How to dress short waist/long rise/short legs?

Hi there everyone!
I'm new to this site but have come to my wits end trying to dress my body! Nobody I know personally and am comfortable consulting with this type of subject has a similar body shape and I've tried searching online for any tips but have only really come across advice for short waist/long legs.

To start, I'm 5'5" and currently around 175 - 180lbs. I have a narrow waist in comparison to my wide hips and wide bust. I am on the curvy side and have been described by others as having an hourglass figure but I could also see myself as having a pear figure. I have weak shoulders (and bad posture!). And again, I have a short/high waist, a long rise and short legs. My shape generally seems to stay the same proportionally regardless of my weight. My upper arms and thighs seem to gather fat faster than other areas of my buddy, though I do have a belly now. I have had issues with fitting my arms into sleeves and thighs into dresses/skirts/pant legs. I hope this info helps and if there are any questions, feel free to ask away!

I'm pretty unhappy with my appearance and have kind of stopped trying. I don't hate my body I just am completely at a loss in how to dress my body!

Lately I have liked the look of cropped tops with halter necklines or sweetheart necklines paired with a high waisted skirt as I feel it makes my bottom half appear longer. However, I've worn things before that I thought were flattering only to realize later they were not!

Does anyone have any advice on what flatters a figure with proportions like mine? Any advice on whether cropped/short tops and high waist bottoms flatter my figure? Any cuts I should avoid that would be particularly unflattering?

Thank you!

8 years ago

Andrea H

Active Member

I'll be interested in replies because I have the same short waist, short legs, long rise proportions (though I am probably less hourglass-y than you) and I never see this addressed. I personally don't find high waisted pants/jeans flattering on myself at all--they give me "long butt"--though higher waisted skirts can work.

L'Abeille

Veteran

I have similar challenges in the vertical dimension. I always thought I was long waisted (and sewn-in waists on clothes like dresses are usually too high on me) but by measuring according to one of Angie's blog posts, I am short waisted but have a very long rise. My thighs are proportionately longer than my calves, and then I have long feet. So a lot of things don't look right to my eye.

In the horizontal plane I'm different from you (wide shoulders, skinny thighs, even at my thinnest my waist barely indents), so my solutions might not work for you. But here is what I have found:

The outfit that most emphasizes the proportions we don't like is the one that clearly shows all the bends and joints. So, a tucked in top with skinny pants (short shorts or a mini would do similar). An outfit that camouflages one of the bends can fool the eye into seeing more traditional proportions.

Things that work for me: A shift dress that does no more than hint at the waist, at a length just above the knee. (Looks great on me, but add a belt at my natural waist and suddenly it is all wrong.) A slightly flared skirt or culottes at a midi length, somewhere below the knee: you can't see where my rise ends, so my legs appear longer. Another silhouette that works for me is a longer-than-hip-length tunic (uneven hems especially so) over slim bottoms, whether leggings/skinnies or pencil/tube skirt. Also, many outfit combinations are rescued for me by adding a topper: in my case almost always sleeveless: a hip length vest or thigh/knee length gilet.

Your challenges will be different, because of course you want to show off a tiny waist. But maybe you can figure out how to apply the principles.

A thought about your high waisted skirts: A woman with a short waist and a big bust can look matronly if the fullest part of the bust is lower than midway between shoulders/neckline and waist. Possibly that is why you didn't like your previous tries. A well-fitting bra can make a huge difference, as can paying attention to vertical lines (eg V neck instead of crew neck helps; halter does not).

Ultimately, go by what your mirror tells you. And experiment a lot. For sure I really upped my game once I had a decent full length mirror; without one it is just guessing as to what works. Posting your experiments on here can be very instructive if you want feedback.

And welcome to the forum!

Jenn

(website)

I'm a few inches taller than you, but have similar issues--hourglass/pear shape, long rise, short legs, trouble fitting upper arms and thighs in otherwise well-fitting garments.

I suspect the high rise trend is going to be good for us. I've been enjoying relaxed bottoms like joggers and boyfriend/girlfriend cuts, with sleeveless tops (some with a bit more shoulder coverage) and top layers with some stretch. Dresses with some waist definition are also an easy go-to. I also like more open necklines, which I think help make my top half seem a bit less long in relation to my legs.

Julie

I've also got a very long rise and high waist. I like open necklines and never tuck in shirts-especially into pants. It just looks wrong. I also have given up on skirts-on me they look matronly with a tucked in top but sloppy with an untucked top. But dresses are great, wrap or shift. It is tricky to find the right pants because everything looks low rise on someone with a long rise. I've had luck with nydj and levis 512. Good luck!

Suz

First of all, welcome. You'll get some great tips from this group and you are not alone. If someone says she has a similar body type, once you are able to view photos, you can look back at some of her WIW posts to see outfits she has put together. It's often a huge help to see how it works on a real person!

My vertical proportions sound similar to yours (5'4", short waist, long rise, long thighs, short calves) but other body type modifiers are different, so my solutions might not work for you. For what it is worth, though, in the spirit of L'Abeille's answer, here are some of my own discoveries.

Footwear. Lower vamp shoes will lengthen your leg line, and if you can wear a small heel, go for it. Instant lift and proportion adjustment. Booties can work, too, to extend your calves, if you keep the colour values similar to your bottoms.

Tucking or semi-tucking into medium to high waisted pants can work. It might look odd (i.e. draw attention to your rise) with full length pants, but then again, it might not -- you'd have to experiment with different styles, and with ways of accessorizing. A scarf or necklace or open neckline will draw the eye upward away from the length of the rise. With crops, a tucked or semi tucked top will help extend your leg line (which will otherwise be challenged by the crop trend) and basically make it possible to wear this trend in a flattering way.

But getting the right fit is key. Your long rise may lead to feeling as if you've got a "wedgie" going on with certain pants. (A feeling, or worse, a reality, ugh.) And you may feel like you have a "long bum." Brands that are cut for a high rise include NYDJ. These are even too high in the rise for me, which is saying something! You might experiment with a bunch of different brands and do the measurements. Find out what feels best on your body and keep that measurement handy for future shopping.

Try a column of colour to disguise the length of the rise. Pants and top in more or less the same tones will fool the eye.

Forget petites for bottoms. Even though you're on the borderline of petite height, the rise won't work. You can, however, try petites or plus petites for jackets and tops, and you might be surprised at how well they work.

Unlike L'Abeille, I find tunics quite unflattering on me. They seem to make my body even longer and my legs shorter. (L'Abeille is quite tall, and has a strong shoulder, so this might affect her results).

Skirts and dresses do disguise the length of your rise and can make you look more proportionate. Wrap tops and dresses could be wonderful on you.

Anonymous

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