How to look taller is one of the most asked questions in image consulting. Being taller is a dream 70% of the female population wishes to achieve. Evidently, fashion magazines made us believe we needed miles long legs to look good, and that’s a LIE.
There’s nothing wrong with being short, just like there’s nothing wrong with having different types of natural bodies, different sizes, different shapes and different hair colors.
Not too long ago, in a workshop, a young woman told us she liked all the clothes she couldn’t wear because of her short height. As if certain clothes could only be worn by girls with one-meter-long legs. So wrong! There’s always a way to use what you’d like to, no matter your size, shape, or even if the color doesn’t suit you! There’re hundreds of tricks to share, but from now, we’ll see 15 tips to teach you how to look taller (because it’s not a sin wanting to look a few centimeters taller if it makes you feel more confident.)
15 TIPS: HOW TO LOOK TALLER
1.- WEAR HIGH HEELS
Simple, but effective. In the words of the great Serena Van der Woodsen, your feet won’t hurt with the perfect amount of champagne.
We understand not everyone feels comfortable in heels, even though all styles admit them. But it’s the most effective and literal way of growing a few centimeters taller.
When it comes to popular belief that short women can’t use heels with ankle bracelets, IT’S COMPLETELY FALSE. You just have to find a cute pair of shoes with a nude ankle bracelet, so it doesn’t interrupt your legs’ length, and helps you enlengthen your figure. See? It only takes a bit of creativity.
2.- WEAR MONOCHROMATICS
Wearing a monochromatic look is practically a millennial trick. The same color makes the figure look homogeneous, and not only does it work with black but with EVERY SINGLE COLOR. Even white!
When you wear short clothes, like dresses, skirts or shorts, make sure your shoes are nude so it doesn’t create horizontal lines in your outfit.
When your clothes are long, like pants or coats, make sure they are the right length. If you wear ankle long pants, they should be a little longer than where your ankle bone is, not above it. Coats can be either long or short if you wear pants, but they have to be longer than the skirt or short you decided to wear.
EXTRA TIP
How to find out the perfect skirt for your body shape.
3.- WEAR HIGH WAISTED
This is another well known trick: high waisted lengthen your lower body region, so they make your legs look longer.
If you are wearing skinny jeans, make sure you pair them with nude or same color shoes (doesn’t matter if the are over or under the pants if they are the same color).
But, if you are wearing straight pants, bootcut, or wide legs, you can wear nude or same color shoes too.
You can also wear high waisted skirts or shorts, and the shorter they are, the longer your legs will look. Another trick for the winter if you want to look taller even with layers and layers on, is to wear panties matching your shoe color, whatever it is.
4.- NUDE SHOES
These allow you to wear any color without depending on the type of shoes. It could be boots, sandals, sneakers, heels, whatever you’d like!
As long as it is nude, it won’t interfere with your legs’ length, and that means you’ll have more freedom to choose what you want to wear on the top.
5.- VERTICAL PATTERNS
Vertical patterns, like stripes or vertical waves, create higher verticality optically. The attention is centered from top to bottom, so that’s how the human eye perceives it. Stripes shouldn’t be too thick, but not too thin either.
Try wearing colored patterns with contrast so it can be appreciated.
6.- STRAIGHT CUTS
Straight cuts style your body because they also create horizontality. Unlike skinny pants, when you are curvy they tend to highlight horizontality.
But careful, not all body types are benefited by straight cuts in any part of the body. Only those who don’t need volume or curves.
7.- FLOOR LENGTH CLOTHES
Wear your pants, long skirts, dresses and coats that are the right length. If they are made to be worn with heels, the hem should be a centimeter or two away from the ground. Take advantage of those extra centimeters to lengthen your legs.
8.- WEAR YOUR TOPS AND JACKETS TIL THE WAIST LINE
If you are not wearing a monochromatic look, your jackets should finish at your waist line, as long as you zip them up.
But, if you like to keep them open, they can be any length.
When it comes to tops, if you choose high waisted pants, they don’t have to go lower than the waist.
9.- V LINE NECK
Wearing a v line neck makes your torso and neck look longer. Plus, it creates verticality in the center of your body.
But you have to remember that this trick only lengthens the upper body. Match it with a trick for your lower body and you’ll have incredible results.
10.- WEAR YOUR JACKETS UNZIPPED/ UNBOTTONED
Vests, coats and scarves should fall on the sides of your body, creating verticality and slimming the figure in the middle.
The longer they are, the better.
11.- LONG ACCESSORIES
Long necklaces have the same effect v line necks do: they lengthen the torso and neck. But they also make any outfit look fancier.
Remember you have to balance your accessories with your outfit so they can match.
12.- SHOW YOUR LEGS
Let short be short. Keep in mind, the less horizontality between the legs, the better. So, forget about mid-lengths and go to the extremes: really short or really long.
13.- TIGHT CLOTHES
Tight clothes don’t mean stretchy clothes, or clothes that look about to explode.
It means tailoring your clothes to evade more volume than necessary, but that doesn’t mean changing natural cuts. For example, we could tailor a blazer, but not a palazzo. We could tailor an office dress, but not a trapeze dress or a big skirt.
I think you got the idea.
EXTRA TIP
The bgarment any woman should have, and how to find the perfect one.
14.- WEAR IRREGULAR CLOTHES
Irregular clothes are another interesting and elegant way of creating verticality: it’s about cutting the middle of the figure with an oblique line, that’s more vertical than horizontal.
That’s why creating a visual vertical line helps lengthen your figure. Not only irregular skirts do that (remember they have to start short from the top to the floor to create verticality, short irregulars don’t make the job). You can also do that with cleavages, like one shoulder tops.
15.- HIGH HAIRSTYLES
Another well known trick is to wear high hairstyles. It doesn’t raise the horizon, but it optically lengthens your figure. Buns and crowns are always a good idea, including high ponytails.
What do you think about these tips? Do you have any other tip to share? Leave them in the comments!
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