (like Wendy, one of the petite models for my clothing line) or those who wish to create the illusion of curves (like myself, with a rectangle shape).
It’s important to know that wrap dresses can come in different lengths too!
The wrap dress is one of the things that once you have, it is hard to understand how you have lived all those years without. It hugs your body at all the right places and creates a continuous line of colors that elongates your body.
Empire waistline dresses
Empire waist is a terrific design for us short girls.
The empire waist is a dress where the waistline is high, and sometimes it is placed just below the bust line. Because it raises the waistline to above your natural waist, it effectively creates the illusion of a shorter torso and longer legs.
This is a genius design that is critical to flatter petites.
Needless to say, since the elevated waistline is above your natural waist, it makes your bottom half look longer and optimizes your body ratio to the maximum.
Belted dresses
A belt can totally change the perceived ratio of your body.
Our body ratio looks the best when it is divided by the thirds instead of halves or quarters.
That is a universal law applicable to all height, and it is especially critical to us short women. We can totally use this rule to improve our body proportion and elongate our legs.
That is when a belt can come into play.
The key is to make sure the belt is positioned high enough to make your torso look shorter and your legs look longer.
Ideally, your torso should look like 1/3 of your body and your legs 2/3. The best color of the belt is one to blend with your dress.
That way will avoid making your body look cut in half while still adding subtle texture and interesting dimension to your outfit.
Dresses with a belt also help those of us lacking a defined waistline to have more waist definition, such as the petite rectangle shape or petite apple body type.
Maxi dresses
Wearing a maxi length dress is a great way to flatter petite girls.
The reason is creating length in our outfit is one of the key factors in styling short girls, which can be achieved through creating a column of colors.
Because of its continuous color and pattern, a maxi dress can effectively elongate your body frame to the maximum.
Therefore, wearing a maxi dress the right way will actually make a short girl look taller. In fact, a maxi dress is one of the Most Recommended Styles for Petite Women.
Picking out the best maxi dresses for short women involves choosing the right length (as a starter), the right fabric, and the right style.
Because of how much it covers your body, it is critical to find the right pattern that will not make you look drowning in fabrics.Otherwise, the wrong style can totally swamp you and make you appear shorter.
Lacey dresses
Dresses made from airy fabrics such as laces are very flattering for shorter women.
This is especially true when your dress is longer, for example, below your knee or on your calf, i,e. the midi length.
Because such long dresses have the risk of making a short girl look even shorter, wearing a dress made of lacey fabrics can make the unflattering length look much better on you.
The reason is laces can give the eye a “peek” into your legs way above the hem of the dress, thus making sure your legs do not look cut-off, even though they are covered under the dress!
Slited midi dresses
Another way to rock a midi length dress on a shorter girl is to opt for a slit, which can be in the front or on the side.
The advantage of having a slit is it will break up the coverage of the fabrics on your legs. When you are standing or walking, the eye can get a peek of your skin because of the slit.
This makes sure you will appear taller and leaner, even when you are wearing a longer dress.
Best Prints and Patterns
For short girls, a key consideration for choosing dresses is the colors and prints. Consider the following, because they work the best on our petite frame.
Solid colors
Solids are the easiest to wear for women of any height. This is especially true, for someone with a petite frame.
Since dresses carry a certain amount of volume, opting for a solid color will make your silhouette look simple.
This a smart way to make sure your dress looks flattering on a short frame, no matter what style and length of dress you go for.
Small prints
In general, smaller prints are great for women under 5’4″, especially if your dress is longer, i.e. the midi length or the maxi length.
Because longer dresses have extra fabrics that can easily overwhelm a short girl, smaller prints can make sure you won’t look like being worn by the dress!
Of course, there is no cut and dry answer to what is considered smaller print and what is not. It is all relative, and the important thing is to keep them in scale to your body.
If you are petite and skinny, go with tiny prints. On the other hand, if you are short and curvy, prints too small might make you look bulkier than you are.
Vertical patterns
Dresses with vertical patterns or vertical designs are tried and true most flattering dresses for short women as well.
Short women need to create length in what they wear in order to look longer and taller, and the most obvious way is to go with vertical patterns and designs.
Stripes are the easiest choice of vertical prints. If you have a small body frame, going with something subtle is better than something loud.
Caution with horizontal patterns
Horizontal patterns have the tendency to expand you horizontally, which means making you wider and bigger than you are.
Since you are shorter, this is the opposite of what you are looking for.
This is not to say you should avoid all horizontal striped prints or patterns, but you do want to make sure they are not too busy.
Valery
