How to Dress : Short Legs

I've moved! You can read this article on How to Dress Short Legs on Helperade

Hey guys! As some of the readers of Fashion Roll know, I’ve been hanging around Yahoo! Answers, answering a few questions under Beauty & Style.


I answered a question that just recently got chosen by the asker as the best answer, and I thought, hey, why not make a blog post about it? So here I am, I’m going to write about how to dress when you have short legs.


Every body shape has types of clothes that either flatter their figure, or make them look horrible. Having short legs is one of the more difficult body types to dress, because wearing the wrong clothes cause you to look short, or body to look disproportioned.


When choosing outfits or what clothes to wear for women with short legs, it’s important to de-emphasize or hide where the legs begin.


Color. A single flow of color helps give the illusion of a longer body and helps hide your short legs because there is no break in color to divide your body into parts. Avoid wearing too many contrasting colors because they break your body and emphasize its proportions.
Design. Vertical stripes also help elongate the body. Wear vertical stripes on the bottom, to give the appearance of longer legs, but don’t wear it on top, because it will elongate your torso even more. Avoid large prints because they tend to make your body look smaller.


Shirts. When choosing shirts, try to do for the ones that hide where your legs begin. That means, no short shirts. Try buying some long empire cut / babydoll shirts to hide where your legs begin. Layering shirts also help because they distract the eye with their multiple layers.


You can combine this with the first color suggestion by choosing a shirt the same color as your bottom, or by having the bottom layer of a shirt the same color as your bottom.


Shorts and Skirts. Remember that the longer your skirts are, the shorter your legs look. Try buying shorts or skirts that are at least mid-thigh. If you can manage it, opt for hot pants or miniskirts. They expose more of your legs, making it appear longer than they actually are.


Pants. Avoid pants that hug or emphasize your butt. They draw attention to where your legs start, and if you have short legs, that’s not a good thing. Also, unless you have something to cover it, try to avoid low-rise and high-waisted pants, because these also emphasize where your lower torso starts.


When you can, opt for wide legged trousers that cover your shoes. Because they hide your shoes, you gain the appearance of having longer legs.


Dresses. Like with shirts, try to go with empire cut or babydoll dresses, or dresses that hide your midsection. Also, look for dresses that end mid thigh or higher. Usually, lengths longer than mid-knee would make your legs look shorter. Especially if they fall mid-calf. Maxi dresses also give the appearance of longer legs.


Shoes. Try to go for shoes with high heels to further give the impression of long legs. Avoid pairing flats with maxi dresses and if you want to wear ankle boots, try to have them in a similar color to your tights or jeans. For heeled shoes, try to buy pointy-toed stilettos as opposed to curved, rounded ones.


If you have short legs, more often than not, you're petite (even for only the bottom). It'll be a good idea to check out the petite section of stores because they have clothes cut especially to dress a petite woman's figure in the most flattering way possible, and they might just work for you.


There are a lot of ways to dress our body well, and these are just a few tips on how to make the best of what you have. I hope these tips help you and see you again next time. :)