Petite Dresses

Courtesy of Dorothy Perkins

But before you shop, let's take a look at some tips on how to make the most out of your dresses and look your best:

How to Look Taller in a Dress

Wear heels

Courtesy of Stuart Weitzman/Endless

Heeled shoes help elongate your legs and body, making you look long and lean, not to mention that they look chi with a dress! They don't have to be super-tall - 2 inch is enough to lengthen your height. Try wedge and sturdier heels if you're not used to wearing high heels.

I highly recommend securing at least two pair of shoes that blends in with the color of your skin - such as high heeled nude pumps or simple nude ballerina flats. Or black if you have a darker skin tone.

Any shoe color that blends in with the hosiery can really make you look taller.

Choose a fitted cut

Boxy, shapeless dresses tend to drag down your body figure and make you look shorter. A dress with a little bit of shape around the waist (eg. wrap, nip, empire-cut, etc.) helps you look leaner and taller. Tying a belt around waist also helps.

If you still want to wear a dress with a swing cut, make sure that it's above the knee and that you're wearing heels to balance out the heavy balloon shape on top.

V-neck dresses

A V-neck is universally flattering on all body shapes and you'll definitely benefit from the v-shaped necklines that makes the eye go up and down. Wider necklines tend do make your upper body shorter and wider. They can look good on Pear shapes to aid in balancing out their wide bottom - however, it can still look unflattering, especially if you're short or have a full bust.

But a tip if you still want to wear a wide neckline, is to top it off with a long necklace or simply look for a dress with shoulder details. Which leads me to next my pointer...

Look for shoulder details

Courtesy of Miss Selfridge

Shoulder details basically pull the eye upwards which distracts it from your short stature. It also visually raises the length of your upper body.

So it helps to look for petite dresses with added interest to the shoulders, such as beads, studs, sequins, lace and buttons. But not all together, of course!

Unusual collars and necklines are also an alternative to embellishments.

Stick to simplicity

Courtesy of Miss Selfridge

You have less canvas to work on so lots of details and prints can overwhelm your petite stature. Opt for solid colors with minimal details. If it's boring for your taste I suggest you to spruce it up with accessories - which are much more flexible in accentuating your best assets!

Tip: There are exceptions of course. Work strategically by wearing a dress with vertical details instead of horizontal. Just make sure that the print or detail is scaled to your body size, and that the shape of the print is vertical long rather than wide. Like for example pinstripes or floral patterns that stretch vertically.

A fabulous tailor

Petite clothing is per today still limited, so it helps to have a great tailor who can alter your garments to fit your body figure. Or have them make a new clothing piece that reflects your personality and favorite details and dress shapes.

More Fashion Advice:

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Shopping tip for international readers: Expensive worldwide shipping? US store doesn't ship to your country? Save up to 50% off retail price in your home country and gain access to the goodies. Try a mail forwarding service!

petite dresses at Bizrate

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