If you have a long waist like me, it’s important to understand it mainly has an impact on your body proportion. Believe me, it took me a long time to figure this out.
I used to be quite frustrated why certain clothes (like most pants) just never worked for me, but once I realized my waist is long and therefore I need to focus on optimizing my body proportion, everything started to change.
Table of Contents
Traits
Before we dive into how to best dress your shape, let’s first fully understand the characteristics of your body.
Having a long waist means your natural waistline sits lower on your body, in other words, the distance between your shoulders and your natural waist is longer than those with a balanced (average) waist.
Body proportion
Because your waist is long, the implication is your legs are short, relative to your own height.
This is the most important part you need to digest, in order to flatter your shape, because you need to opt for clothes that can improve your body proportion.
Long waist vs long torso
Having a longer waist sometimes is used interchangeably with having a long torso. However, they are not exactly the same concept. Having a longer waist means your waistline sits lower, which implies your legs are shorter and therefore your torso is longer. However, long waist is not the only reason that leads to a long torso.
Regardless of your height or body type, here is how you can dress to balance out the impression of long waist and short legs.
TOPS
Choose Shorter Jackets
If you have a longer waist, it is critical to play with proportions by wearing shorter jackets.
Any jacket that lays above your hip or higher is considered short.
Wearing a short jacket will not only create the impression of a shorter torso, but it also draws the eye upward, which will make your waist appear higher up on your body.
Avoid Tunics
Tunics are specifically tailored to be longer than the usual tops and they typically have a hem that ends right at the hip level or sometimes even way past it. Due to its longer structure, it counteracts your goal to balance out your long waist as tunics visually extend your waist even longer, resulting in disproportion.
Tuck in Your Tops
A subtle trick to making your waist look shorter is simply tucking in your shirt. It’s a small thing to bring the emphasis of your waist higher on the body to give your legs a longer aesthetic.
Many long-waisted women struggle to find tops that are the right length, tucking in is a way to make it work even if a shirt is shorter than it’s supposed to fit.
Monochromatic Dressing
Monochromatic colors refer to colors from the same scheme, and it does not necessarily mean the same color.Dressing in similar color is flattering for many body types, long-waisted included.
Monochromatic outfits instantly create one straight and long line down the body that elongates the entire body. In addition, the body isn’t separated with contrasting colors which help to create the look of more balanced proportions.
This is one of the best ways to dress to flatter a long-waisted body type because it does not emphasize where your torso end and where your legs begin.
BOTTOMS
High Waisted Pants or Jeans
High-waisted anything is a must for anyone who is long-waisted. Because high-waisted bottoms sit higher up on your body, it makes your legs appear longer, and in turn, your waist appears shorter. Low-rise jeans are a major don’t for long waists, as they will make your torso look even longer.
There are many different styles of high waisted jeans such as paper bag, Mom jeans or skinny jeans. No matter which style you go with, as long as the waist goes higher than your natural waist, they can make your torso look shorter.
Vertical striped pants
A key style trick to balancing a long waist is creating the illusion of longer-looking legs.
Vertical lines have long been known to add length to the body, which is why they’re ideal to wear on the bottom half of your body when you’re long-waisted.
Wear Paper Bag Designs
Not just a popular trend, paper bag designs are great for women with long waists. Due to the extremely defined waistline that’s often a high-rise, this silhouette is a must-have.Not only does it create an incredibly defined waistline, but it does also so higher up on the body to lengthen your legs and shorten your torso.
The caveat is you should be careful with the paper bag pants if you happen to be a curvy girl with a midriff concern. The reason is the waist design of the paper bag is meant to draw a lot of attention to your mid section. If you happen to be concerned about hiding your love handles, then you should use caution.
Avoid Ankle Length Pants
Because long waist means shorter legs, dressing to make legs appear longer is crucial. Ankle length pants cut off the leg, causing it to look even shorter. This is why it’s best to stick with pants that sit lower on the leg so you achieve a balanced shape.
It is especially important for women with long waist to stay away from ankle length pants with wide legs. The reason is wide leg is a design that expands you horizontally, which is not flattering to women with shorter legs. They add too much bulkiness to your bottom half, and visually can you your legs appear even shorter.
Avoid Low Rise Pants
Low rise pants will make your legs look quite short, and may even make them appear larger. They’re a major don’t for long waisted women for this reason. Instead, stick with mid to high-rise pants to elevate where it looks like your waist begins on your body.
Besides, if you happen to have a heavier mid section, wearing low rise pants will only make it look like your belly fat is spilling over your pants. They are a poor choice for anyone who want their body and legs to look longer and leaner.
DRESSES
The most flattering clothes for long-waisted women are one piece such as a dress, jumpsuit or romper, because they will make it less obvious where your torso ends and your legs begin.
Here’s the most flattering types of dresses for your shape and what to avoid
Belted
Making your waist definition apparent is very important to keep the balance between your upper and lower body that’s why belted dresses are ideal. The placement of the belt helps break up the length of your torso to nicely bring balance while also highlighting your natural curves.
It’s wiser to go for belts that aren’t too contrasting with the color of your dress to create a more natural-looking cinch. Better yet, just go for a matching color instead!
Empire waist
The elevated waistline of this dress style is typically placed just right under the bust. This raised waistline blurs out the actual length of your waist and therefore gives your body a more flattering ratio.
You may also opt for empire waist dresses that come in a thicker waistband as this can further accentuate the curves in your waist, rather than the awkward length of your waist.
Avoid Drop Waist Dresses
Any garment that sits low on your waist is something to stay away from as a woman with a long torso. The lower the waist, the longer the waist looks.
The drop waist dress typically has a low waistband which usually falls more in line with the hips than at the natural level of the waist. This style of the dress gives the illusion of lengthening the torso and tends to have a width at the hips.
That is exactly the opposite of what you want to achieve if you have a longer waist.
Rather than a drop waist dress, choose silhouettes that have a defined waistline that rests above your natural waist. Empire and wrap dresses are great options to try.
ACCESSORIES
Color Match Belt with Bottom
Contrasting color belts can draw the eye to a long waist. Instead, choose belts that match the color of the bottoms you are wearing. This helps to keep the waist area in a monochromatic color scheme and gives the illusion of longer legs.
Wide Belt
Taking up space with clothing around your waist can help to shorten a long waistline. Wide belts take up a good portion of the torso, cutting off the naturally long area to give it a more balanced effect. Not to mention, wearing a wide belt high on the waist makes your legs appear longer.
Avoid Ankle Strap
Ankle straps on shoes function just like ankle-length pants when worn, they shorten legs. Not only that, when there is a lot of attention on the bottom half of the body (as ankle straps provide) it draws the eye down visually shortening legs.
Skip the ankle strap and opt for shoes with a pointed toe or show the top of your foot to add more length to your legs.
