If you are short like me (I’m 5’2″), finding the right shoes is critical in your personal style. The right shoes can elongate a petite girl and make you look taller and leaner, but the wrong styles of shoes do exactly the opposite.
After many years of trial and error, I’ve compiled this guide with the 6 types shoes that look the best on short women, and 6 types of shoes that you need to be cautious about.
Table of Contents
Pointed toe shoes
The most highly recommended shoe design for a short woman is the pointed shoe design that is very stylish and fits the legs. They have a way of making the legs appear lengthened which is great for a woman with short legs.
The best way to choose the right pointed shoes for your legs is by choosing those that have the widest part broadened enough to accommodate your feet to properly stretch out and allow the legs to fit in as they should.
Also, wear pointed shoes with low vamp because it’s the best way to make the legs appear extended and exposed for a lengthening effect. Keep high vamp pointed shoes away as they’d cover up the legs and reduce the appearance of the legs.
Low Vamp Pumps
Pumps are shoes with low heels or flats that most times are not designed to have ankle straps but are suitable for short women to help boost their fashion outlook. They come in varied designs and patterns to choose from for short legs.
Choose those pumps with heels that are balanced and not wobbly on your legs but help your legs appear shapely and make your legs taller. They are an excellent choice of shoe design for a short woman.
Why choose a Low Vamp Pumps?
Pumps are also shoes with a low vamp that are advantageous for short legs and could make the legs appear slimmer and longer.
Those pump designs with pointed toes elongate the legs even more for a better fitting.
Sling back sandals
This design of the shoe has straps that sling to the back of the feet and are recommended for a woman with short legs. The sling-back sandals are very comfortable shoe styles for a short woman that could also help make her legs appear longer.
Sling-back sandals are very stylish and easy to wear for a short woman. The straps should be slim and not too wide for a better effect on the legs of the woman because the slimmer straps have a naturally elongating effect especially if the shoe color is neutral.
They are light on the feet with heels that are not too heavy on the legs. They should be chosen in preference to the ankle strap sandals that are less flattering and could make the legs of the short woman appear cut off.
Knee-high boots
The best length of boot to eliminate any form of unbroken lines in a short woman is the knee high boot which has a low shoe vamp that’s advantageous to a woman with short legs. The low shoe vamp knee high boot creates a streamlined appearance for the legs of a short woman.
Depending on what you are wearing, be sure to match the color of your boots with either your pants or your skirts to eliminate any form of broken lines running along the length of your body shape.
Why you should opt for Knee-high boots
The knee-high boots boost the posture of the short woman if styled the right way.
Make sure to choose knee-high boots with the right shaft height and calf circumference for your legs to get the best effect of this boot design if you’re a short woman.
Nude color shoes
The color of shoes worn by a short woman is a very vital area that has to be given attention when purchasing shoes. The best choice of color for a woman with short legs is nude-colored shoes which could best be styled by matching the shoe color with the same color of pants so the body could have a vertical line along the body.
Wear shoes that have colors that are close to your natural skin tone as it is the best way to give the eyes the illusion that your legs are lengthened. This way, the eyes would not be drawn to the length of your legs because the color of the shoe is almost similar to your skin tone.
Shoes with contrasting colors from the skin tone are not flattering for a short woman because they would eliminate the lengthening effect in the legs and make the legs appear shorter. The color of shoes for a short woman should not be too brightened for a more feel of sophistication in the outfit and general appearance.
Over-the-knee boots
Unlike knee-length boots, a short woman doesn’t have to bother about the shaft and calf circumference of the shoe because the shoe is designed to fit the legs properly. It gives the leg a good shape and stays on the legs without causing any form of discomfort to the legs of the woman.
Over-the-knee boots are trendy boot styles for petite and the best designs should be tall enough to hit over your knees but below your thighs and securely fit your legs without falling. Also, make sure you style the boots with the right length of clothes for them to fit you better.
Reasons why over-the-knee boots are a must-have
This type of boot is very flattering and comfortable for a woman with short legs.
The knee-high boot is a highly recommended shoe for a short woman that gives the short legs an elongated look that flatters her figure.
Caution with wedges
Though wedges are comfortable and have an easy-to-wear shoe design, they remain the least recommended shoe style for a woman with short legs. They are beautiful shoe designs but the pattern of heel style makes the bottom half appear weighty.
Most wedges have heels that are too thick and this way could give the body a contrasting effect of height in shoes by giving the illusion of a reduced length because of the added weight effect it gives to the body. Wedge heels are not the best flattering shoe styles for a woman with short legs and so should not be worn.
Avoid square toe
The square toe shaped shoes are trendy designs that are not incredible on the legs of a short woman and as such should not be worn. The short woman has short legs and wearing square shaped shoes could just be a simple way to make the legs appear shorter than their normal length.
Short women should make sure to stay away from square shaped shoes by not purchasing nor wearing them. They are not a feasible design and would give the eyes the illusion of reduced growth and that is not plausible for a short woman.
Why are Square-toe-shaped shoes not suited for Short women?
They are not a flattering shoe design if you have short legs and should not be a shoe style option for your closet if you want your legs to have the illusion of a more lengthened appearance.
Avoid gladiators
Gladiators are heels or sandals with several wide straps designed to wrap around the legs. They are a trendy and stylish shoe design but are not the perfect style shoe idea for a woman with short legs.
Too many straps around the legs of a short woman would only make her appear short by creating a series of horizontal lines around her legs. Though they have the look of knee length boots, they have a lesser effect in giving the legs the illusion of a shorter leg.
Though the gladiator with heels can give a lengthened look, the series of straps would create a more contrasting effect. It’s therefore more appropriate for a woman with short legs to avoid wearing the gladiators with both long and short straps.
Avoid chunky heels
Chunky heels are heels with a wider base that is commonly in a square shaped form and are not a recommended shoe style for a short woman.
Though the chunky heel shoes provide stability when walking but the heel design has no positive effect on the legs of a short woman. The soles of a chunky heel would only add a weighty appearance to the figure of a short woman.
Why Chunky heels are a No-no
The chunky heels are often bulky and are known for adding weight to the bottom half of the woman who has short legs.
Caution with mid-calf booties
The one thing you should avoid if you are a short woman is wearing shoes that have lengths that end at the widest part of your leg. The mid-calf heels are not a flattering shoe design for the short woman because they would make her appear shorter and create a cut-off appearance for her legs.
Mid-calf heels would create horizontal lines in the leg and draw the attention of the eyes towards the leg by giving it the illusion of reduced height.
Avoid wearing platform shoes
Why you should avoid Platform shoes
These types of shoes have extremely dense soles that are not flattering for a woman with short legs even though they make you appear taller than normal.
They have very thick bottoms and could make the legs uncomfortable and less fitting for a short woman.
They draw the attention of the eyes down to the legs and don’t help to improve body proportion.
Jena says
Hi Chi,
I’m 4’9″ and wear a size 5 in shoes. Yes very hard to find. Can someone my size wear the hiking boot look?
Chi says
Hi Jena- hiking boots tend to be bulky, however, since they are for the functionality, that’s understandable! The easiest and most flattering way to style them as a petite, is still to pair them with same color pants!
Jena says
Thank you Chi that is what I thought! So jeans or leggings of same color? Love your videos and blogs. Watch and read them all the time.