TIPS FOR LOOKING TALLER

 You’ll see in this example above how the cropped jacket makes my legs appear longer and highlights the vertical notes of my outfit. Whereas the longer jacket (while stylish) does not make my frame any taller or thinner.

 Remember that each outfit you create does not HAVE to make you taller or thinner. These are tips to use to enhance an outfit, or boost your confidence when you need it. I would still wear both of the outfits in the above example.

 And in the above image you can see how the use of a crop jacket makes my waist appear higher than it is, and my torso shorter, which gives the illusion of height. For reference I am 5 ft 6 in.

 gabrielle arruda in crop top and high waist trousers to show how wearing a crop top can make you appear taller/slimmer

 How people process an outfit has a lot to do with the visual cues of the outfit. Where there is detail or emphasis, the eye will stop to take in it. So any vertical stripes, seams, or prints help the eye to move from top-to-bottom of the outfit, as opposed to horizontally. This helps with appearing thinner and taller.

 My favorite option to do this is a wide-leg pant with vertical stripes. They are classic, can be dressed to match many fashion styles, and can still be a foundational piece to your look (instead of the focus).

 how to look taller and slimmer using a high waisted pant/bottom. side by side of gabrielle arruda wearing high waist black jeans versus low rise leather pants

 As much as we tried to avoid it, Gen Z has brought back low-rise pants. And if that is your jam, by all means, go for it.

 However, if your goal is to look thinner and taller, low-rise pants are not your friend. Not only do they make your torso appear longer, and your legs short, they often cause your stomach to be more prominent and kind of spill out of the waistband (even if you have a very flat stomach).

 Low-rise pants are just hard to style for length or svelteness. See the image above on how different my body looks with low rise versus high rise pants.

 Tucking in your tops, or doing a french tuck will help define your waist and upper half. This is one of the easiest ways to appear slimmer and let your body shape shine. It will also help you dress in the ideal proportions, and not cut your body up in half.

 tuck in your tops to help lengthen your legs and give definiton to your waist. side by side of tucked and untucked top on gabrielle arruda

 Pointed shoes, especially pointed heels, help your feet have a definitive stopping point. The sharp end to your outfit coming to a point feels conclusive. Whereas a round or square toe does not create a visual stop.

 You can see this in the above image that also references tucking in your tops. While my square-toe heels have triangular straps, which help to draw the eye downwards, the pointy toe is more lengthening overall.

 A pointy heel is like a sentence that ends with a period. A round toe is like a sentence that ends with a…..

 Flares are just flattering. Their proportions make your legs look long and thin, and they draw your eye up. It’s a jean style that never seems to fade from popularity because they make your waist seem small ( in relation to the wide flare hem) and they look fantastic with a pair of heels or heeled boots.

 Because flares always hit the ground, they draw your eye down to the floor, whereas a cropped ankle might disrupt this.

 You could also try a jumpsuit that has slight flare. Jumpsuits, when they fit correctly, can help elongate your body and give that column-color approach we discussed.

 While I love a good print, large-scale prints provide multiple places for you eye to lose focus. Which means they do not embrace a vertical impression.

Elevator Shoes

 As you can see in the image below, the large-scale print has your eye darting back and forth horizontally to take in the print. Whereas the fine stripe (or no print) outfit has your eyes take things in from top to bottom seamlessly.

 side by side of busy print dress versus pinstripe dress so you can see how the stripe dress lengthens my body and the busy print (while cute) tends to overwhelm

 While the printed dress is flattering, because both the body and sleeve is fitted, the pattern is so busy it is hard to focus on anything else. I want to stress again, that none of these outfits are inherently wrong, and this before-and-after is to highlight clothes that help you look slimmer and taller.

 Fitted dresses or wrap dresses that accentuate your waist are some of the most flattering dresses out there. They help highlight your body and give your outfit definition. Slits can also help you achieve this effect.

 While I love dresses with volume or looser options, they tend to not help you look slimmer or taller. So decide on your goals for the outfit when selecting your dress.

 woman wearing a wrap dress with v-neck. v-necklines help draw the eye down- which has a lengthening effect and helps you appear taller

 Vertical, vertical, vertical. Are you tired of hearing me say it yet? While, I’m not saying you should ditch every neckline and only wear v-necks, they are a great option to help slim your frame.

 Vertical, vertical, vertical. Are you tired of hearing me say it yet? While, I’m not saying you should ditch every neckline and only wear v-necks, they are a great option to help slim your frame.

 They create a visual point towards the floor which draws your eye downward. See the image above for a visual representation.

 It does not need to be a plunging neckline to have this effect. Leaving a few buttons undone on a shirt, or having even a small v-neck will help.

 Dressing for your proportions is incredibly important. You never want to cut your body up in half, because you will always appear shorter this way.

 You want to cut your body up into thirds, or if you’re really skilled in style into sixths.

 This can be 1/3 on top, and 2/3rds on the bottom- which is an ideal proportion to look taller and slimmer.

 And while the alternative, 2/3rds on top, 1/3rd on the bottom helps less with appearing taller, it is still an ideal proportion to work with. And you can add a pair of heels if you want to make this proportion more slimming.

 I love a great statement sleeve or puff sleeve, and they certainly have their place. But, they can also be a major distraction to keeping your looks streamlined and vertical.

 Because they create a horizontal detail at the top of your look, they can distract your eye and eliminate that length we want to create.

 Longer sleeves, and 3/4 sleeves also create vertical space in your outfit, which can help your eye travel vertically.