Here are my top tips for those finishing touches for petite ladies.

If wearing court shoes opt for a pointed toe instead of a round toe it lengthens your legs.

Jessica Simpson shows this perfectly with her fantastic patent leather shoes and at 5′3″ she’s as petite as they come… although you’d never think it.

Don’t wear T-Straps, bows, or heavy buckles on your footwear because it creates a wide, chunky effect.

Poor Melissa Joan Heart I’m always picking on this outfit, but with these aweful platforms cutting her off at her ankle it makes her look about a foot shorter than she is.

Do wear flats, but keep your outfit simple, hem lines on or above the knee or skinny jeans.

Reese Witherspoon shows this pefectly with her simple outfit and fantastic animal print pumps.

Stay away from belts that are too wide or colourful, go for slim belts as they won’t overwelm your frame.

Cheryl Cole shows this perfectly with her super short yellow dress and black slimline belt which sets it off perfectly.

So thoses are the rules you don’t have to stick to them but I would try and keep them in mind when you’re looking around the shops.

Best Online Stores for Petite Accessories

• Dorothy Perkins
• Next
• Faith

Enjoy!

Vikki xx

So I’ve been searching the net to find out what the opinion is on the Maxi dress for petite women and what I’ve figured out is that we’d all love to wear them, but the sad fact is that we just shouldn’t… unless you want to wear stilts at the same time… that would work wouldn’t it??

Here is the best example I could find of a celeb who, like us, really wants to wear maxi dresses but really shouldn’t - Melissa Joan Heart. At 5′2″ she is definitely petite but where did she get these frocks from?

Now if I was to pick the perfect example of a petite outfit, it would have to be this one from Eva Longoria. The nude peep toes give the legs length as mentioned in this post. Her fabulous dress falls just about the knee giving her full length of both her body and her legs and the v-neck elongates her neck giving the illusion on height.

Eva also does the Maxi dress well but I think this is more to do with her slender frame more than anything. However there are some key differences between Eva’s dress and Melissa’s above.

Petite Maxi Dress top tips:

Keep the line of the dress straight

As you can see from the pictures above Melissa’s dresses come out from her waist where are Eva’s skims her body giving her length to her body.

Keep hems long - to the floor even

Eva’s hem on her dress is touching the floor giving the illusion of height where as the black dress Melissa is wearing cuts her off at the ankles making her look shorter.

Simple necklines

Melissa’s black dress and Eva’s maxi dress are both good examples of what the top of a maxi dress should look like where as Melissa’s other long dress has a wider line over the shoulders making her look more top heavy and this follows down her body making her look larger than she is.

So that’s that… I’d keep away from them but if you’re anything like me then there’s no telling you! Stick to these 3 key steps and you’ll be alright!

Love ya!

Vikki xx

Related Petite Stuff:

Check out where to get dresses that suit your petite frame on our petite dress page.

After being featured on serafina blog last month, I thought it was about time that I returned the favour. Serfina is one of the main petite fashion websites in the US and it’s fantasic to be able to get an insight into the other side of the Atlantic.

So here is what I asked Lisa…

1. I just love catching up on your posts, what gives you the inspiration for your site?

Quite simply, fashion is my daily inspiration. My readers are an extremely close second. People watching in L.A. is always an inspiration. I get loads of ideas just from seeing what the girls in L.A. are wearing.

2. Go on then, give us your numbers… height, size, shoe size?

5′4″ / 00P or a 0P / 6 or 6.5 - it’s all dependant on the line.

3. Where do you shop in the US?

Yikes! Many places! I shop just about everywhere, and I’m always shopping. My favourite boutiques in Los Angeles are Beige, Satine, Trina Turk, Sophea Parros, Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Panty Raid, Billion Dollar Babes, and loads of sample sales.

I’m totally in love with the Grove. It’s an outside mall with great shops like Barney’s Co-op, Anthropologie, Banana Republic Petites, Nordstrom and Marc Jacobs.

I shop on Robertson in Beverly Hills, The Promenade and Main in Santa Monica, Vermont and Hillhurst in Los Feliz, Third and Beverly and Melrose in West Hollywood.

I also like to peruse the malls in Chinatown, Korea Town and Little Tokyo.

When I’m in New York I generally hit up SoHo, and I peruse numerous shops in Chelsea, Flatiron, Union Square, the East Village — you name it. One of my favourite shoe shops is called Sacco, and they’re all over the Manhattan. They carry smart Spanish and Italian leather shoes.

4. What tips would you give to petite girls in the UK when ordering items from the US?

The sizing is different. Be sure to know your measurements in inches and check the site’s size chart to be sure what you are purchasing will fit!

And double-check that return policy. Sometimes you have no more than two weeks for returns.

Also, when returning items, keep the tags on if you are unsure of your purchase, as many shops won’t accept purchases without the tags on the item. And don’t forget that receipt!

Enjoy the weak dollar!

5. What do you think is the best online shop for petites?

Good question. It all depends on your taste. I recommend Zappos, Piperlime and Sacco for small shoes, Lula Lu and The Little Bra Company for lingerie, J.Crew and Banana Republic for inexpensive work clothes. And for hip urban threads, I’d recommend Shopbop.

6. What have you bought recently? Can you send me a link and or image of them?

My newest wardrobe addition is a gorgeous pair of Blue Notch skinny jeans. I especially love the 5% polyurethane in the denim, as well as the metallic soft leather at the top.

I’m also a proud new owner of the Angela bra by The Little Bra Company. It’s comfortable and really adds the extra oomph I need up top. It’s perfect for wearing all day.

7. What item would you buy if money were no object?

You’d think this would be an easy question, but it’s not! I thought about it, and if I had to pick ONE decadent item, it would be a Gucci couture gown tailored by Gucci in Italy to fit perfectly. Stunning!

8. Can you give us an insight into the main trends in the US at the moment?

Safari has been really popular, as well as eco-friendly brands. I’ve also seen many shirt dresses recently. Metallic purses and shoes are still quite popular, and high-waisted bottoms.

Angelenas are way into the gladiator sandal. I see a variation on almost every corner. Designer denim is huge. I see a lot of higher waist denim (jeans, skirts, shorts) on the girls recently. Pair both up with huge sunglasses, a skinny belt and an oversized purse and your ready for the day.

It does however depend on your side of town. East side girls are wearing tons of skinny jeans and flats with funky t-shirts, and you’ll see more designer duds in WeHo to Santa Monica. On the beach it’s way more chill with short shorts and flowing colourful dresses.

From Victoria Taylor to Victoria Becham in five easy steps!

Victoria Beckham is by no means tall, at 5′3″ with no shoes on she is a perfect petite like us, but I always thought she was much taller so over the last few weeks I’ve tried to take on her fashion tips to make myself look taller. And here is what I’ve done…

Massive heels! I generally stick to 3 inchers which are just low enough to be comfortable but high enough to make me look longer and stand taller.

Get them took up! My sleeves on my petite suits and my hems, a good tailor or clothing alteration service like Quick Stitch that I mentioned in an earlier post make the most of my petite limbs by not hiding them under loads of material.

Be a low rider! I try and stick to low rise pants as they make my body look longer, which balances out my legs. (but not too low, nobody likes their thong hanging out!)

Long Hems, Long Legs… I know I said to take them up but I never go too extreme when I go shorter. I always try to let my hem skim an inch above the floor covering most of my shoe… I know what you’re thinking… what a waste of a beautiful shoe being hidden, I agree but the extra couple of inches are worth it!

Massive Hair! As you know I’ve got a bob so when I go out and want to look my best (and by best I mean tall and slender) so I do a little back combing to give me a taller hair do. If you have long hair you could always try a high pony tail.

Put all of these together and I could be about 10 inches taller! lol

OK so I maybe don’t do these all the time but used in combination it definitely improves my confidence and makes me feel better about myself.

What petite clothing tips do you have for our readers? Add a comment below and let us know (I know that rhymed!)

Kisses,

Vikki xx