4 Outfit Templates That Will Make You Look 3 Inches Taller Without Wearing Heels
Are we … models?
by The Candidly Team
The older we get, the more we realize dressing well is pretty much all about the fit.
We can love a piece of clothing with all of our being but if it doesn’t flatter our specific shape, we will never love it on us.
And because we don’t have a personal stylist on staff to tell us what will look good on us (e.g. why this t-shirt is frumpy and that one is slimming) way too much of getting dressed ends up being guesswork. And a lot of days, we feel … let down … by our outfits.
Until now.
Because after years of trial and error, we think we’ve cracked a little code for how to dress … taller.
We don’t mean just taller. But elongated in the correct ways. Where our our legs look longer, and our curves look balanced, and our waists look nipped.
We’ve created four outfit templates that give us the kind of flattering proportions you’d usually only get from really expensive tailoring. And to make it extra easy, we even gave you the most foolproof, perfect pieces for creating such templates. And the best part is you don’t even have to wear a heel. Wheeee!
You ready? Let’s reveal.
1. High-waisted, long trousers + cropped tops and jackets
HOW IT WORKS: It’s fairly simple. A higher-waisted pant will make your legs look longer. BUT a pair of trousers with really good, draping and pleating will also have a narrowing effect that takes this whole supermodel illusion to new heights (see what we did there?).
There are a couple pairs of pants that we have seen wildly flatter every human body who has tried them on. The first is THESE famous wide-leg pants from Anthropologie. They’re flawless in terms of fit, incredible on bigger hips and butts, and you can even hem them an inch or so to wear with sneaks as seen below.
Because this pant style buttons at a narrower spot on our waist, the best way to balance it is by pairing it with a more cropped top or jacket. Yes, we did just use the word “cropped.” Don’t flee in horror. We’re not talking about midriff-bearing Britney Spears crops. We’re talking about grown-up crops for 35+ women. Pieces that hit riiiight at the top of our pants, so we look long and lithe and not at all frumpy or sad. Such as THIS perfect jean jacket.
Now take a look at all of these elements together:
Another way to achieve this same balance is with an equally smart, but slightly more straight-fitting pant, like THIS ONE from Aritzia. No joke - these pants are so flattering, we weren’t even scared to buy them in white.
And again, we wear it with a loose but chicly cropped style tee. THIS particular one happens to be a favorite, French-inspired staple in our closet.
The combo is so effective, we slip on a sleek, leather slide and feel 6ft tall.
2. LOOSE Tucked TOP + BELTED LONG JEANS
HOW IT WORKS: If you’re on the shorter side, you might feel a little swallowed up by wide-leg jeans or kind of cut off by ankle jeans. The truth is a long, classic style like THESE from Madewell (which by the way are M-A-G-I-C on curves without the slightest waist gap) will often look best on pretty much everyone.
Again, you want that higher waist, because the real trickery is tucking in your shirt. Sounds stupidly simple, we know. But a front tuck is the way to give you shape even when you wear something that isn’t fitted on top. The most elegant tool in your toolbox will be THIS white button-down, but you can also do a spacious sweater or a classic tee.
The final element is a belt because A) It’s incredibly flattering and B) It’s classic and chic and makes us look put together with almost zero effort, and we all should be wearing belts more.
THIS is the best “quiet luxury” belt we’ve ever found. Here it is with the aforementioned jeans and button-down:
And HERE is one of of our favorite, most tuckable crewneck pullovers with a different wash of the same jeans.
SHOP THE TEMPLATE
3. Monochrome head-to-toe
HOW IT WORKS: Professional stylists call it “column dressing’ where you match your clothes allllllll the way down to create long lines of swan-like gracefulness. There are obviously many ways to match our clothes, but to get the proportions just so, we adore THIS skirt from Anthropologie which is made from their famous stretchy but supportive fabric that smooths bumps and never feels too tight. We wear it with THIS sleeved shirt because we don’t love showing our arms, but it also helps with that linear, monochrome effect.
Another way to “column dress” is with a tailored-looking set. The one pictured below is sold out but gives you an idea of the proportions you’re after.
SHOP THE TEMPLATE
4. COLUMN SKIRT + A BUTTON-DOWN TIED AT THE WAIST
HOW IT WORKS: A full skirt can be wildly fun but it can also add bulk. Stick to a straighter, maxi style, which you can balance out with a tied button-down that nips your waist but doesn’t leave you feeling like you’re in something skintight.
Here’s an example:
The exact denim skirt isn’t available anymore but we found one that might be even better HERE.
THIS chambray button-down, on the other hand, is an investment piece but also the softest, best-fitting denim button-down in existence.
You can also do this same styling with any excellent button-down (we have a special place in our heart for THIS whisper-soft, gauze version). And there’s always a traditional black maxi skirt. If you want one that fits like buttery soft shapewear, go HERE.
The overall effect should look effortless and chic, like this (notice the sandals are flat flat flat):
SHOP THE TEMPLATE
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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