On what it means to dress well when you’re shorter

Here’s a funny story for you. A tall friend of mine in Sweden gave me one of the best compliments I’ve ever had – he said: “everything looks good on you because you’re short.” I never felt a need to look taller, but I always want my clothes to look like they fit just right.

So I play with proportions a lot, because it accentuates my silhouette and stops it from being bulky.

Since I was a teen, I always made sure to really pay attention to how I dress as a shorter person and it’s because of this that I kept three important points in mind: shoulders, waist and ankles. These three parts are very important to me because they help to balance my silhouette and enhance other parts of my image, giving it the lift that needs.

Let’s take the shoulders. It’s very important that the garments you wear as a short person make you look lean and straight like the letter “I” (think narrow and tight). If something has narrow shoulders it elongates my physique making it look thinner and giving the impression that I am taller. Slimmer sleeves also add length to my arms so I appear leaner and longer.

I make sure all my trousers are very well fitted on my waist. This keeps the trousers in place – the same height above my ankles. But it also keeps the silhouette of my legs in line with the shoulders. This creates a straight line that flows through the rest of the body. To give the impression that I have longer legs, I keep my jackets on the shorter side – no lower than the waist. Higher breaks on jackets give the appearance of a high waist and therefore longer legs.

Now, for the ankles. My trousers only have one break or no break at all so I can retain that “I” shape. Shoes are critical as they help lengthen the silhouette. Mostly I wear slightly pointed footwear and avoid rounded styles.

And for the finale: a hat trick! I always add a hat – it’s a cool and utilitarian accessory (which can also add few inches).