Shopping online as a shortie can sometimes require complex math equations (take the height of the model, divided by the length of your leg times the square root of the skirt length, etc.) and careful consideration. Unless you’re browsing petite-specific sizing at a petite-friendly brand, it can be difficult to gauge how a certain piece of clothing will look on your body.
But luckily, you have me as your short-girl guide. I’ve been hitting dressing rooms at all our favorite retailers to give you a petite’s-eye view of the styles you’ve been on the fence about, so you can see how they look on someone who’s 5’1”—and learn whether they’re flattering on folks of less-than-modelesque proportions. My most recent stop? Our beloved J.Crew.
Although the brand offers pants and jeans in petite (and tall) lengths, most of its dresses come only in standard sizes, so hemlines and hiplines aren’t always going to hit at the right spots on a short person. To see which ones actually do, I plucked every dress—12, to be exact—off the rack at my local J.Crew and took them into the dressing room. Here are the six I’m giving my petite stamp of approval.
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