Styling yourself as a petite woman can be difficult because it might seem like everything makes you look shorter. If you’re hoping to elongate your shape, shop for fitted and tailored clothing items that prevent you from adding to your width.

Petite clothes obviously have shorter sleeves and hemlines, but they also feature smaller proportions from shoulder to shoulder, higher knee placement in pants, higher armholes, and shorter rises to accommodate a smaller hip length.

While your fashion preferences in petite clothing should be totally up to you, there may be some things you should try to avoid, including:

• Horizontal stripes
• Thick belts
• Oversized accessories
• Calf-length hems
• Flared dresses

All of these styles can make you look shorter and wider than you actually are. Ultimately, wear what makes you happy, but these are the general fashion guidelines for dressing well as a petite person.

Petite sizing is about height. Most brands cater to women 160 cm (5’3”) and shorter. Some brands extend their sizing a little bit more to include women who are 165 cm (5’5”) and shorter. You will still find slim and curvy sizes in the petite category.