How to Dress Your Body When You're Short and Curvy
Short curvy girl problems, got 'em?
I'm not short so I don't have those problems, but recently I was working with a client who is short and curvy and she was telling me how she likes to wear her clothes longer and bigger to hide the parts of her body that she doesn't like. Jeans that were a full size too big, boxy shapeless jacket, large oversized tops and blouses. She put on a top that loves and showed me how she wore it. Over jeans and pulled way down to cover her hips, stomach and butt. I took a picture of her and then tucked in the front of her shirt into her jeans front and took another photo of her. I then explained that the long tops were not hiding anything and only accenting the things she was trying to hide and making her look shorter and square. But with the tuck, she looked taller, super curvy and like she had lost weight. She was so shocked at how big a difference that little tuck made that she quickly gave up the jeans that were too big and all of the boxy, square items that she regularly wore realizing that they weren't only hiding her shape, but they were making her look like she had no shape at all.
As I was leaving her house at the end of our appointment, she stopped to look in the mirror and then asked me if I would send the photos that I took to her because she couldn't believe this was actually her body. She was smiling as she walked me out and I could see how good she felt about herself as she beamed with confidence.
So if you're short and curvy, I'm going to share with you what I shared with her and I hope that these tips will help you look longer and leaner in minutes!
1. Tuck in your shirt, that's pretty obvious after reading what I just wrote and seeing the difference in the photos. Actress Hilary Duff is a great example of someone who is curvy and petite. See how the front tuck make her look proportionate, taller and leaner?
Photo from Just Jared
2. Cuff the sleeves of a long sleeve shirt. That's a lot of material around your middle half so breaking it up with your forearm is a good way to show off your figure, just like the way this model is wearing it. Can you see how it breaks up the width about her middle?
Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
3. Add a fitted blazer or jacket over a boxy shirt. This fitted blazer paired with these wide trousers give this model an overall proportionate look.Even a jacket with a straight pocket right at your waist will make you look more narrow. Even thought this jacket is not quite fitted, the drawstring and the pockets, narrowing the waist and the cuffing of the sleeves add a more waist narrowing illusion.
Photos: Google Images and Stitch Fix
4. Don't wear an ankle strap with rolled jeans or shorts. This will cut you off in weird places and make your calves look bigger. Instead wear a flat, sneaker or slingback sandals to elongate your leg and narrow your calf like the examples below.
Photos: Google Images and Etsy
5. Make sure your pants don't bunch at the bottom. If they're too long, get them hemmed. The bunching will make you appear shorter. Take a look at the photo on the right verses on the left. Do you see the difference?
Photos: Google Images
6. Add a belt and pull in the waist of a dress or a skirt. Bonus tip, this will make your legs look longer as well and make you look proportionate all over. Do you see how the woman on the right is doing it all right? Belt around her waist, fitted jacket, sleeves rolled up versus how the outfit on the left has no shape at all?
Photos: Google Images
7. If you can, wear heels with your dresses, especially if it has an asymmetric hem. This will make your calves look longer and leaner. Another way to make your legs look longer and learner is to wear a nude heel or a heel with clear straps so it created the illusion of the heel of the shoe just floating on the bottom of your foot.
Photos: Google Images
With Spring around the corner, these tips will help you to brace your body, look your best and keep you from hiding behind your clothes.