If you’ve been shoe shopping at all lately, you’ve probably noticed there are tons of shoes with ankle straps and wrap around (the leg/ankle) strap shoes. As a Denver image and wardrobe consultant, my common advice for petite women and those who want to lengthen their legs is to avoid any kind of shoe (um, short of boots) that cuts your ankles.

However…you can wear these new trends without immediately chopping off your legs…if you follow these tips. Two of the shoe trends I’m highlighting today are newer trends and the third is a classic, nevertheless, magical leg lengthener.

Ankle wrap shoes

These are shoes with straps or laces that wrap around your ankle and often climb up your leg. Normally you run into the possibility of stopping your legs at the very top (high up) of the lace. This doesn’t have to happen. Simply choose shoes in a tone very close to your skin tone.

If your skin is ivory, you can very likely do bone shoes. Otherwise, choose nude, metallics and tans to match your legs. Be aware of whether the shoes are a warm tone or a cool one, and cherry-pick wisely.

Ankle strap shoes

Similar to the ankle wrap, an ankle strap shoe can also cut your leg line. Again, pick shoes very close in shade to your legs.

So what if you need black shoes? A black ankle strap needn’t completely ruin your look, (although no matter what, it will never lengthen your legs like #3.) All hope is not lost if you look for the most delicate ankle strap you can find.

Slingbacks!

I know…slingbacks aren’t a new trend by any stretch of the imagination. They are however, very popular this season in both dressy and casual styles.

Because the strap fastens on the back of your heel, your leg line isn’t interrupted at all. A low vamp will help make your legs look extra long! (The vamp is where the shoe cuts across your foot.) A low vamp means it’s closer to your toes, giving your foot a lot of open exposure.

Bonus tip! While this tip has been all over the media for years now, I can’t assume everyone knows it. Wearing a nude pump, especially one with a pointy toe, is just about the best leg-lengthening shoe around! Your shoes virtually disappear, making your legs look a mile long! Sort of like the slingbacks, nude pumps aren’t necessarily trendy, rather an elegant, timeless classic shoe with massive staying power as an added bonus.

I know so many petite women who say, “I can’t wear that. It makes me look even shorter than I am.” Just know you truly can wear almost any trend that’s out there. In today’s shoe example, it’s just a matter of blending your shoe with your skin to make your legs look longer and you look taller!