How to Wear Petite Palazzo Pants if you are Short

We all like to hear what we can do, and no one really likes to be told what not to do.  Is that the case with you? If yes, you probably have brushed off some of the fashion advice before on what a short girl should not do.  At the end of the day, we are all free to express our individuality through what we wear, and who cares about what we should not do just because other people don’t agree?  Well, I totally agree with you, but one must know the rules before one can break the rules.  Today’s topic is how can a short girl wear petite palazzo pants, a look not very easy to pull off by petite women. Before we get into that, for those of you not familiar with the term, palazzo pants refer to women’s wide legged pants, which are normally loose.   

Now let us look at why petite women are generally advised to stay away from wide legged pants.   The most important styling tip for a petite woman is to choose outfits that elongate the petite body through what she wears in order to create the illusion of height. (Read more about How to Look Taller).  In order to achieve that, short women should choose clothing that vertically lengthens a short person in order to look taller.  Wide legged pants draw one’s eyes from left to right horizontally, and that does the opposite of lengthening short women.  In addition, palazzo pants are normally loose fitted, thus they could make a short girl look like totally swamped in a big pants.  Therefore, petite women are generally better off with narrow pants to create a long and lean silhouette.   

Mira Duma (5 feet) Photo: Vogue

However, petite palazzo pants are so comfortable that one cannot help wondering what a pity if short women have to give them up altogether?  What are some of the tips and tricks short women can follow in order to pull off the petite palazzo pants look?  There are definitely ways to wear them and still flatter the petite body frame.  We have seen them worn by petite celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham and Mira Duma, and etc.  It just means short girls need to pay more attention to what they choose if they want the petite palazzo pants to look good on them.  Now that you know understand risk of being drawn in petite palazzo pants, let’s look at how we can make them flatter.

1.Vertical details

We talked about how vertical details lengthens petite women.  Petite palazzo pants with vertical stripes will counterbalance the widening effect of the wide legs and look flattering on a short woman.  Go with subtle vertical prints or details such as vertical hem and avoid loud and busy prints which will make your petite body frame look swamped.

2. Fabrics

The best fabrics for petite palazzo pants are those with soft and flowy fabrics such as rayon, jersey or even silk.  Soft fabrics will hug your curve better than stiff fabrics.  On the other hand, you want to make sure the fabrics have enough weight to stay flowy instead of clinching to your legs.

3. Go with high waisted style

High waisted style pants are flattering to petite women general, and this is probably the most flattering style of all petite palazzo pants.  (Read more about why high waisted style is a wardrobe staple for stylish petite women).  By having the waist line higher than your natural waist, it will instantly add a few inches to your leg length and make you look taller.  We have seen this style on petite celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham and Mira Duma.

4. Length

The length is key to wear petite palazzo pants. The ideal length is for it to hit just above the ground, when you are wearing high heels.  That means the inseam should be the inseam of your normal inseam for ankle pants plus 3-4 inches, depending on the height of the heels you are going to wear.  You do not want the petite palazzo pants to be sweeping the ground, because that looks sloppy.  Also, pants dragging on the floor have the danger of tripping you to fall!  Do not wear petite palazzo pants that ends at your ankle- even though we have seen them worn by some fashion bloggers for photography, they aren’t that flattering in real life on a petite girl.  Ankle length petite palazzo pants emphasize the horizontal line right at your ankles, which will only make your legs look like they are cut off and make you look shorter.

Kim Kardashian (5’3″) Photo: Instyle

5. Shoes

The best shoes to wear with petite palazzo pants are of course high heels.  If you are wearing billowy and flowy petite palazzo pants, you should avoid chunky heels which are heavy and add too much weight and bulkiness to your bottom.  Pair them with skinny heels such as stilettos will make your outfit look more airy and extend your legs.  Pumps or sandals with pointy toes are most flattering to petite women, and they go well with petite palazzo pants too.

Mira Duma (5 feet) Photo: Teen Vogue

6.Avoid baggy tops

If you are wearing petite palazzo pants which already adds a ton of volume to your bottom half, then you should go with fitted tops.  The last thing you should wear is an oversized top with a wide legged pants, which will make you look like a walking sleep bag.  A well fitted top will also draw people’s attention to longer legs created by the long and straight line of the petite palazzo pants.

7.Colors

Dark solid colors are good choices for petite palazzo pants.  They balance out the widening effect of the pant legs and add some structure to your outfit.  Because the palazzo pants cover such a big area of your body, you should avoid large and loud prints in order not to look overwhelmed by all that fabrics.  If you are already wearing palazzo pants in prints, then opt for a top in solid colors, which will look more flattering on a petite girl.  The best color solution for petite palazzo pants? Monochromatic dressing! If you are not familiar with the term, read more about Why Every Short Girl should Know Monochromatic Dressing. Essentially, monochromatic dressing is to pair your petite palazzo pants with a top of similar colors, in order to create a long column of colors. See how Victoria Beckham is rocking this style.