The obvious answer is to wear the least amount of clothing possible.  Bare arms, bare shoulders, bare legs, exposed toes.  Wear sundresses, strapless or one-shoulder tops and dresses, halters, tanks, shorts, minis, flip-flops, and sandals wherever, whenever you can. 

Another simple petite fashion solution is to stay cooler by wearing fabrics that breathe.  Exactly what does that mean?  How can a fabric breathe?  

To explain, let’s take a look at the two types of fibers used to make petite clothing, natural fibers and synthetic fibers.  Think of a fiber as a piece of thread that is woven together to create fabric.  Natural fibers originate from plants or animals.  Synthetic fibers are created from man-made chemicals.  Natural fibers breathe due to a looser weave.  Synthetic fibers don’t.  Synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, and rayon don’t absorb moisture.  It gets trapped between the fibers causing your body temperature to rise.  On the other hand, natural fibers like cotton, linen, and silk make the best choices for a summer wardrobe because they absorb moisture, offering you a natural source of air conditioning.

Featured: Banana Republic blue silk dress $110.00

Short women with long legs?  A tall petite?  It sounds sort of like a fashion oxymoron, which is by definition a figure of speech in which 2 contradictory words are placed together for effect.  Aren’t all short women supposed to have short legs? Au contraire.

Look at Sarah Jessica.  Granted, she is known for her skyscraper heels, a guaranteed way to make toned legs look like they go on forever. Her sometimes eclectic, always fashion savvy alter-ego Carrie Bradshaw breaks petite fashion rules on a regular basis, but she follows some pretty basic guidelines to create the illusion of height on camera.  Wear it really short or wear it really long. 

 Carrie wears her skirts or dresses short, well above the knee, or she wears long dresses that drape all the way to the floor. From the Halston Heritage white jersey dress she wears in Sex and the City 2’s first scene to the short electirc blue pleated dress also by Halston Heritage (featured below) or her Dior newsprint dress, Carrie shows that the shorter the dress, the longer the leg looks. 

The long black Emilio Pucci evening gown worn to Smith’s movie premiere proves that one color story from head-to-toe always makes a petite woman look taller, sexy and glamorous.  One of Carrie’s most controversial outfits is the Zac Posen purple and gray crinoline skirt (rumored to be the bottom half of a ballgown) paired with a J’Adore Dior cotton tee shirt.  Believe it or not, this unusual combination backs up the petite principle that a short top paired with a long skirt divides the petite figure at uneven points for a body lengthening effect. 

 Petite fashionistas take note.  Even if you don’t particularly care for Carrie Bradshaw’s style, this “all leg or no leg” approach to petite fashion seems to really work.  You don’t have to be in the middle of the desert to pull off the mirage of really long legs.

If you are really short, have heavy calves or thick ankles, capri pants may not be your best look. For those of you in the 5′2″ to 5′4″ height range with shapely legs, matching your shoes with your hemline will help you pull off the look with  confidence and style.

Gap cropped denim capri pant $54.50  www.gap.com

So why is a consumer base estimated to spend $10 billion annually on clothing being ignored?  Having spent over 20 years in the petite fashion industry, I have my theories.  When I started my career as a Petite Buyer, the petite business was booming.  Every manufacturer wanted to produce their line in petite sizes.  Every trendy item, every hot look was offered in petite sizes.  Department stores jumped on the petite bandwagon and profits surged.

But as the years passed, these same stores started to take the petite customer for granted and eventually got lazy.  Management always loved the sales that the Petite Department produced, but never really saw the petite customer as having different needs from other customers.  They failed to understand that not only a large selection of merchandise, but special attention kept this customer loyal to their store.  When upper management got bored with the petite niche market, they moved on and sought new areas of business to develop.  The centralized check-out counter dealt another blow to the petite customer accustomed to high levels of customer service. 

As the economy started to stagger, department stores having already lost their zeal for the petite business, started to let manufacturers dictate what is cut in petite sizes.  Inventory became more about basics, less about fashion and newness.  The bottom line is that Petite Buyers, store management, and manufacturers quit fighting for us.  Thus, the dramatically altered or non-existent state of the Petite Department.

So what is a petite girl to do?  Unite as a group and vent your frustration loud and clear.  Power comes in numbers.  Join a grass roots movement like www.bellapetite.com and advocate for change in the petite industry.  Please send me your thoughts and suggestions on how we can collectively stand tall and be heard.

I wear a size 6P top, 8P bottom and I swear by my Spanx seamless shapers (pictured below).  Other major labels specializing in control shapewear includ Wacoals, Jockey, Playtex, Bali, Warners, Hanes, and Body Slimmers by Nancy Ganz.  Bodyshapers have become a Hollywood red carpet essential and acceptable to women of all ages and sizes, even those with a perfectly toned body who just want to show it off.  Control ranges from light to extra firm.  Recent innovations include new lightweight fabrics that still provide great control and smoothing functions.  Trust me, today’s styles are a far cry from the girdles worn by our mothers and grandmothers.   

If you want to look and feel fantastic all over, it begins with what’s hiding underneath.  Invest in a good bodyshaper.  They truly are a girl’s best friend. 

Available at www.spanx.com and major department stores

This uniquely Florida fashion statement is something that I will never get used to.  Why would any reasonably intelligent person expose their naked feet in sub-freezing temperatures?  Yet everywhere I go, I see women wearing cashmere sweaters or sweatshirts on top only to look down and see flip-flops or exercise sandals on the feet.  I urge my fellow petite Floridians to invest in boots and opaque tights this time of year.  Not only will these cold weather essentials keep you warm, they create long unbroken lines of color that will stretch short legs.

Common sense dictates that no matter how many layers of clothing you wear on the top half of your body, you will still be cold if your toes are frozen. 

The first step is to invest in quality basics.  Topping that list should be the Little Black Dress, the best dressy basic you can possibly own.  The Little Black Dress never goes out of style and looks great on all petite shapes and sizes.  Go for a classic style that can serve as a canvas for self-expression.  The same Little Black Dress that you wear to a cocktail party with pearls and pumps looks just as good with chunky metal chains and suede boots for an office dinner. 

 You also need to invest in a really great pair of black pants in a dressy fabric like silk, velvet, rayon faille, or lightweight wool crepe.  Choose a cut that flatters your petite figure shape. 

 Next, start collecting blouses, tops, and sweaters that change the look of your holiday basics.  Start with a glittering sequin tank or metallic cardigan this year, and add new pieces each holiday season.  Endless possibilities include a feminine lace blouse, ruffled tuxedo shirt, colorful silk tunic, lingerie-inspired bustier, jewel-studded sweater, or beaded jacket. 

 “Must have” accessories for a dressy wardrobe include a basic black pump, strappy sandals, a glitzy clutch or handbag, and pearls, diamonds, or dazzling gemstones (real or faux). 

The formula is simple.  Invest in quality basics like a Little Black Dress and dressy black pants that you can wear for seasons to come.  Each year, add new petite tops and well-chosen accessories to give those basics new life.  You will never complain that you “don’t have a thing to wear” again because of all the dressy options hanging right there in your closet.  Save time, money, and celebrate the holidays in perfect petite style!!!

 I kicked off my Petite Training Camp today with Dillard’s, a new concept for team building and style coaching.  So I am now waiting for a delayed flight at the New Orleans airport and playing “Petite Fashion Police,’ my own little version of “What Not to Wear.”  Here are my sightings:

 THE GOOD

Sometimes simple is best.  The most chic petite look spotted was a 50ish blonde in black capri pants, a black tank, a boldly striped black and white jacket that was slightly fitted at the waist, and black ballet flats.  Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and dazzling pearl drop earrings dangled just below her earlobes.  Here is a woman after my own heart because she is following 4 of my top 10 petite tips:

1. Wear vertical lines or patterns.
2. Wear unbroken lines of color on the body.
3. Match your shoes with your hemline.
4. Choose accessories that flatter rather than overpower. 

THE BAD

The petite lady wearing the black twinset with animal print pants initially looked quite stylish.  Then I saw it – a HUGE jaguar pin on her left shoulder.  It was actually about the size of a teacup Chihuahua.  One very large accessorizing mistake threw her entire look off balance.  Maybe she is a devoted Jacksonville Jaguars fan, but she is also a shining example to petite women that you need to keep proportion in mind at all times.

 THE UGLY

The biggest “fashion victim” of the day was a young Asian girl probably around 4’10” wearing an oversized tie-dyed tee shirt with jeans tucked into thigh high black leather boots, and accessorized with a skinny Missoni-inspired scarf that literally hung down below her knees.  She honestly looked like she was playing dress up in someone else’s clothing.  Warning to all petite women:  Thigh high boots are a guaranteed way to make your legs look shorter.