Not sure if you have short legs and a long body? Head over to this post to figure it out (psst…it’s not hard), and then come right back.
Now that you’ve determined you have a long torso and short legs, let’s talk about how to make your legs look longer, which in turn makes you look taller and slimmer. It’s all about creating optical illusions, the magic of fashion!
If you found you’re long waisted with short legs, I’ve rounded up exactly what to wear below with my best advice to make your short legs look longer and your torso look a bit shorter.
Two things…There is absolutely nothing wrong with having short legs! AND these are very general tips, so depending on YOUR exact body type, you may want to adjust the tips a bit.
What To Wear If You Have Short Legs
High waisted skirts
By raising your waistline to a spot above your natural waist, your waist appears higher and your legs look longer. Since your torso has plenty of room, high waists should also be comfortable for you.
Skirts are especially flattering, because it’s less obvious where your legs start…nobody can see where your short legs start…make sense? Ah, but of course there are lots of other options for you, too!
Hi-Rise Pants to Make Your Short Legs Look Long
A similar concept…pants with a higher rise elongate your legs.
Low-rise, or hip huggers, mimic your body proportions and emphasize your short legs–avoid these!
Full length pants lengthen your short legs!
Your legs only look as long as your pants. By wearing long pants, with heels if possible, your legs look much longer than they truly are. And your legs will look even longer if your pants are LONG, a.k.a. almost touching the ground.
Consider wearing shoes the color of your pants to elongate your legs even more. At the very least, dark shoes with dark hems and light shoes with light hems.
Full length, wide leg pants are super in style. Wide leg pants can make your legs look short, so to appear current and make your legs look longer, wear a pointy toe shoe with at least a small heel, if not higher, for your best look.
Avoid cropped pants
If you read the tip above ⬆️ you'll understand that cropped pants aren't your best style....Yep, they make your leg look short.
But...I’m not about to tell y’all you can’t wear cropped pants in the summer heat! Simply wear shoes that match your pants and if possible, wear a top in a similar color to your pants...easy peasy, cool & breezy!
Tuck whenever possible
Tucking tops in (and wearing belts in the same color as your pants) breaks up your torso, making your mid-section look shorter and your body appear more in balance, aka, making your short legs look long!
Dresses Totally Disguise Your Short Legs!
Dresses allow the eye to bypass your natural waist, making your legs look a mile long! Empire waists are an especially good option.
Deciding on dress styles will have more to do with your body shape; however, any dress will make your legs look longer...EXCEPT for ones with dropped waists.
Low vamped shoes
These are low cut, slip on styles without any type of strap on your ankle, making your leg look as long as possible. An ankle strap or high vamped shoe, i.e. covers most of your foot, cuts off your leg, right then and there…similar to a capri pant.
Pointed toe shoes
Pointed toe shoes extend your leg line. If you’re wearing pants, go for a similar color.
Don't like pointed toes? One more option is to opt for nude shoe. Nude shoes along with all the other tips here will make your short legs look a mile long!
Be sure to scroll to see everything.
Still not sure what's right for your body type?
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