This post was inspired by one of my clients, who recently wore the outfit combination to our shopping session. She combined a dress length tunic with tailored cropped pants, a fitted denim jacket, and cage heels. She’s 5ft 2 and looked absolutely sensational, so you definitely don’t have to be tall to wear the look.
Here are the components of the outfit:
Dramatic Tunic
You’re after a tunic that has drama, which means a length that grazes your knees, or goes beyond your knees. In fact, dresses make the perfect tunics for this outfit combination. Hemlines can be asymmetrical, handkerchief or high-low. Sleeved, sleeveless, solid, patterned, knitted or woven – take your pick. Silhouettes can be straight, A-line, cocoon, or fit-and-flare. The dresses and tunics in the collection provide good examples of the vibe.
Cropped Pants
Choose a pair of sleek cropped pants or jeans to layer under the tunic or the dress. A hem that finishes two to four inches above the ankle bone is a flop proof cropped pants or jeans length. The hems of the pants can be skinny, straight or flared. I vote no leggings because jeans and pants create a more architectural integrity which lends itself well to this look. Create a low contrast between the top and the bottom if you want to lengthen the line of the leg. Wear any colour bottom that works with the top and footwear.
Cropped Jacket
A cropped and tailored denim jacket or moto is an easy option. But do try other short jacket silhouettes with the combination. The range of styles in the collection are another way to go. Create a low contrast between the jacket and top if you’re worried about “chopping up your look”, but know that adding heels can offset the chopped effect.
Heels or Flats
Choose dressy or casual footwear that works with the length and style of the cropped pants. Heels, both low and high, work well because they lengthen the leg line and offset the horizontal lines that the layers create across the body. But don’t think you can’t wear flats either. I do! I’ve worn a very casual rendition of this outfit formula a few times with flat white sandals. You can see the exact pieces of my outfit in this collection. It’s not a column of colour, but the low contrast between the dress, jeans and jacket elongates the outfit so that I felt just fine finishing things off with flats.
And finally, a little dressy street style inspiration to get those creative juices flowing. The jacket is longer, but its tailored fit helps offset the length – as does the fact that it’s worn quite open, thereby creating a strong vertical line down the front of the body. The flared crops are at a perfect shorter length, while the asymmetrical hem and diagonal lines of the dress add structure. The extra high heels further elongate the outfit and make it dressy.
