5 Do's and 2 Don'ts for Wearing a Midi Skirt as a Petite

Not too short, not too long, a midi skirt would no doubt be the Goldilocks pick of hems. But while their below-the-knee length makes them feel particularly polished and professional for cocktail parties and office days, midi skirts (and dresses, for that matter) can be a tricky style to pull off—especially for petites. By their very nature, midi hems hit you at the mid-calf, a cutoff point that has the tendency to shorten the look of your legs. That may not be an issue if you’ve got pins for days, but for members of Team Shortie, it’s the last thing we want to do.

The good news is that petites don’t have to avoid this trendy, office-ready length entirely—you simply need to be a bit more strategic when it comes to styling it. As a 5’1” editor with my fair share of midi skirts in rotation, I’ve learned to make them work by sticking to a few basic Do's and Don’ts.

When it comes to petite dressing, the golden rule is to avoid loose and baggy pieces that drown out your figure and make you seem like you shrunk in the wash. The same applies to midi skirts; since you’re already working against the awkward length, you’ll want to make up for it by sticking to slimmer-fitting styles that actually accentuate your shape. Pencil skirts can make you look long and sleek, although body-skimming slip skirts (like the one I'm wearing from Quince below) can also work as they’re slinky enough to show off the shape of your legs.

Don’t get me wrong, I like an oversized blazer as much as the next (tall) gal, but pairing it with a midi skirt isn’t the best idea for my fellow shorties. In addition to breaking the golden rule above, the clashing lengths are bound to throw off your proportions, which are already kept in a delicate balance as a petite. Instead, do as I do and don a shorter, more fitted layer, like a hip-length jean jacket or a tailored blazer.

No ankle straps, no ankle booties, no high-top Chuck Taylors. Given that the midi hem already cuts off your leg at an inopportune spot, breaking up what’s left of your bottom half is going to shorten things even further. Rather, choose shoes that show off more of the top of your foot, like slingbacks, pumps or ballet flats. This will help create a continuous line from the cutoff of your calf down to your toes, adding overall length to your leg.

The eye of your beholder perceives you as a whole, but it’ll naturally be drawn to what stands out. In order to trick it into seeing more length, the key is to bring it upward by creating vertical interest on your top half. You can do this with a V-neckline or vertical stripes—or both, as I do above—or a one-shoulder silhouette that shows off more décolletage, as I do below.