Petite Work Style Rocks: How to Dress for the Office When You Are Short

What’s the main objective when selecting our clothes and outfits? We want to compliment our figure and accentuate the strong points of our silhouette while hiding or covering up the spots that we are lacking.

So, there are outfits for skinnier women, fuller women, taller women, and of course there are the perfect clothes for petite women!

When you are short in height, there are some challenges you have to face in the clothing department and Pinkfo is here to let you in on some great tips on how to dress for work when you are petite!

So, what are our objectives?

1. Appear taller
2. Elongate legs and torso
3. Avoid the unflattering, “boxy” look

How to Appear Taller – Tips & Suggestions

Allright, contrary to what you might think, dressing to appear taller is really easy to achieve if you follow these tips and guidelines:

• Prefer monochromatic clothes or dresses that are basically one colour or with a few vibrant accents here and there.
• Your ideal colours:
  • Black: the all time classic choice for work. It makes you taller and authoritative
  • Grey: sophistication and elegance
  • Navy: classy and smart
  • Purple: posh and royal
  • Brown: more down to earth, friendly colour
• Avoid large prints and patterns as they will make you look shorter. Only wear solid colour clothes or very small, fine patterns that are the same all over
• Wear heels but don’t overdo it, after all, you are at the office
• Avoid oversized accessories and keep accessories in general to a minimum or else they may overwhelm you and create that “boxy” look you want to avoid
• Prefer darker colours like black, burgundy, dark blue, etc. They will make you look slimmer and taller
• Wear clothes with vertical lines and not horizontal. Opt for v-shape and u-shape tops that will elongate your figure
• Wear dresses that reach the height of your knees. Shorter dresses will reveal your shorter legs and make you look shorter
• Try to buy clothes that hug and fit your body. Avoid loose and oversize garments
• Avoid trousers and pants that stop at the ankle, opt for longer pieces of clothing
• Your tops shouldn’t go below your hipline otherwise they will make your legs appear shorter
• When you want to wear boots, opt for a pair that goes just below or right to the knee, avoid taller boots

Let’s draw some further inspiration from really petite and short celebrities and how they dress: