Fashion Tips for Petite Women Over 50
Fashion for petite women over 50 isn’t a slam dunk just because you shop in the petite department. I’m short but can’t wear most petite garments. I’m 5’4″ tall, with a long torso and short legs. I have long arms and short thighs. Saying it like this makes me sound pretty disproportionate. What it really means is I have to pay very close attention to the proportion in my fashion.
The two tank dresses below illustrate why petite fashion over 50 isn’t the same for every woman.
The armhole on the left is too long for me. Too much “sleevage” shows and it’s not flattering. The one on the right fits snugly up to my underarm without binding.
Style Tip- Look for an armhole depth that hides enough but also doesn’t pull across the front. If the front top or dress fabric pulls or pleats, it’s too short an armhole for you.
The larger dress on the right is too long for me. I can get away with some extra length when wearing a slight heel, but I prefer flats, so this overwhelms me.
I’m an inverted triangle (shoulders wider than my hips) with a straight midsection with very little waist definition. I like to tie things at my waist to give the illusion I have a waist and to help my legs look longer.
In flat shoes, this larger/longer dress feels dowdy on me.Ā Dowdy and frumpy are never a look I aspire to.Ā The longer-length dress stops at the widest part of my calf. Very unflattering and makes my legs look thicker than they are. My calves are one of the shapeliest parts of my body, so I try to show them when I can. A knee-length hemline helps the petite woman look taller.
Style Tip- wearing texture near your face reduces the appearance of wrinkles.
These tips won’t make me look taller, but they will make my clothes look like they fit me properly.
Do you fit the petite category?
Great tips!
I’m 5’4″ tall with long legs and a busty but very short torso. I had given up on looking non-frumpy because even petite length tops and dresses didn’t fit right. I finally decided to sew my own to try to get a better fit and discovered that most of the shortness in my torso was between my sholder and bust line (most off the rack clothing is made with the petite adjustment between the bustline and waist and to fit a B cup. No wonder it didn’t fit!).
To determine if you have the same issue as me, try on a sleeless top or dress and see where the bust points on it sit. If it’s below the fullest point of your bust, lift the garment up by the shoulders until the bust lines match. If it does ask your the tailor if they can do an above the bustline adjustment. If the dress or top is a candidate this will also fix any sleevage issues.
Thank you for all the helpful advice you give, Jennifer. I’m learning a lot from it.
Thatās a fabulous tip! It might also point out that a gal needs a more supportive bra š¤£. Thank you for sharing, Christine.
Thanks, clearly, my wardrobe needs overhauled……