I have been asked by many readers recently for my advice on petite dressing. Thank you all – it’s my pet subject. I’m 5ft 4in on a good day.
I can’t over-emphasise the importance of proportion – whether you’re 5ft or 6ft. All of us can wear almost anything if we get this right. Yes, petites, you can shoulder-robe an oversized blazer should you wish, provided the shoulder line doesn’t sit too far off your natural one (1in max). Try belting it so that it doesn’t swamp you. You’re tuning in to the fashion frequency, but interpreting it in your own language.
Check out other petites to see a huge variety of inspiration: Victoria Beckham (5ft 4in), Zoë Kravitz (5ft 1in), Scarlett Johansson (5ft 3in), Lesley Manville (5ft 2in), Eva Longoria (5ft 2in), Jenna Coleman (5ft 2in), Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, founders of The Row, one of the most lusted after brands on earth (5ft 2in), to name but eight.
One of the most stylish women I know is 5ft. She wears clothes which received wisdom says she can’t – full, statement skirts; oversized coats; baggy trousers… and always looks fabulous. She’d never wear baggy the whole way down.
You may have to become a bit of an architect, but the more you understand your body and the way different fabrics work, the better you’ll look. The aim is to create a sense of vertical flow, on top of which you can layer tailoring.
Glimpses of bare skin are particularly important when you’re small because they create an illusion of longer limbs. Trailing sleeves do the reverse. Roll your shirt sleeves up to mid-way between your wrist and elbow and get items altered whenever necessary, particularly trouser lengths. Learn to bake the cost into your cost-per-wear calculations.
On shorties, precision is all. Half an inch can make a huge difference. A-line skirts? Fine, but subtle flares rather than dramatic (on us, it will still read as A-line). Look for soft fabrics that provide volume without bulk. To me, full skirts that sweep just above the ankles look awful on everyone but make us look like Toblerones. Mid-shin or full-length on the other hand, is fine.
Wide trousers? Yes, but moderately so, otherwise proportionally, we’re making ourselves seem almost as wide as we’re tall.
Flares-from-the-knee? Only if they’re made to measure otherwise they’ll flare from our calves. Hipsters make all legs look shorter. Own goal. To achieve that slouchy aura, play around with your top. Semi tuck it into the waistband of a mid or high-rise. Talking of tops, avoid anything that ends mid thigh as that truncates legs. Blazers and jumpers that end at your hip bone are better.
Patterns? It’s all about scale. A huge single bloom can be striking, but not lots of them. Other than stripes and checks, which can be optically useful as well as timeless, I avoid prints. But I think that’s more to do with my features than my height.
Don’t break up your silhouette with more than two horizontal cuts. If you’re wearing a top and bottom for instance, that’s one break. Your jacket or coat is your second. Keep colours tonally harmonious to help the eye sweep up and down.
Brownie points to Baukjen, M&S, Boden, Reiss, Ro&Zo, Rixo, Nobody’s Child and Reformation, for offering petite versions of their clothes and understanding it’s not just about shrinking but re-engineering. Sézane, Kiltane, Toteme, Polo Ralph Lauren and Me+Em (particularly for the top half). Mango, Cos (cropped silhouettes mainly), Hobbs, Massimo Dutti, The Fold and Uniqlo also work for us, despite not offering specific petite ranges. Uniqlo will shorten trousers in store for just £3.
Heels can help but unless concealed under long trousers that are just shy of the floor, they shouldn’t be too high or they’ll look comically out of scale. If your feet are size two or below, I cannot lie: it’s challenging. Try Charles & Keith, Repetto, Clarks, Pretty Small Shoes. Search European 34 rather than two, as that can unlock more options and French brands often run small. Some readers tell me they find success in upmarket fashion-conscious children’s brands.
I’d love any more first-hand insight from those of you who do have teeny feet. We need to pool our resources.
Try these...
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