Hi everyone, it’s Justine.
This video is for you if you want to appear taller than you actually are, through the
way you dress.
There is no size limit for this.
I'm not judging, you can want to be taller at any size, really.
I’m a fashion designer so my job is to understand how the body works and to play with proportions.
Today I’m gonna show you the tricks that I would use if I wanted to make you look taller.
Before we start, I will be drawing the silhouettes for you to be able to see the proportions.
And I’m using a template throughout, so that all my girls have the same format.
This way, it’s easier to compare.
Let’s start with the pants.
I would go high-waisted, or you can also take pants that flare out a bit from the knee downwards,
like bellbottoms.
Or like I did here, just go for wide legs.
Vertical stripes are a great idea, and the pants could of course also be jeans.
They should be fitted at the waist though.
Then for the top, I went for a V-neck option to increase your height by adding a vertical
line.
The shoulders are covered, and the top is tucked into the high-waisted pants, which
is why the pants should be fitted.
You could also take a top that’s a halter-neck, with a cut-out on the chest.
You want to keep this vertical line somewhere on the top, either as cleavage or as a cut-out.
Shoes: I went for pointy stiletto heels that show the top of the feet.
Either you wear that with a short skirt, short shorts, and then the feet are an extension
of the legs, and make the legs seem longer, or you hide your heels under the pants like
here, and you gain extra centimeters for free.
No one will notice.
In terms of hair, I picked a short bob, because when your hair is shorter, you look taller.
The hair matters too, in the outfit, overall, because that’s your overall appearance.
If you want to seem taller, then strategically, you’d like your hair to be shorter.
Hence the bob-length that I chose.
The second outfit is a dress.
I started with a Cowl neckline, and then I went down to the bottom.
It’s a floor-length dress.
Not wide, but very long, and quite lean.
Think Greek goddess with the flowiness of the fabric.
I added a slim belt at the level of the natural waist, just to mark the waist.
It couldn’t be a wide belt, because that would shorten you, and you don’t want that.
In terms of shoes, let’s say sandals this time, but showing the ankle.
Or, if there is a strap around the ankle, try to find sandals that match your skin tone.
That’s the pro-tip.
That’s A-league.
And then in terms of hair, I picked a pixie cut, which is even shorter than the bob.
That works really well on short people.
The sandals could also have platform soles, that elevate you, literally add length to
your silhouette, and the waist could be even higher, cinched right under the bust, here,
empire style, to elongate your legs really…
as long as the dress has the same color or the same pattern throughout.
Otherwise, if you have a different color at the top and the bottom, it would cut you in
two halves, making you seem shorter.
Outfit number three is more formal.
I’ll show the jacket, that’s adjusted and rather close to the body.
Nothing oversized, no padded shoulders that would make you look wider.
And you want to add length vertically, not horizontally.
I kept the sleeves quite slim, to match the fit, generally, of the jacket.
And the jacket should not be longer than your hip-line, and that’s a very important point
if you want to seem taller than you are.
I added a turtleneck sweater in a light fabric, knitted, in a contrasted color.
It could also be a pattern, if you want.
The skirt is knitted, jersey-style, and very long and close to your body, really molding
it.
It’s monochromatic, but in another shade than the top.
The shoes are flats with your skin tone on top, black on the bottom, around the toes.
The hair is pulled up into a bun on the top of your head.
That literally adds length where your head stops.
Right on top of it.
One note on color.
Here I used the monochromatic palette.
If you feel like you’re too short for your taste, wearing the same color from top to
bottom is always a smart idea, but if you don’t like to go all-black for instance,
then mixing black, grey, light grey, like I did here, works too.
Now back to the shoes for a second.
Gabrielle Chanel was a very pragmatic lady, and she invented the shoes that I’ve drawn.
“You want to be taller?”
she said.
“Alright, we’ll simulate longer legs by making shoes that are the color of your skin,
of your legs, and then the part in black covering the toes simulates the actual shoe.
So wearing these shoes, if you have the matching skin color, makes your legs longer, and your
feet smaller.
Perfect.
These are the garments and the outfits, in a nutshell, and with the finished color rendering.
All these combinations will help you look taller.
If you enjoyed this video in another style, thumbs up.
Thank you so much!
Drawing the silhouette is one way of talking about proportions.
But if you still prefer to see actual photos, then you’ll find a board, with images illustrating
what I said on my Pinterest page.
This here is my Pinterest name.
Notice that photos of clothes are usually shot, unfortunately for us here, on models
who are tall, but it doesn’t change anything as far as the principles are concerned.
You will still be able to see how the proportions can play in your favor.
And if you have another tip on how to look taller than you actually are, and I did not
mention it, shame on me.
Please feel free to share it down below in the comments section.
If you wish to watch more videos about styling, proportion, and styling your body type, I
have a full playlist of such videos that I’ve done in the past.
I will link it here in the corner, and down below in the description for you.
I will see you very soon again in the next video, and until then, take care.
Bye bye!