Style Clinic 101 - Shop for your shape Petite

Okay ladies here is the second instalment on the shop for your shape entry. I am focusing on petite ladies today. Those beautiful ladies with small frames!

Here are some points for petites:

• Petites wearing horizontal lines are shortened even further. It cuts them in half. Treat bright belts with the same caution, they can make you look wide.
• Petites should avoid wearing clothes at their natural waistline. Drop-waist trousers, skirts, and dresses look sharper. If you lower the waistline even b an inch, the torso will look longer and narrower.
• Skinny sleeves set in a high armhole are the most flattering.
• Slim pants cropped at the ankle will add valuable inches to your leg with either flat or high-heeled shoes.
•  Dresses, rather than separates, will lengthen petites.
• Empire waistlines are also great lengtheners.
• Petites, particularly curvy ones, look better in skirts rather than trousers.
• Petites can wear longer skirts, but make sure the proportions is spot-on. Heels are mandatory, and a simple, slim top will add height. 
• Knee-length coats are dramatic and slimming for everyone, but you'll look even better if you go slightly shorter.
• Big shoulder pads and stiffly tailored clothes are death to a petite woman, particularly if she is also fuller-figured. Soft lines and fluid fabrics are much more flattering.
• Petites with boyish figures should avoid knee-high boots. Mid-calf is better.
• A very short woman in very high heels looks ridiculous. A medium-height heel is best.

It's funny I know I'm not exactly a petite person. But I am sorta small, my sis would always say to me I don't know why you don't wear stripes, you are slim and you can get away with it. I would always insist there was something about stripes that I couldn't do (don't get me wrong I love stripes). However it turns out I was doing the right thing by going with my instincts. I am short, thus it was making me look short!!! I knew there was something just not right....good old instincts coming into play :)

When wearing a long skirt its definitely a must to wear more of a slimmer, smaller and structured top. Just to even out the proportions, otherwise you can tend to look frumpy. And in some cases (more so for the curvier petite), a ball.

Another point that needs to be made is in regard to tailoring. You need to be wary of buying long jeans and just cutting off the excess. It can ruin the style. You need to find  labels which cater for your figure. Nudie Jeans is a great label which does just that.

Here are some good examples of petite style. Take from them what you will.