Ask Angie:Petite Body Type & Proportion

Petite101

So I'm a bit confused so thought maybe you all can help me. Here are my details
Shoulders: 36 in
Bust: 32 in
Waist: 25 in
Hips: 35 in
If I take shoulders into consideration I'm hourglass.
If I take bust into consideration I'm pear.
Height: Between 5'1 and 5'2 ft.
Vertical proportions:
Bust to natural waist line is shorter than waistline to hip which makes me short waisted.
What my query is that all over they say if you are short waisted you should avoid high rise pants. But I'm a petite person and I find that I'm uncomfortable in low or mid rise..rather it sort of makes my legs look more short in photos. Should I be avoiding high waist skirts or denims etc..? What are some standard things I should follow while shopping if I'm a short waisted petite woman to make myself look balanced & tall with my clothes and style?

7 years ago

Body Type

12 replies

Latest reply was from KK

anne

Veteran

Hi Petite 101,

I'm not Angie but I'll give this a try.

Firstly, we usually ask people to send in a photo of themselves in tight fitting clothing, like leggings and a tight top, in order to best workout what is their body type. Once you've become an active member (reply to a few posts) you'll be able post pictures here, or you could link to a photosharing website like Flickr.

Secondly, Angie uses shoulders rather than bust, so you are likely to be an hourglass (pending what the picture tells her)

Thirdly, while you've identified yourself as shortwaisted, you've also mentioned that you have short legs. It might be that lengthening your legs is a bigger priority than lengthening your waist. Does that make sense? So maybe high waisted pants make sense. Again, when you can post photos you could show us some examples.

Lastly, Angie has written a lot about the questions you have about "

What are some standard things I should follow while shopping if I'm a short waisted petite woman to make myself look balanced & tall with my clothes and style? " I'll just go and find some links for you.

7 years ago

anne

Veteran

How to Dress the Hourglass Body Type

Petite Women Are Every Bit as Stylish as Tall Women

Bending the Body Type Guidelines

Petite Women Are Every Bit as Stylish as Tall Women

Are you really a Petite?

7 years ago

Mirjana

Veteran

I am also petite and agree with Anne, lengthening the legs is bigger priority than lengthening the waist ,you look taller.

7 years ago

Petite101

Member

Anne, thank you so much with your reply. I guess you are right and the reason why I was getting confused is that I'm short so naturally my intention is to create some length visually when I wear clothes-hence high waisted denims and skirts. But at the same time I'm short waisted and I've read in places that the short waisted people should avoid high waisted pants so I'm feeling stuck and hence the question.

7 years ago

anne

Veteran

I suspect that some of the advice for "short waisted" people" that you've been reading has been for people who have a short torso overall.So they may have a short rise as well as a short rise (and typically, they have proportionately long legs). On people like that, a high rise can feel like it is practically hitting their bust. If you don't feel like that, then don't worry!

I have a long rise and I NEED at least a medium rise, and am happy in a high rise because I need to feel that I'm comfortably covering my bottom!

7 years ago

Chris987

Veteran

Hi, I'm a short waisted petite also, roughly same height as you but somewhat larger measurements. The answers to your questions are soooo variable, you really need to try things on, post pictures here for advice, and get a sense of what works for you.

To echo what Anne was talking about....one bit of conventional wisdom says that short waisted people should wear high waisted pants to lengthen the leg line. Makes sense, but I absolutely hate it because I am so dramatically short waisted that even in regular rise pants, the top of the wastband can hit me way up on the ribcage, almost at the bustline, especially when I sit down, and it feels and looks awful! My point is that proportion issues are very body-specific.

Post some pictures and you'll get some great advice here

7 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

My proportions are similar to yours. Measurements almost identical (my shoulders are a bit wider and I'm a couple of inches taller, but otherwise very much the same.)

The advice and links that Anne has given you are spot on.

Other body shape modifiers make the difference here. Many times the advice for short-waisted people assumes long legs (which we don't have) OR assumes that a person's bust is large. A short waisted woman with a smaller bust can manage a higher waistline on a skirt or pants without looking too squared off and blocky.

A petite woman is never going to look "tall." But she can look proportionate, and that's what you are really after, I think. Wearing a column of colour or low contrast is an easy way to create that effect but there are a ton of other options and petites should never feel barred from wearing anything!

7 years ago

shedev

Veteran

I'm a 4'11, short waisted, and high rise. I wear a med to high rise because it is more comfortable to me. I wear shirts that come to the hip level, to balance out my upper and lower halves. I'll wear crop tops with a longer shirt underneath.

7 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welcome to the forum, and sounds like you're sorted. Let me know if I can further assist you.

7 years ago

Petite101

Member

Thank you all for your suggestions! It's great to hear from so many of you Finally figuring out what really looks good on me. Thanks Angie for welcoming me

7 years ago

SandyG

Veteran

I'm petite with similar measurements to you but certainly older. Your personality influences and determines a lot of your clothing style and confidence wearing outfits. According to my model friend, yes, technically, I "could" look an entire half inch taller if I followed the rules for petite dressing in a single column of color -- but I wouldn't have nearly as much fun. It's highly individual so enjoy yourself.

7 years ago

(website)

Active Member

You're body type sounds like mine. Like my shoulders and hips are the same width, and my waist is much smaller than my hips, but my bust is not that big - it's not much wider than my waist.. So I have broad shoulders, average bust, small-ish waist, somewhat-curvy hips. I'm on the short side too (5' 4"), short-waisted, short-legged. As far as skirts go, for me it seems like I have to go really short or really long so I don't look short and stumpy. My favorite skirt lengths are ankle/floor and just below the knee (I don't wear anything shorter than that for the sake of modesty). There is a length of skirt in-between that looks okay too, I just can't really pin-point what it is - maybe just below where the calf starts? That length looks better if I wear boots or heels though.

I'm not an expert, but I hope that maybe this helps a little.

6 years ago

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