We all have different bodies and body types – that is the beauty of life. This incidentally means that you are uniquely beautiful and perfect the way you are – no matter what anyone tells you.
However, no one will be surprised to learn that it is normal for many people to want to achieve a different look.
Maybe it’s just for one outfit, maybe it’s for their daily life. In this article, we will focus on people who have a long torso and short legs and might want to change up their style a little.
If you have this body type, it’s crucial to remember that you should never try to change the way you look because of other people’s opinions. Your own opinions of yourself are the only ones that matter, so always remember that.
Even so, if you would like to experiment with styles to achieve an objectively more ‘balanced’ or ‘proportionate’ look, there are some stylistic choices to try.
We will go through what you need to know in the sections below.
How To Tell If You Have A Long Torso And Short Legs
Curious about whether you have a long torso and short legs? You can determine this for yourself!
All you need to do is find a way to measure yourself – this can be done using measuring tape, or just in relation to your arms and other parts of the body.
Many stylists will recommend finding this out simply by measuring your ratio. Just place your hands over from the bust area to the waist, and see how much space there is!
If there is plenty of space between the first hand on your bust and the second on your navel, you have your answer – you have a long waist!
You could also just measure the distance from your underarm to your navel, then measure your waist to your hip bone.
According to this, if the measurement between the waist and hip bone is smaller, then you have a long torso and shorter legs.
Is It Possible To Be Tall With Short Legs?
It is absolutely possible to be tall and have shorter legs. With so many body types out there, there are always variations in shapes and sizes.
Some tall people have comparatively short legs, while some petite people have comparatively long legs!
How To Dress If You Have A Long Torso And Short Legs
Now that you know the basics of having a longer torso and short legs, you might be wondering what you can do if you would like to appear more proportionate.
Remember – this is personal for everyone! Just because you have shorter legs and a long torso does not, by any means, mean that you need to do anything to alter that.
Some people may simply want to, while others will not.
We believe in you going for the choice that makes you feel the most confident and comfortable. That’s always the most important thing.
1. Go High Waisted
You could always opt for high-waisted skirts and pants to give the illusion of longer legs and a shorter waistline.
To amp up this illusion even more, you can add a fitting belt around the waist to add more definition and draw in the eye.
When combined, this pairing can work wonders to achieve your preferred look.
It might take some experimenting to find the right pants and shirt to do this, especially if you are not used to the look. However, you won’t be disappointed in the results.
2. Empire Line Strikes Back!
Dresses can be notoriously difficult if you have shorter legs, as you may feel like so many of them are unflattering.
However, we are here to tell you that you simply haven’t been looking in the right place.
You can find the most beautiful and flattering dress with an empire line to achieve your desired look (Also check out Best Robes For Plus Size Women).
For those who do not know, an empire line dress is one that (usually) has a loose shirt and a fitted bodice that ends right beneath the bust.
The only thing that gives the garment shape is the inseam, so the dress flows over your natural waistline. As a result, your longer torso and shorter legs are disguised in a beautiful design.
3. One-Piece Options Work
All one-piece outfits make it difficult for anyone to tell where your torso ends and your legs begin – especially if the outfit is loose and flowy.
The vertical line that outfits like this create can elongate your legs and shorten your torso, which might be exactly what you are looking for if you’re reading this!
Dresses also fall into this category, of course, so don’t forget about them! Just look for ones that don’t accentuate the waist if that is the one thing you are going through an effort to disguise.
4. Pointed Toes And Heels Are A Win
High heels work wonders for lengthening the leg, as most of you will be aware of by now! The same goes for shoes with pointed toes.
As such, you could also combine these two elements to achieve the look you want.
However, it’s important to note that if you do go with heels to elongate your legs, avoid ones that have straps around the ankle. These kinds of shoes will have the opposite effect.
With that being said, we are aware that heels are not for everyone! So, if you aren’t a fan of them, you can simply opt for shoes that have pointed toes.
These can be boots or anything else you prefer. This effect will help to make your legs look longer without the pain of heels.
5. Match The Bottoms With Your Shoes
An easy way to make your legs look longer and your torso shorter is to match your bottoms to your shoes!
This will create the illusion that your shoes are simply the continuation of your legs and help to balance your proportions.
This works particularly well with form-fitting pants like tights or skinny jeans.
For an even better effect, wear darker colors, too. It can visually add some height to you, yet it hardly takes any effort at all.
If you are attending some kind of event where your legs will be on show, nude heels will be your best friend. This will also have the same lengthening effect.
6. Block Colors Are Great
If you are feeling bold, go block! This can be block color in the form of jumpsuits or dresses, but also co-ord sets of just matching your top to the pants you wear!
It will do a similar thing as we mentioned before with the one-piece look, and make it more difficult to show where your legs start and torso ends.
Not only that, but block colors are balanced, cohesive, and so much fun! They might need some courage to dive into, but they are a delight once you find your way around them
7. Crop Tops For The Queen
Many tops might already look cropped on you, so this will be nothing new. However, if you purposefully go for cropped tops and pair them with high-waisted pants, you have a balanced, killer look.
This combination will give the illusion that your torso ends where the pants start, and your waist is where your shirt ends.
You can also wear matching shoes to help further elongate your legs if you like. It’s easy. But so effective if you are trying to achieve this look.
8. Vertical Detailing On Pants
By now, most people will be aware of the fact that vertical details will elongate the body, while horizontal ones will widen it.
You can apply this to your clothing if you would like your torso to appear smaller and your legs longer.
This is particularly useful for pants, and pinstriped patterns work spectacularly well – and it makes a statement!
You could also wear solid pants with a horizontally striped shirt if you want to try something different, too.
9. Remember The ⅓ To ⅔ Rule
Finally, you can use the ⅓ to ⅔ rule. This simply means that when you are planning an outfit, structure everything so that you are dividing your body into a ⅓ on the top half, and ⅔ on the bottom half.
A great example of this would be wearing a high-waisted midi skirt for the ⅔ and a cropped shirt for the ⅓.
It’s much easier to do when you put it into practice, so just try it out and see how it goes.
Final Thoughts
If you came here looking for ways to make your legs look longer while simultaneously making your torso shorter, these tips should help you achieve that!
A lot of them are very easy and straightforward, but they can help a lot.
Hopefully, you can put these tips to good use, and achieve the look you want to go for. Just remember that, whatever you do in the fashion world, it should always be for you.
No one else’s opinions matter on your appearance more than your own.
My whole life, I have always been a little bigger than my friends. I was always a bit taller, wider and just bigger built. From my late teens, I would say that I was curvy. I really struggled to find clothes that fitted me, as my hips went out, but my chest didn’t really.
I created WarningCurvesAhead.com because I wanted other women to feel the sense of empowerment I have felt since changing up my wardrobe and finding out what clothes suit my body shape, skin tone and style.
I hope that you too can join me on this journey, and start making some amazing fashion choices that celebrate your beautiful body- instead of hiding it!
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