https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:31:53 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415984 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:53:42 +0000 Mo 415984@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for the compliments, I'm blushing :O </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415960 Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:32:51 +0000 Barbara 415960@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mo, to me, your body looks completely proportional. And you look so tall!</p> <p>You are seriously rocking that bikini AND the walker.</p> <p>LOL </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415894 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:01:36 +0000 Suz 415894@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mo, you and I are really similar in this regard. I think it's okay for us to buy our jackets in petites because even if they are shorter than intended, a slightly cropped effect actually HELPS us; it makes our legs look a bit longer (especially in skirts where people can't see the rise). And with shorter jackets being common it doesn't look as if we have squeezed ourselves into something too small. </p> <p>I sometimes have the problem you are describing with tops, too, but it depends how I want to wear them. With skirts, or tucking them in, it isn't really an issue, so I can go with petites. It's only if I want them untucked with pants that it becomes a slight problem. And since I favour tucking on the whole, I don't really worry about it. </p> <p>I have not encountered the problem you describe with many dresses but I suspect I have a tiny bit more real estate between bust and navel. And probably less on the legs...sigh....</p> <p>Aida, I hear you on the shoulders thing. Mine are just barely okay for petites (and sometimes not). My mom's are a bit wider and she has really struggled all her life with it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415863 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 20:53:35 +0000 Aida 415863@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mo I feel you on the half petite thing! I'm petite from the waist up and long in the rise too, but with broader shoulders than you. So I rarely can purchase ANYthing from the petite section </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415749 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:44:33 +0000 Mo 415749@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So I'm half petite Ha ha! I'll stick with just the jackets in that dept. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415746 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:39:11 +0000 Angie 415746@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ah. I hear you. You fit into petites quite well from the navel up, but because your rise is long, petite tops look shorter than they should. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415745 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:31:24 +0000 Mo 415745@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I find that empire dresses work because they hit my small spot but regular dresses seem tight across the waist because I'm not as small where the dress's waist is. I also buy juniors jackets and petite ladies jacket to get the waist and sleeves to fit. So I guess I do feel my waist is up higher than the norm. just wondering if that should affect how I wear my top lengths and such.<br /> For instance, when I measured for a sheath style bridesmaid dress, I had to let it out over an inch to actually fit - because my 27" waist and it's 27" waist were not nearly in the same spot lol! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415743 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:27:09 +0000 Angie 415743@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>True. Your natural waist is a little higher than the position of your navel, but I think that you are over compensating. I trust my eyeballs, have seen millions of women in this pose, and you do not look overly short waisted. You are not tall, but I have not seen you struggle with the waist length of garments. Do you have the same impression, Malina? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415742 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:26:37 +0000 Suz 415742@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think the "hand" test is to the navel, even though for most of us, as for you, the natural waist is a bit higher. </p> <p>So, regular waist, long in the rise. This is me, too. </p> <p>I think petite/juniors jackets fit us better because we are on the short side and also have smallish frames. In my case, I also have short arms. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415736 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:15:00 +0000 Mo 415736@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Okay, so my natural waist is not necessarily where I'm narrowest? Because that is WAY above my belly button! See, I told you I was confused!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415734 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:12:52 +0000 Angie 415734@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mo, I would bet a million bucks that you can get almost two hands below your bust before you hit your belly button. You do not have giant hands! I think you're somehow measuring in a different way. </p> <p>You do not look short-waisted. You do look long in the rise though. Your torso is in good proportion to your leg length </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415731 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:08:15 +0000 Mo 415731@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>bumping for Angie's thoughts </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415254 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:20:42 +0000 Carole 415254@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I always thought I was short waisted, but now I'm beginning to wonder........ </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415251 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:13:18 +0000 RandomThoughts (Andrea) 415251@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi Mo,</p> <p>I'm with Rae - short waist, long in the rise for you. Angie uses Imogen's "system" too, evidently. Or at least approves it enough to make a reference:</p> <p><a href="http://youlookfab.com/2009/06/29/how-to-tell-if-you-are-short-or-long-waisted/" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/2009/06/.....g-waisted/</a></p> <p>Also like Rae, I don't "officially" know my body type! Heh. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415239 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:43:04 +0000 rae 415239@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My gut says you are short waisted with a longer rise, but I am not an expert. </p> <p>Come to think of it, I never officially discovered my own body type... oops! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415227 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:27:08 +0000 HeleenH 415227@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think people are short waisted or long waisted, and clothes can be high or low waisted. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415185 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:32:42 +0000 ButterflyLady 415185@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't think I'd be worrying too much where my waist was if I looked like you lol!</p> <p>I have a small distance between under my boobs and my waist, but I have a long (high?) rise, and overall I have a long body (shoulder to leg break). So a little similar to you. So I wouldn't want elongate my body when I dressed, as I would look a bit weird. I also can't tuck into pants as my proportions look very strange indeed. I worked this out (without knowing the proper terminology) years ago by comparing myself to other people! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415176 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:15:44 +0000 Mo 415176@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Diana, I find that very interesting that you mentioned emphasizing your short waist to make your legs look long. I have been told again and again to wear longer tops but maybe shorter feels right on me *because* of how high up my waist is? I agree that my legs look longer with shorter tops and I like that, being a little fuller through my hips/seat. Also, I fit Jr and petite jackets best because of my waist placement. Hmmm, I guess I'll consider myself high waisted since I don't feel my torso itself is particularly short in relation to my height. Confusing stuff!</p> <p>And thanks gals for the nice comments on being bikini clad I was still recuperating and this was actually an alteration I did on the top to kill time, so that's why the goofy pic. Also I notice my Fitbit pedometer - which is really funny because walkers don't rack up much mileage lol!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415033 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:52:25 +0000 Diana 415033@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree that this is an issue of terminology and different people use different terms. I tend to use Angie's definition here, and think of "short waisted" as meaning short from waist up (so waist to bust, I guess):<br /> <a href="http://youlookfab.com/2007/07/25/are-you-short-waisted/" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/2007/07/.....t-waisted/</a></p> <p>I guess another way to think of it is that short or long waisted refers to how a top will fit, whereas high or low waist (or rise) refers to how a bottom will fit. So I am very short waisted and things like jackets are often too long for me, but I am also high waisted, so jeans rises are often too low (I am a pear too which doesn't help this issue).</p> <p>ETA: meant to add that, even though Angie and most style experts suggest dressing to lengthen your torso if you are short waisted, I often dress to emphasize my short waistedness (like, with skirts tucked in at my natural waist) because it makes me look like I have legs a mile long. =D </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415012 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:26:59 +0000 MsMaven 415012@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You look perfect to me. The whole proportion thing is difficult for me. If I looked as good as Mo I wouldn't worry about it. </p> <p>Short waisted and high waisted seem to mean different things in different systems. I always thought I was long-waisted because waistlines in dresses were always too high for me, but that is because overall I am tall. As far as my own body, I am short from bottom of bust to ribcage and I don't have much room between bottom of ribs and top of pelvis. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415011 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:22:43 +0000 Elly 415011@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, by these standards I am short-waisted but not high-waisted. I have almost identical distance between my bust and waist and waist and crotch-- however, I have only an inch between my hipbones and ribs.</p> <p>Edited to add--- I also have a shorter overall torso compared to my arms and legs. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-415008 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:16:00 +0000 Jenava 415008@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't think you are short waisted (which I think of as "having a waist, and a short torso at the same time"). I think you aren 8 (Imogen's again). So, yeah maybe "high" waisted? Or, having hips that are set higher in your torso, so to speak?</p> <p>Love that red on you, BTW, hottie. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-414977 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:39:26 +0000 Suz 414977@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Short or high waisted, you have a gorgeous figure! </p> <p>I can't really answer the waist question, but I suspect you might be long in the rise. Or at least I consider myself to be long in the rise on account of the vast amount of real estate between navel and crotch. I have more distance between bust and waist than you appear to have (and less distance between natural waist and navel). But I wonder if small busted women like me will always have more distance between bust and waist? </p> <p>Oh, the myriad variations that is us! In our infinite variety we do not resemble Barbies coming off that assembly line, at any rate! </p> <p>And no wonder it is difficult to find jeans that fit!!! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-414960 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:21:32 +0000 catgirl 414960@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mo, I am eternally confused by this difference too. Plus I can't really find my waist, being rectangular. What a drag. I would love to revisit this topic - thanks for asking!</p> <p>My question: are short-waisted and high-waisted synonymous? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-414958 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:20:36 +0000 Arya 414958@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I tend to think high-waisted, Mo, because as you say there's a plenty of torso length. I'm interested to see what people post about dressing - whether it's a high waist or a short waist.</p> <p>P.s. You rock that bikini, walker or no walker! Just sayin'... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/short-waisted-or-high-waisted#post-414955 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 02:17:32 +0000 Mo 414955@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I confused myself somewhere along the line. I thought I was short waisted (by Imogen's hands trick). But then I read that short waisted means little distance from ribs to hipbone/pelvis. Well, my waist is less than one hand's width below my bust! But I have plenty of real estate (for my height at least) from there to both my navel and then my hipbones below . . . am I merely high waisted? Is there a difference, when talking about how to dress said waist? </p> <p>Excuse the state of me in the pic - it's the only one I have on hand that shows where my waist is clearly </p>