Like arms, legs apparently come in two styles: naturally long or short. Being the recipient of short legs carries with it a few challenges, but like masking those Popeye arms, short legs can be dressed to look much longer. Today, I have compiled a list of dos and don’ts that will help disguise your short legs and make them look five miles long.
1. Consider the Ankle
While I love good flat shoes, high heels are a petite girl’s best friend. But not all high heels are created to the same. If you have a defined ankle, that is an ankle that is visibly separated from the rest of the leg, you have far greater variety in heels. For those of us short-legged women, like myself, with no defined ankle, there are a few things we need to consider.
Don’t: We should avoid shoes with ankle straps and gladiator style shoes. These cut us off at places all of the emphasis on the chunkiest part of your legs. Ankle straps and gladiators also make our legs look shorter. Visually, those straps end the leg. Also, we need to avoid shoes that place the heel of the shoe directly under your physical heel. This type of shoe de-emphasizes the ankle and places the focus on the chunkiest part of our legs.
Do: So, what should we short-legged women wear? If you are like me, with no defined ankle, a wedge is a great way to lengthen your leg and give the illusion of an ankle. During the spring and summer months go with an open back, sandal style stiletto. This will emphasize the ankle and great a longer, leaner look. During the fall and winter months, matching stilettos and booties with tights. By wearing matching colored shoes and tights you still give the illusion of an ankle and you create a longer leaner leg.
2. Skirts
I am a skirt girl. I am also a short-legged girl. Midi and Maxi skirts are making a huge comeback, and for us ladies dedicated to modesty, this a breath of fresh air. However, for us short-legged women, we have a few more things to consider.
Don’t: Sorry ladies. Avoid the midi skirt. The midi skirt and pretty as it cuts us off right at the center of the leg and makes us look shorter. Visually, people’s eyes will be drawn immediately to the visible portion of the leg, which isn’t very much. We also need to avoid maxi skirts with flats. This makes us look dowdy, especially when the skirt scrapes and pools at the ground.
Do: Skirts for us short-legged women need to hit us just below the knee. This will give us the modest coverage that we need, while still showing the rest of the world that we do have legs, not stumps. Maxi skirts are okay, but pair them with heels. Here’s the key: your heels should not be so high that they are showing. They should be just high enough to keep the skirt from scraping and pooling, but just enough that the skirt keeps the heels covered
3.Dresses
Well, dresses should follow the same rules as skirts.
4.Boots
I like autumn, but winter is my season. I love everything about winter, especially when I get to pull out my boot collection. As with heels, there are a few considerations we short-legged women need to consider.
Don’t: Under no circumstance should we short-legged ladies wear boots that end at mid-calf. Even if we are wearing a skirt or dress at the right length when we pair it with the wrong boots we shorten ourselves. When it comes to booties, don’t pair them with other neutrals. In other words, don’t wear a pair of black booties and gray tights. This will shorten your leg by cutting you off at the ankle. Remember, gray booties with gray tights, black booties with black tights. This will give you a seamless look and make your legs look leaner and longer. Finally, never wear boots that end at the knee or over the knee. While this might make us think it will elongate our legs, it does the exact opposite.
Do: As I have mentioned before match booties and tights to create a seamless look. As far as boots are concerned, boots should end at just under the knee. When it is paired with a skirt or dress that ends just under the knee it gives the illusion that the legs are much longer but allowing a peep of leggings, tights or boot socks to peak out.
I want to state that there is nothing wrong with having short legs, but when dressed improperly, us short-legged women are going to look much shorter than we are. When we dress to shadow the features we have, then we can change the way we look with minimal effort. By following these rules, our short-legged ladies can embrace our natural traits and give off the illusion that we are much taller than we really are.
Happy dressing.