The Times - UK (2022-05-25)

the times | Wednesday May 25 2022 7

fashion

midaxis on me and maxis on Mum,
which rules out anything longer for
her, unless she wants to take it up on
the sewing machine or take it to a
tailor (there’s also the new app from
Sojo, which will collect items by
bicycle and take them to a local tailor
for you — it’s available in London,
with plans to expand UK-wide).
Sometimes that’s simple and
inexpensive enough, but it won’t work
on anything with a pretty hemline
that you don’t want to chop off.
So let’s start with pieces that will
work on petite women — women
like those pictured here, who are
all 5ft 6in and under. The actress
Reese Witherspoon, in the minidress,
is 5ft 2in; fashion editor Jenny
Walton, in the mid-knee dress, is
5ft 4in; Kylie Minogue is 5ft and is
wearing a maxi, proving there are
ways to do so without being
completely swamped.
“Petites often feel they can’t wear
the looks of the season: oversize,
pleats, midis etc,” says the wardrobe
editor and stylist Annabel Hodin
(annabelhodin.com). “They can by
using clever tricks where a glimpse
of flesh creates a longer limb effect.”
The stylist Natasha Goldenberg,
wearing the leopard midi here, has
rolled up her cuffs, chosen a shoe
without an ankle strap (which tends
to visually shorten the leg) and kept
her neckline light on jewellery.
“You can’t shrink existing designs,
but you can look at the styles that
adapt best for you. Push a sleeve up
to show some forearm, open up a
neckline or wear a scoop or slash

Actress Reese

Witherspoon; fashion

editor Jenny Walton;

stylist Natasha

Goldenberg; influencer

and designer Aimee

Song; and singer Kylie

Minogue

style to elongate your neck,” Hodin

says. She recommends strong

outlines and top-to-toe tonal colours

that lengthen.

“I often buy a mididress as a maxi,

or knee-length as midi,” says my

sister, who gives her height as “just

under 5ft 3in”. “It’s more often the

body bit that’s too long for me, so the

waist is in the wrong place.” She

avoids waisted dresses for that reason

— you can always add one in with

a belt instead.

The only time you might benefit

from a high street skewed towards

tall types is when you’re shopping for

miniskirts, since so many brands

design theirs as micro-minis you can’t

sit down in (or at least not without

some knicker-flashing difficulty).

But one woman’s bum skimming is

another, shorter woman’s ideal length.

If you do want a nipped-in waist or

fitted shape, a perfect midi or maxi

that won’t need alterations, dedicated

petite collections solve the proportion

problem. Not too many of the big

high street brands offer them, but

Boden, Marks & Spencer and Hobbs

all do dresses from their main

collections in petite. The American

brand Reformation is known for its

standout special occasion dresses, and

many of its bestsellers are available

as petite versions.

Or, for a really perfect fit, it may

be time to reconsider made-to-order.

Rather than starting from scratch,

a new generation of brands produce

pieces to order — it’s a more

sustainable production model because

there’s zero waste, and it allows for

sizing tweaks with your order. Since

they’re not completely bespoke

designs the prices are in line with

a step up from high street.

There’s a great selection in the

new digital shopping pop-up from

Daily Dress Edit (dailydressedit.com),

so “you can choose the exact hem

length you prefer on your leg”, says

its founder Isabel Spearman, who

sourced the edit specifically to

cater to a range of body shapes —

and heights.

Try the white, sailor-collared

Frankie dress by the Brighton brand

Faith-Rowan Leeves, £198 and ready

in one-to-four weeks, or the Lila dress

in Conran blue by Coco Conran,

£235, produced in London with a lead

time of one week — faster than an

off-the-peg frock in the post and

guaranteed not to be heightist.

Midi

Midaxi

Maxi

One

woman’s

bum

skimming

is another,

shorter

woman’s

ideal length

Great huggies

Tiny hoops we love

£59, astridandmiyu.com

£105, edgeofember.com

£200, lucydelius.co

£68, mejuri.com

£85, missoma.com

£37.60, analuisa.com

£19, whistles.com

£37 60 analuisa com

Compiled by Hannah Skelley

£180, aurumandgrey.com

Best for minis

Sandro, Kitri, Maje

Best for mid-knees

Vanessa Bruno, Tara Jarmon, Hobbs

Best for midis

Reformation, Marks & Spencer,

Warehouse

Best for midaxis

Toast, Ghost, Yolke

Best for maxis

Boden, Baukjen, Karen Millen

Where to buy the

hemline for you

y

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