Dressing as a Petite Woman

At a petite 5ft 2″ I’ve always struggled when it comes to clothes shopping. Recently I went shopping and failed to buy anything in the four highstreet shops I visited – the clothes were either too long in the arms, too long in length or too boxy for my small frame.

The outfits left me feeling like I was wearing someone else’s clothes. Someone’s hand me downs you used to get as a child that never really fitted right.

Tips for shopping

Shop at places that specialise in petite clothing. Not all places offer this (yet?) and there is only one store in my home town that currently does which is Dorothy Perkins but the selection is rather limited in my local store.

If you’re after a list of petite clothing stores in the UK, I’d highly recommend Alice’s post Petite Fashion: The Best Stores for Short Ladies.

Outside of my home town I have found some good options in Debenhams petite range and I like Primark’s jeans that come in a 28″ leg length! That hits just below my ankle.

Fit for a small frame.

I’ve read that for most people the hem of your top should end around the mid hip and not too far past the crouch of your bottoms. Which elongates your leg line.

When wearing separates, fashion experts advice that your bottoms should cover 2/3 of your body and tops cover the remaining 1/3. Preventing you from ending up with a shorter silhouette.

Here’s a photo for comparison.

Both of these tops were in size 10 but I think I could have sized down in the petite range.

The photo on the right is a regular sized top and the other is the same top but in a petite fit – can you see the difference the length makes?

Sleeve length is also an important factor and most fashion experts believe sleeves should end above your wrist – not like the photo below! Unfortunately I couldn’t find this photo in the petite range for a comparison.

V-shaped necklines are your friend.

Not only great for bustier women, v-neck tops help elongate your neck making them great for petite women.

Colour matching

If you want to appear taller try matching your shoes to either your skin tone or the colour of your tights. This makes your legs look longer as it is continuing the vertical line of your pants.

The same can also be said for belts although I love using them for a pop of colour.

Figure-conscious Vs. baggy clothing.

Too avoid looking drowned in your clothes or like you’ve raided someone else’s wardrobe(!), try to avoid a baggy fit. This will hide your petite frame and make you appear shorter and wider than you are.

I hope these tips helped! Please share any others you have for dressing as a petite woman?