Short girls, here’s a hot tip from PureWow contributor Michaela Magliochetti who is very stylish as well as being petite: “Very cropped jackets! As a short person, I usually opt for cropped jackets or longer trench styles, since anything in between makes me lose my shape,” she says. “I've seen cropped coats on runways and Instagram as of late, and there are tons of outfit combinations featuring the jackets.” Michaela speaks the truth—the style is versatile and, since it hits right above or at the belt line, it lengthens a petite person’s figure. I tried one on for myself (I’m 5’4”) and found a number of street-style applications for my fellow petite gals to copy.
Calling All Petites: You *Need* to Try This Short-Woman Fashion Trend
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Published May 11, 2023
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Dana Dickey
1. Cropped Jacket + Dress
I’m absolutely in love with this Quince jacket, which is made in a recycled poly blend (with a hint of Spandex) that is somehow impervious to wrinkling. Part of it is that there’s a lightweight lining to this jacket, so its nice boxy shape is supported. And as a 5’4” woman, I appreciate how it hits between my natural waist and hips, so it doesn’t add too much bulk around my lower half. The slightly oversize shape balances out my hips in a short-sleeve knit dress, and the comfy pair of leather sandals look like The Row but are way more affordable.
Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty Images
2. Short Jacket + Boyfriend Jeans
At 5’2”, influencer Grece Ghanem holds a master class for her one million Instagram followers on how to dress a petite frame to perfection. Here she’s balancing a strong-shouldered cropped jacket with a white T-shirt, boyfriend jeans and a pointy toe high-heel shoe. This outfit is proportionally balanced, a key for petites; the look is on-trend because though it’s giving luxe, with the heels, peaked lapels on the jacket and the designer bag, the casual top and jeans have a “oh, I just threw this on” vibe.
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Christian Vierig/Getty Images
3. Cropped Jacket + Baggy Trousers
A baggy pair of khakis can be tough to pull off for petites, lest we appear to be wearing clown pants. That’s where a nice cropped, boxy jacket comes in—it’s short enough to highlight the waist and loose enough to be proportional with flowing trousers. Wedge heels add a bit of height, never a bad idea for petites, and a small bag is a nice counterpoint to all that voluminous fabric.
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Dana Dickey is a PureWow Senior Editor, and during more than a decade in digital media, she has scoped out and tested top products and services across the lifestyle space. Suitcases to sex toys, she's got an opinion on what's best. Dana is based in Los Angeles; her work has also appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue and The New York Times. Check her out on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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