How to Style to Your Proportions
If you're not blessed in the height department, you've likely tried all the tricks in the book to make yourself seem taller than you are. Even then, it can be hard to know what to do and what not to do, and which patterns or fits you should avoid. Don't worry—we're here to help simplify it all and make things easy. Here are 10 styling mistakes that make you look shorter and 10 secrets to appear taller.
1. Cuffing Your Pants
If you cuff your pants because they're too long on you, you'll only end up making yourself appear even shorter than you are. For one, the fold screams that the pants were not the right length for you, and it also creates a visual divide between your trousers and shoes, making your legs look shorter.
2. Long Jackets
Long, bulky, oversized jackets are a no-no for those who are on the shorter side. These coats tend to fall to the knee or below, and because they're unstructured, they overwhelm the entire body. Without distinct lines, they make you look swamped and small.
3. Overly Chunky Shoes
You might think wearing shoes with chunky soles gives you added height, and they do—but they do so in a way that actually makes you look shorter. In fact, they can make your body look disproportionate and tack on unnecessary weight.
4. Bold Patterns & Large Prints
Shirts with bold or large prints can also draw unnecessary attention to the torso and overwhelm your overall proportions, making you look more chunky, wider, and shorter. Horizontal stripes are another type of pattern you should avoid.
5. Low-Rise Pants
Low-rise pants may make your torso appear longer, but they'll shorten the length of your legs, and that's something you don't want. Plus, because it sits at the hip, it can give the illusion of compressing your lower body, making you look more compact than elongated.
6. Too-Long Pants
Just as you shouldn't cuff your pants, you don't want to wear pants that are too long, either. The problem with wearing trousers that aren't the correct length for you is that they bunch up around the ankle and hide the natural lines of your body, making you look less sleek and long.
7. Oversized Accessories
Big belts, bags, hats, and even watches can make you look shorter, too. These types of oversized accessories can overwhelm your body and natural proportions, and even more so if you have a smaller or shorter stature.
8. Wearing a Belt
Wearing a belt cuts your body in half, creating a distinct line between your torso and legs. This visual divide can draw attention to your waistline and make your bottom half appear shorter. This effect is amplified if you pick a belt that's overly chunky or in a color that doesn't match your pants.
9. Baggy Clothing
Just like with bulky, unstructured jackets that are too long, baggy clothing—like oversized sweaters, jeans, and shirts—can swamp your body and make you appear smaller, wider, and shorter. All the extra fabric takes away from your natural figure, making you look frumpy.
10. Contrasting Colors
Wearing contrasting colors can also make you look shorter. For example, if you wear a bright yellow shirt with dark pants, the jarring difference between both tones cuts your body in half and puts emphasis on where your torso ends and where your legs begin.
Now that you know which styling mistakes to avoid, how do you make yourself appear taller? Read on for our top 10 secret tips.
1. Opt for High-Waist
Instead of wearing low-rise pants, opt for mid-rise, or even better, high-rise. You might think this styling choice makes your torso look shorter and thus makes your overall frame appear shorter, but high-waisted bottoms give the illusion of longer legs, which is what you want.
2. Keep a Neutral Palette
As we've mentioned previously, you don't want to wear completely different colors for your top and bottom. Choose a neutral palette with similar tones instead, or stick to one shade if you're not confident in picking complementary colors to match.
3. V-Necks
Round-neck shirts can actually make you appear shorter. To combat this, pick V-necks, which elongate the neck and torso, giving the illusion of added height. And there's another trick: because V-necks naturally pull your gaze downwards, it creates a vertical line that makes you seem taller than you are.
4. Vertical Stripes
Speaking of vertical lines, if you're someone who likes striped clothing, don't write it off just yet. While you want to avoid patterns with horizontal stripes, vertical stripes are the way to go, simply because they (again) draw the gaze downwards and lengthwise.
Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels
5. Short Hair
Long hair can hide the neck and parts of your torso, depending on its length. This makes you seem shorter, because your hair is cutting off and shielding away your natural proportions. If you can, keep your hair short. But if you prefer long locks, tie them up into a ponytail or bun.
6. Slim Turtlenecks
Slim turtlenecks may hide the neck, but they can make you look taller because the added fabric around the collar gives off the illusion of an elongated torso. Pair it with a structured or tailored jacket, and you'll look sleek, clean, and stylish.
7. Tailored Clothing
Sometimes, the trick to looking taller is as simple as tailoring your clothes. Wearing shirts and bottoms that are too baggy and oversized can, again, overwhelm your natural frame. Clothes that are tailored to fit ensure they won't hide your proportions and lines, and will instead complement them.
8. Minimalistic Accessories
You don't want to wear accessories that are too big, and you also don't want to overdo the accessorizing. Instead, stay minimalistic and reach for choices that pair well with not only your outfit, but your natural proportions.
Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash
9. Structured Jackets
As mentioned, structured jackets do the opposite of what oversized coats do: they give your body shape and accentuate your frame. You want to go for ones that hit at the hip, and if possible, get them tailored so they're not bunching up at the arms and chest.
10. Cropped Tops
Pairing high-waisted bottoms with a cropped top will make you appear taller. You might think that this combination has the opposite effect, as it shortens your torso, but high-rise pants help elongate the legs, giving the illusion of added length and height.
