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Have you been told by someone (maybe your mom?) that you’re short-waisted? Or maybe you figured it out yourself just by the way clothes fit you.

There’s not a body type out there without inherent challenges when it comes to getting dressed. We are all born with certain inherent body proportions and none of them are “right” or “wrong”. The key to looking our best in clothes is creating the illusion of balance and proportion, even when it isn’t really there;)  The good news is that clothing is a tool that can help us look and feel our best and I’m here to help you use it to your best advantage.

So, if you were born with a torso that is short relative to your lower half, here are some tips to help.  And if you aren’t sure whether you’re long or short-waisted, or neither – I give a simple 5 second trick for finding out in the beginning of this Tipsy Tuesday video.

 

 Tips to Help Elongate a Short Torso:

  • Make sure you have good bras that are lifting your girls up off your waist!
  • Bypass the waist altogether with longer jackets and cardigans. The longer layer elongates and pulls attention away from your short waist.
  • Avoid cropped tops and cropped jackets that are shorter than your hipbone. They make your top half look squat relative to your bottom half – exactly what we are trying to avoid. Instead, choose tops that hit in the Magical Hipbone Zone – 2 to 3 inches below your hipbone.  You could always layer a shorter jacket over a longer top if you love that layered look!
  • You don’t have to wear low-riders but you may want to avoid the oh- so- popular high-rise trend.  Instead, opt for mid-rise pants and jeans. They will give the illusion of the high-waist trend on you without having to wear pants that go up to your boobs:) Mid-rise pants generally have a rise between 7.5-10 inches and hit 1-3 inches below your belly button. My advice is try many different rises until you find you sweet spot. Mirror selfies are the best way to tell how well an item fits.  And feel free to ask for my advice over in the free private #justgetdressed Facebook Group.
  • Avoid high contrast colors between your top and bottom as that just draws attention to the issue. Monochromatic or similar hued tops and bottoms create a longer-looking torso. Add a jacket or cardigan in a brighter, lighter, or more eye-catching shade than your pants and top — another way to detract from a short a waist.
  • Vertical lines, stripes and seaming are your friend!
  • Look for tops with some shape at the waist (vs. boxy or wide) that fall within the Magical Hipbone Zone. Avoid lots of ties, wraps and belting at your midsection as these just cut you off.
  • Avoid boatneck tops that create a horizontal line across your shoulders…this will visually shorten the area between your neck and waist – the opposite of what you want! If you have a boatneck top you love, you can reduce this shortening effect by adding a long scarf or necklace or a jacket or cardigan that creates a vertical line down your torso.  Make sense??
  • Tops with vertical zippers, button-ups and V-NECKS are your friends!!
  • Don’t tuck in shirts! You can however, play with a half tuck, especially an off-center half-tuck that creates a flattering diagonal line.
  • If you want to wear a belt (I.e. leopard belt with your jeans that peaks out of a half-tucked shirt) go with a thin to medium width.  Wide  belts are not your friend!
  • Accessories are magical!  A long pendant or lariat necklace creates a torso enhancing  vertical line – and is an outfit maker to boot! Oval hoops and longer earrings are another great trick!

Do you see yourself in any of these tips? I hope you found it helpful!

Now go #justgetdressed;)