Short girls, what do you wear? - YouLookFab Forum

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Short girls, what do you wear?

Mariam A

Hi everyone!

I am a new member here, I am in desperate need of fashion advice and recommendations!

I love fashion, and I am one of those people who wishes they could look like Kendall or Gigi 24/7. However, I am nowhere near their level, and it is mainly due to my stupid height. I am 4'11 and nothing looks good on me. Literally nothing, which makes my confidence stay at an all-time low. It also doesn't help that my legs are shorter than my torso and I can not show them off at all as they look stumpy and generally so ugly.

There is also the fact that I do not even try to pull off anything too crazy. Even simple staple items look horrible. For instance, I love classic white shirts with black jeans, but mine just looks stupid and I look like I'm wearing an apron over jeans which need to be cuffed (even though I actually tried hard with them by buying good quality jeans in the Petite section).
I don't know if anyone else has a problem like me, but what do you usually wear? Or what would you wear if you could not pull anything off at all?

I appreciate any help! Thank you so much!

Body Type

21 replies

Latest reply was from Aziraphale

Ledonna N.

Veteran

Get thee to a seamstress or tailor. I'm 5'2. I love wearimg anything and everything. You can also look at Angie directives from old post
And other forum members post. Sometimes petites works and sometimes they do not.

My utlimate goal is to look like myself not anyone else. There are no hard and fast rules. To be honest you will have to give yourself time first to define what you like get some inspiration photos then as Angie says leave no fashion stpne unturned. Ask yourself what do you love about your wadrobe and then build around those items.

It would be nice if we could see a picture of you or some inspiration photos. You have to figure out if you dress for home life work life or both.

Ylf is here for you.

Mariam A

Hi! Thanks for your reply.

I totally understand what you mean, and I need to stop comparing myself to others, especially supermodels who are 10000 times different. Those tips are good, I have a Pinterest board with styles I like, but then again, the majority are outfits I can't wear.

About the photo, I was going to but sadly I'm not an active member yet

Thank you!

Ledonna N.

Veteran

Hello and you are welcome. Yes a whole body photo so that we can help figure out what works for your frame. Having a pintrest board is a great help and you can allow yourself to take fashion cues for supper models. It just needs tp be scaled to your wonderful shape and height.

kkards

Veteran

Welcome. Hang out with us and I'm sure we can get you feeling more confident.
I'm 5'4 ish, and I'd always imagined I'd be tall, but alas, I got the short genes...One of my tricks for when I want to feel taller is to wear a column of color.
and .as lendonna says tailoring will be your friend.

shedev

Veteran

Hi Mariam. Welcome to YLF.
I'm also 4'11. I have a shorter torso, longer rise and longer legs. My main fashion rule that I use is to balance my upper and lower halves. I do this by wearing my shirts a little longer to visually elongate my torso. You may be able to visually balance your halves with higher rises and shorter tops.
We all have fit challenges. Button downs are also a no go for me. They are usually too tight in the arms, gape in the chest, and highlight my short torso when I tuck them in. If I size up they are too long in the arms but still have most of these issues. But a shell with a little cowl in the neckline is good.
On thing to remember is that those models are professionally photographed and then photoshopped. They don't look like the images that you are seeing in real life. Don't be so hard on yourself. YLF will help you to get sorted.

Anonymous

I'm 5'2" tall and wear petite size 6-8 most of the time. The only issue I usually have is finding long enough inseams on pants. The brands I count on to fit right now include NYDJ, Diane Gilman (HSN), and Maggy London.

My DD is only 5' tall, and has a more difficult time finding clothes that fit her smaller frame. Lately she's had luck at Banana Republic. She wears size 0 petite pants and size 2 petite dresses and tops (due to her developed shoulders from exercise).

harmonica

Veteran

Welcome, Mariam! I'm 5'1 (157 cm) and YLF has helped me tremendously. Keep reading, asking questions and posting insp pics and body photoes when you can.

One trick that works for me to make my legs look longer is to wear a skirt (pencil or aline) and tights in the same colour and coordinate it with my hair colour, i.e. dark hair, dark skirt, dark tights and dark shoes, and often a dark cardi or blazer. Sounds boring, but you can do the trick with a lots of different items, playing with texture, pattern, silhuettes etc. The waist band helps to define my waist and the coloumn of colour downwards create an illusion of longer legs (the skirt cover where your legs really starts).

Stay tuned and YLF will support you all the way.

DonnaF

Veteran

Welcome, Mariam. I'm 5' 1" with an extra long torso and extra short legs. I ALWAYS have to have Petite sized pants/jeans shortened.

Play around with proportions, and recognize that if you want something to be traditionally flattering, you may need to tweak it more than others:

I shy away from white shirts with black pants or jeans because I don't want to be mistaken for wait staff because wait staff in my area seem to wear that uniform, lol. But I do like shirts and I like the look. If it were me, I would tuck or semi-tuck the shirt (to give a longer leg line), wear a DARK patterned belt (again, to maintain the leg line and give some interest), wear a dark topper as a substitute for a column of color, and wear a scarf or necklace to bring interest to the face. I would also wear darkish footwear to make my legs look longer.

I shy away from traditional length tunics because end at a bad place on my particular body since I have heavy thighs that don't taper much. They also result in unpleasing vertical proportions on me unless I wear sky high heels -- and I don't do that. BUT I have discovered short dresses worn as tunics over cropped flares. Somehow, that changes the proportions up enough to work for me plus makes my dresses more versatile.

Please don't be so hard on yourself. And remember that not every body can wear every trend. Tall gals with long limbs have at least as many fit problems as we do, probably more. We, at least, can shorten things. And since you and I have long torsos, we can try peplum tops in both regular and petite sizing to see which sizing hits us in a better place!

Traci

Veteran

Definitely look for a seamstress to do alterations for you. Even your local dry cleaners probably has the ability to hem your pants. Also, look at advice on how to dress a long torso or waist. Once you have your proportions sorted out you'll feel much better.

SandyG

Veteran

Welcome! I'm petite, love clothes, and find that classic shirts are actually pretty hard to wear. The fabrics get too stiff or strict on a very small figure. Shirt fabrics and tailored clothing hang differently on the tall and the lanky. Petites have a much smaller canvas.

As Angie would say, it's not you -- it's the clothes. If you love fashion but it doesn't love you, consider shifting your focus towards looking current instead of looking like your favorite celebrity. Angie's posts on wardrobe Essentials is really informative. Play researcher and figure out what looks good to your eye and personality and life style. Have a blast with accessories and shoes. Take photos to help evaluate how things fit you.

I like the Petite in Paris blog to study interesting outfits and petite proportions in real life.

Mariam A

Thank you so so much for the kind and supportive comments! I will definitely continue browsing YLF and interacting with everyone as even this post has made me feel so much better! After 3 days when I'm an active member I'll post a full body photo too, for reference.
Thank you!

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

Hi! You've come to the right place!

I'm another one of YLF's petites at 5'3". And like you, I too love the athleisure trend.

Playing with proportions is of utmost importance when you're not tall. The idea is to create the *illusion of height* by focusing on the vertical integrity of any outfit.

I live in a warm climate, so my go-to options are:

1) T-shirt dresses with sneakers
2) Shorts worn with a top and sneakers
3) Leggings with the right tunic and sneakers.

I wear shorter hemlines because I don't have naturally long legs. Basics like a white shirt with black jeans look hideous on me too. So I play around and look for cropped drapey white blouses that look more proportionate with my pants. If I can't find something in a cropped length but love the fit, I always crop the tops so they hit me right at the hip-bone. If my skirt/pants are high-waisted, I wear even shorter tops to create balance.

I'm adding some pictures of me and some inspiration photos I have on my phone. I hope this helps!

This post has 11 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Bea

I'm 5 feet and sometimes just tell myself screw the rules and just wear whatever I want even if I may look stumpy I wear it with confidence so that's what matters to me. I wear horizontal stripes and leggings with flats even if I'm not supposed to due to my body type. I'm big on color and pattern so even if the shape I'm wearing break rules as long as color wise I go together I find it is ok.m and get compliments regardless. That and wear it with confidence that goes a long way also.

Bijou

Veteran

I'm not short at 5 foot 6, but I do find that compared to models, the standard fit is often longer on me. This can be a good thing, because often items that I think are too short on a model, fit perfectly on me. I do like a column of colour to make me look taller. I also love long line coats and vests, as the vertical length is very flattering. Have a look at Angie's great coat and gilet outfits. The great thing about YLF is that I get inspired by real women, wearing real clothing in their day to day lives. This has definitely helped me improve my personal style, I hope you enjoy your YLF journey.

Gigi

Veteran

Looking forward to the photo!

I am 5'2" with a short torso and longer legs. It really takes a lot of trial and error, IMO. Not all petite clothing is created equal. Different brands have different cuts to the clothing. For instance, I find that Loft tops are generally too long for my short torso, and too boxy; White House Black Market tops are usually OK, but their jackets can be a little bit big in the bust. So it's worth trying petite clothing from as many retailers as you can, until you find some retailers that seem to "get" your body.

Tops can be tough, because there is a lot to consider: shoulder width, bust size, waist size, and torso length. I have to have petite tops 95% of the time because in addition to being short waisted, I have very narrow shoulders and a small bust--so there is a lot of extra material in the shoulders of regular tops that makes me look dumpy.

These are all things that took me a lot of time to learn. You have come to the right place!

rachylou

Veteran

Oh, I had to really learn to stop buying crisp white shirts. They are just not for everyone. Angie taught me that a soft drape blouse is my white shirt.

My oldest, dearest friend is 4'11". It's amazing how different we look in the same thing. We'll both be 'you look sooo cute in that.' The grass is always greener, lol.

She does inevitably always wear a bit of heel. She's much more polished than I am. The other day she was in what I call Native Wear - Native as in our home town, Hippieland (that's next to Hipsterville, lol). But she looked so professional, whereas I look like a street kid in the same getup.

Anyways, short straight skirt, jeggings, knee high boots, sweater, long puffer coat in woodsy colours. A variety of lengths in play there. Looked fantastic.

I'm shortwaisted myself. I prefer to move my waistline visually, personally...

Chris987

Veteran

I'm 5:2", another petite, and I wear sizes from 10P to 14P. Others have all given great advice here. You need to get used to what works on your own body which can require a lot of trial and error. I know that from experience.

A couple of other suggestions
1. Put some focus on FIT. Look for petite sizing, and try on a lot of stuff when you find it. You may find like many of us that you wear petites sometimes but not always depending on your body shape. For me for example, I almost always have to look for petite jackets, regular sizes are to long-waisted, but I often wear regular sizes in pants. Consider it retail research. Take some pics, post them here and this wonderful community will help you! I know they have certainly helped me!

2. if you have any affinity for classic, pretty styles, or even if you don't, spend some time studying the postings on extrapetite.com. This blogger is either 4'11" or 5' and has made a science out of dressing for a tiny body. She is very classic/pretty but even if that's not your style you can learn a lot if you are willing to invest some time. She's been blogging for 8 to 10 years.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

I'm 4'11", with a short waist and longer legs. I'm busty and have some hips, which can easily make me appear heavier than my actual weight and dress size. I try to steer clear of oversized or baggy fits. I like close-fitting, soft draping clothes that have some stretch.

I always try to dress in a way that makes me look slimmer and taller. I gravitate towards columns of color, and fitted clothing that draws the eye upward. I also try to emphasize the smallest part of my waist. My shoes are mostly black or nude, with some kind of heel. I like footwear that is sleek, not chunky, and that doesn't weigh a lot.

My bestie in college was 5'1" and she had a longer torso and shorter legs. I used to envy her, because she had a sleek, slim look in swimwear and fitted clothing.

Some of my must-read blogs are:
Extra Petite
Wendys Lookbook
9 to 5 Chic
The Haute Pursuit (I think this gal is taller, but I really like her style)

Pure Glam Luxus & Lifestyle Blog This blogger may be taller, but I think she is still a petite. Her website is in German, but I use Chrome as my browser, which translates. I love to wear high heels and fancy hosiery, and I really like her style.

I cannot speak highly enough of Alterations Needed, which has some of the best tips and visuals about alterations for petites that I have ever seen.

Mariam A

Thank you so much!

By the way, I hope I haven't offended anyone who is short! I feel bad now, but I honestly don't believe short can be bad, I am just an unlucky person (until I found YLF) who is both short and unstylish and is limited with what I can wear!). I seriously do not mean to offend anyone!

Thank you for your help, each and everyone! I finally have hope in the world of fashion!

Lisa

Veteran

I am 5'3" and my legs are what make me short. I look for petite lengths or tailor bottoms to get a pant length I want. I also look for jeans in cropped lengths because a skinny in a cropped length is full length on me, which means no hemming! I also adore the styles of people much taller than me, so I look at the proportions of their outfits. Are their garments nipped at the waist? Where does a tunic hit their leg? By mimicking these features I can pull off the same looks despite my shorter height.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Oh, Mariam, I feel your pain. At barely 5'1", I'm always trying to get regular sized clothes to fit, with minimal success. The thing that has helped me the most: a good tailor. Jeans can be bought regular size (I think I might have a relatively long rise?) but must always be hemmed, unless I buy the "cropped" length, which is usually just above my ankle bone. (It's handy that ankle pants are trendy now). I shop petite where I can, and if not I visit the tailor. I often have coat and dress shirt sleeves shortened. I find that loose, drapey tops in knit fabrics are very forgiving for small people, as they are meant to look slouchy.

Also, I often wear a block heel. It's usually only around 2 or 2.5 inches, but it's enough to balance proportions. If I wear flat shoes, I do so with full-length pants, as cropped pants + flats makes my legs look very short.

I have a cousin who is 4'11", and she says she buys kids' clothes where she can. She always looks very put-together and stylish. She lives in England, though, so I'm wondering if it's easier to find small sizes there?