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Hello! Petite girl right over here! Maybe you can’t see me jumping up and down waving my hands. It tends to be a problem. Another problem for short girls? Trying to make sure we don’t look even shorter. And unfortunately, it can be fairly easy to accidentally end up looking stumpy in pictures, whether or not you’re short. Isn’t that annoying? Luckily, I’m going to share with you today just a few easy things you can do to make your legs a little longer, whether you’re 5″1′ or 6″2.
Everlane Crew Sweater c/o
Old Navy Jeans
Target DV Ankle Boots
Coach City Classic Bag (Similar, Similar)
How to Make Your Legs Look Longer
You know what’s really cool about trying to make your legs appear longer? There are SO MANY different ways to do it. So if one way isn’t really your jam, you have like ten other methods to choose from. So let’s dive into those methods now.
Choose Your Shoes Appropriately
There are so many different ways that you can do this with your shoes that I thought it deserved it’s own category and subsections.
Nude Shoes
A nude colored shoe is an automatic leg lengthener, whether it’s a flat or a heel. The only thing that you need to be aware of is that you HAVE to choose a shade that’s as close to your skin color as possible. If you pick a really pale beige and you went tanning over the weekend, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life.
Pointed Shoe
First, to dispel a myth, yes, there is such a thing as a comfortable pointed toe shoe. Second, it’s worth it to find a good one because it’s going to make your leg look super long. A heel will always make your legs seem longer, but a pointed flat will work too. Just make sure that the pointed toe isn’t ridiculously long, otherwise you’ll just look like you’re wearing clown shoes.
Monochrome
I’ll get more into this in a minute, but you can actually see that I did this with the outfit I’m wearing! By wearing black jeans and heeled black boots, I created one, long extending line. It makes it seem like my legs just keep going. I’ve had multiple friends comment (in person) that when I wear this combo it looks like my legs go on for days!
Embrace the Thigh High
I’ve already disproved that short girls can’t wear thigh high boots, but let me say it again. Short girls can wear over the knee boots! In fact, they can even make your legs appear longer! Take a look at this photo of me below. These boots make my legs seem like they keep going and going and going. It’s all about making sure that the boots help to create one clean line down your leg.
Avoid Ankle Straps!
Ankle straps have a time and a place, but you have to be super careful with them. They can create a really drastic line right between your foot and calf. It can cause your legs to be like stumps. Now, you can typically avoid this with heels (especially nude heels) and SOME flats. But you need to be hyper aware of this when you’re shopping for shoes.
High Waist
It’s lucky for all of us that a high waist is in. Why? The higher the waist, the longer the leg! Why? A high waist gives the illusion of your leg starting much higher. This can work with skirts, dresses, pants, or even shorts.
Cropped Jackets
Want to take your high waist piece a step further? Add a cropped jacket to the mix. The crop jacket helps to shorten your torso a little, helping the illusion that your legs go even higher. And just to clarify, no, this will not make you look disproportionate.
Watch Your Hem Lines
Remember what I said earlier about how an ankle strap can cut you in the wrong place? Well, your hem line can do the same thing. The hem line lengths can vary person to person, but the one that can really kill everyone? Straight across you mid-calf. It hits you right across the largest part of your calf and all of a sudden your legs are shorter. Again, the best length can vary by person, but midcalf will never compliment anyone.
Vertical Stripes
Why do vertical stripes work? They’re another optical illusion! I swear, half of this looking taller is all in the optical illusion. Vertical stripes cause a person’s eye to go up and down, making them think they see a never ending line. So if you wear a skirt with vertical stripes, their eyes will go up and down and up and down….I think you get where I’m going with this. Never ending legs.
Monochrome
Finally, to close it out, monochrome. Is there anything better than one clean color, up and down your body? Again, this brings us back to the optical illusion. One color will draw a person’s eye up and down your body, making you look long and thin. Why do you think Audrey Hepburn looked so long and slender in her cropped black pants and black turtleneck?
If you’re a little nervous about going full monochrome, you can still get a similar effect by just going monochrome with your shoes and bottoms, like I did. This will still give you the same look up and down, creating one long line.
Everlane Crew Sweater c/o
Old Navy Jeans
Target DV Ankle Boots
Coach City Classic Bag (Similar, Similar)
Is there a method you tend to use?
Did you notice that there’s a way that you tend to unintentionally length your legs? Or is there a way that you want to try now? Let me know!
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