Short legs, long rise, regular waist

Help…

I’m 5 foot 4, 163cm, 48kg. Shoulders 91cm, bust 77cm, waist 59cm, hips 86cm, You might be able to guess that I’m REALLY bony up top, but my legs are a whole different story.

My inseam is 74cm (or maybe 73 or 75, I had to measure myself so I give it a +- 1cm uncertainty), 44-46% of my total height, which is short. Using the “how many hands can I fit between my underbust and waist” test, I’ve ascertained that I’m normal in the waist.

Predictably (and as observed) I have an absurdly long rise… :”( So that amounts to a long head-crotch length and a short crotch-floor length, which makes my bottom half look stumpy and heavy in photos, especially compared to friends who are my height (or even shorter) who are longer-legged. It doesn’t help that my calves are huge!!! And I’m a student who does nothing but sit, lie down, and walk around (no exercise oops). genetics. sigh.

Are there any people here who have the same vertical proportions as I do? Feeling very alone, honestly, because I don’t often see this body type in media. And I really dislike wearing heels — I’m flat footed but have crazy skinny ankles/heels but relatively long feet so any shoe that doesn’t have ankle straps/isn’t completely covered just slips right off! Pumps, ballet flats, ankle-strapless heels included. If the shoe is open at the sides, my feet pronate and spill over the edges, looking too wide for those soles. So I mainly stick to track shoes/school shoes (although I’m currently waiting for a pair of boots to come :D) which doesn’t help my stumpy leg issues HAHA

I guess there are some things to be grateful for, like my lower centre of gravity (good for public transport), powerful calf muscles for standing broad jump, and greater stability on my toes?

Would love to hear your responses!!

2 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I work in a production bakery… and interestingly enough, I’d say half the people have your shape, so you’re not at all alone. We all wear leggings, tees and trainers… and aprons - lol, which is maybe not what you want to wear for classes, but you know, it shows shape and everyone looks good, if you ask me, dressed athletically. Or that is to say, you can run with it and think athleisure or sporty luxe…(!)

Also: welcome!

Anonymous

Wow Rahylou, such good advice, never looks too fancy or overthought and can be dressed up or down.

And especially suitable for a student!

cat2

I have shortish legs, and have just accepted that almost all pants will need to be hemmed. I even hem exercise leggings.

DonnaF

Okay; first it is not productive to compare your body to others. I have a feeling you don't have many Asian friends? And our vertical proportions like our height are what they are; not much we can do about them. Mine are pretty similar to yours, but my legs are probably proportionately shorter.

I did the conversion to inches, so it looks like you are a size 00 or maybe a 0 depending on the brand? So very slight; you probably have to be careful that stuff doesn't overwhelm you. I am 5' 1" so three inches shorter and usually XS/Petite 2 so a bit bigger.

I nearly always have to shorten Petite sized pants/jeans anyway, so I buy regular size ones instead because the higher rise gives me a longer leg line.

I can't wear heels and my feet are probably shaped similar to yours. My best fits are in oxfords, combat boots, and clogs since I can snug up the laces and heels are supposed to lift even in clogs with a back. I mostly buy chunky/stompy footwear because they give me a bit of height and because they don't bend which is what my right foot needs. Anyway, they balance me out, especially because I have ripped, muscular calves. I've also learned that I can't go to the extremes of thick soles because I simply do not have the height to carry them off.

Dresses can hide where your legs start. . .Cropped/high hip length toppers/jackets are more your friend than blazer/cardigan length ones even though they are a Thing now. You just have to decide how much figure flattery you want.

And keep reminding yourself that even women with mile long legs have clothing challenges!

Lee

Active Member

Rachy - I'm the type of student who has to wear school uniforms still... HAHA not in university/college yet. But that's some good advice! In fact, before the pandemic really took hold, I was part of the production team in my church, so the attire was dark shirt and dark pants (and my wardrobe stayed basically black for six years). It was only this year, after big exams ended, that I finally refreshed my closet for the first time in six-seven years! Thank you for the welcome <3

Cat - I sew my own clothes! As it turns out, my legs are too short for most patterns, but my rise is also too short!!! Headache trying to correct the rise and the length at the same time. Recently I found a pants pattern that fit perfect in the rise, and I only had to lop off the leg length to fit That's now my go-to pattern. After my exams this year I might try self-drafting my own!

Donna - As it turns out, I'm Southeast Asian living in a Southeast Asian country... so pretty much all my friends are Asian. Except somehow they all have proportionally longer legs than I do... wack. I'm sure there are shorter-legged brethren out there but I know none of them :_)

(The good thing about living in SEAsia though, is that local brands draft their clothes with the average height in mind -- so trousers and skirts and such aren't too short. Uniqlo is also really popular and seems to follow the Japanese sizing, so all my ankle length trousers end at the ankle. Hooray for Asian sizes I just have to avoid big brands like H&M, M&S, Zara, CottonOn etc because those pant legs long man. Sorry about making you do the conversion to inches, as you can probably already tell, my country doesn't use imperial. It was 1am when I posted and my brain was pretty fried.)

Laces!! Yes! My two pairs of regularly-won shoes have laces that go all the way up to the top of the foot. I've lamented to my mother how hard it is to buy nice footwear that "shows off" the foot -- either my feet are flattening the shoe side, or my ankles/heels are flopping around. So my feet are pretty much always fully covered. Much more secure. Thanks for the sole advice -- hopefully the boots that are coming will give me a height boots + balance out as you said. They're my first pair so sizing was a bit of a guessing game. Really excited!

My country is a bit "odd" in that the general local attire is a singlet/t-shirt and shorts/jeans (because it's hot! Real hot! 90F kinda hot!) Dresses are usually worn for A Purpose which usually means a picnic with The Girls, or The Boyfriend, or Some Fancy Event like Going To A Slightly Fancier Shopping Mall. For some reason I've always felt that my face was too unfeminine/not nice to pull a dress off, but with the ongoing mask-wearing hiding my ~insecurities~ and such, I might just try one. I bought one high waisted midi skirt in February this year and I wear it on dates I guess. I'll take your advice and try to wear it more!

anne

Hi Lee, you're not alone. I am the same height, and was probably the same weight when I was 16, but heavier now in my 40s. I also have a long rise, small bust, short legs and feet that won't keep shoes on without straps at the ankle.

I find dresses are my best looks as they hide vertical proportions , so I would encourage you to try them!

Stagiaire Fash

I wear a lot of dresses, generally in cheeky, unserious kinds of ways that you might like. But if you don’t like, and don’t feel like yourself in dresses, then my advice is not to wear them.

I think it’s amazing that you make your own clothes. There are some people on here who do that, or who did when they were younger. I hope they will comment on your post. They have made things that are amazingly well-suited to their bodies. I think the main thing is to find ideas of what you might enjoy wearing, and then make that.

I don’t think your body is anything to complain about. I would encourage you to exercise, but that’s for health, not for looks. Looking into fashion history might help—in different eras, different body types were considered ideal for women. If we live long enough, ours will come around too. That doesn’t mean our bodies will be better—they already are. It’s the idea that we all should look the same that has to change, not our bodies.

I’m looking forward to seeing some of your creations, when you can post pictures, and to your comments in discussions.

PS, Anne, who posted just before me, is great at learning new styling techniques, getting feedback from the forum, and applying them in super looks. You might want to check out some of her posts. (Click on her name, then on “forum posts” and scroll through the ones she started. The camera icon on the right tells you how many photos are in each post)

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