Petite clothes for women: how to put together a stylish outfit
Petite outfits that suit your style
Petite women often face similar challenges when styling their outfits. Often, their sleeves and trouser legs are too long and loose-fitting clothing looks baggy. Fortunately, there are a lot of outfit options for petite women that will flatter their dainty figure. We will show you which styling tips you should know and give you some ideas for stylish outfits for petite women.
Sporty or smart: the most important styling tips for petite women
Regardless of your height or body type, it is important to wear something you love and feel comfortable in. This means that tried and tested styling tips for petite women are more about you expressing your personal style and helping you balance your proportions. They can help you show off your dainty figure without feeling like you are playing dress up. Whether you are looking for a top, dress or a pair of trousers, you can follow some general tips and tricks:
Opt for clothes with a vertical line: tops, dresses and trousers with a vertical line can elongate your body optically. Not only striped tops and trousers have this effect, but also blouses and dresses with buttons can make you look taller.
Balance your silhouette by emphasising your waist: fitted blouses, blazers or dresses draw attention to the narrowest part of your upper body. This type of fit will suit your body type and make you look great. A similar effect can be achieved by wearing trousers with a high waistband. High-waisted jeans or paperbag trousers highlight your waist and make your legs look longer.
Avoid oversized styles: baggy clothing can tend to look too big on a petite silhouette. Oversized blazers or coats can thus have the unintentional effect of making it look like you are “drowning” in your clothes. Nevertheless, if you would like to give an oversized style a try, you should combine this with a form-fitting item of clothing. This helps balance your silhouette despite the oversized style.
Choose dainty patters: you can use colour and patterns to express your personal style. However, outfits with bold prints can look too busy on petite women. Dainty patterns like polka dots or fine floral details look feminine and avoid making you look shorter.
Style monochromatic outfits: you can create a particularly refined style with monochromatic looks. Use items of clothing in similar shades or from the same colour family to create particularly harmonious and elegant outfits for petite women. Clothes with vertical lines will make you appear taller.
What does petite actually mean?
In fashion, women who are shorter than 1.6 m in height are considered to be petite. The cut and proportions of petite fashion have been specifically adjusted to fit petite women and thus look particularly flattering. Typically, petite collections have shorter sleeves and trouser lengths as well as shorter hemlines on tops.
Versatile tops for petite women
Light summer shirts, smart office blouses and cuddly jumpers for cold winter days: choosing the right top makes all the difference. Two-piece outfits for petite women are particularly versatile and allow you to express your own style. Some simple styling tips will also help you to create a harmonious look:
V-neck tops make you look taller because they emphasise yourshoulders and slightly elongate your neck optically. This makes your proportions look more balanced than with a round-neck top.
Depending on the occasion, you can leave the top button on your blouse undone. This little trick also helps make your neck long longer and is visually more harmonious.
If you like to wear polo neck or mock neck jumpers, then there is a simple trick which you can use to optically elongate your silhouette. To do this, try layering your polo neck jumper with a light cardigan or blazer to mimic a V-neck look.
Ruffles and flounces give you more volume on your upper body. This effect is often used to conceal wider hips and to create a symmetrical silhouette. For shorter women, however, wearing just the right amount of ruffles and flounces is key. Too many can make you look shorter.
For knitwear, figure-hugging fine knit clothes are the best option for petite women. Chunky knits and wide-cut jumpers often look baggy on dainty women.
Flattering trousers for petite women
A pair of trousers that fits well is the basis for many different outfits, from casual everyday looks to business outfits. Thus, the perfect pair of trousers for petite women should not be too long and should not slip down. For this reason, it is especially worthwhile looking in the petite section when buying trousers.
Jeans and smart trousers in petite sizes take the average proportions of petite women into account. This means that regular-sized trousers will have shorter trouser legs, so that you won’t have to compromise on the fit.
You can also find flattering jeans and trousers for petite women in regular collections if you keep the following tips in mind:
Trousers for petite women: dos and don’ts
DO | DON’T | |
Colour | Black or dark blue trousers or jeans will elongate your legs optically and are particularly flattering on petite women. | Light coloured trousers and ripped jeans will emphasise shorter legs. |
Waistband height | A high waistband on jeans and trousers is a must-have for petite women. High waisted trousers will highlight your waist and elongate your legs optically. | Low rise trousers will draw attention to your hips and will thus make your legs look shorter. |
Fit | Slim fit trousers will make you look taller. They make legs appear to be a few centimetres longer, especially if they end just above your ankle or they are turned up. Skinny jeans or straight fit jeans are particularly suitable for petite women. | Flared jeans (e.g. bootcut jeans) are less suitable for petite women. They cover your ankle and hang down loosely around your legs which will make them look shorter. Casual oversized jeans for petite women should always be turned up and worn above the ankle. |
Wide-leg trousers for petite women: what you should know
In general, petite fashion avoids oversized cuts. However, culottes and marlene and palazzo trousers are an important exception to this rule. Wide-cut trousers made from flowing fabrics will hang down loosely around your legs. The hem ends just above the floor and paired with high heels, they can give the impression that you are floating above the ground with each step you take. For petite women to achieve this look, they should make sure that their wide-cut trousers have a fitted waist and are not too long. The hem should not touch your feet or the ground and should not crease at the bottom. This would counteract their lengthening effect and make it look as if your trousers do not fit properly.
Feminine skirts and dresses for petite women
In spring and summer, light and airy skirts and dresses are an essential for many women. You can opt for sporty, elegant or quirky styles which you can combine as you wish. To find the perfect dress for petite women, you can follow a few tips:
Knee-length midi dresses are especially flattering for petite women and look very feminine. Additionally emphasising your waist creates a particularly harmonious silhouette.
Mini dresses and short skirts highlight your legs and make your legs look a little longer.
If you would like to style a maxi dress or maxi skirt, ideally you should pair them with high heels or choose a style with a slit up the leg. It will also make you look a little taller if your ankles are slightly visible.
A-line dresses and wrap dresses are versatile all-rounders that flatter all body types and sizes. Waist-defining cuts with flowing skirts will optically elongate your proportions and therefore, they are a must-have for petite women.
High-heeled shoes will finish off a petite size outfit perfectly, not only because they will automatically lengthen your legs by a few centimetres, but they will also optically elongate your legs. Pumps are a great finishing touch for outfits with long, wide-cut trousers or long, flowing skirts. However, they are not a must. If you don’t feel comfortable in high-heeled shoes, you can also opt for shoes with a smaller heel (e.g. kitten heels or wedges) or platform shoes.
Winter outfits for petite women: stylish coats
During winter, a warm and weatherproof jacket is a must. You can either opt for an elegant woollen coat or a more casual down coat. For petite women, choosing the right length of coat is particularly important:
A coat should not go down past your calf. A knee-length coat is an even better option for petite women. This type of coat will make you look fantastic.
Short coats can make your legs appear even shorter.
Maxi-length coats are often too long on petite women and can make them look squat. Petite women can achieve an oversized look with a mid-length coat.
Ideally, jackets and coats for petite women should have a belt or should be fitted around the waist. By emphasising the narrowest part of your body, you can balance your proportions and look a little taller.
An important styling tip for petite women is to always go for small and dainty options. This rule applies not only to patterns but also to your choice of accessories. Large statement necklaces and XXL handbags can look somewhat overwhelming on petite women. Therefore, dainty jewellery as well as small and mid-sized handbags are the perfect choice for you.
Conclusion: look stylish with petite women’s clothing
As a petite woman, choosing clothes should not be about hiding your smaller stature. This means, you should not feel like you need to wear high heels or choose styles that don’t make you feel comfortable. Tried and tested styling tips for petite women can help you balance your proportions and highlight your best features. You can use these tips to put together outfits that express your personal style and help you feel confident whatever the occasion.
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The image sources in this text are in chronological order:
Cover photo: iStock.com/jacoblund
1. Image in text: iStock.com/jacoblund
All other images in text: C&A