Are you long-waisted?
May 15th, 2008When the distance between your shoulders and natural waist is longer than average, you are long-waisted. Gals who fit this description should wear clothing that shortens the torso, raises the waistline and lengthens the legs. Here are a few guidelines:
- Wear a waist-cinching belt in a contrasting colour. This breaks up the length of the torso. Belts that match the colour of your bottoms are particularly effective.
- Wear high belted style jackets, coats and blouses. Wrap blouses are especially good.
- Layer with contrasting top colours to visually break up the torso.
- Wear tops that taper above the natural waist like empire lines.
- Wear tops tucked into pants and skirts with mid to high rises to raise the waistline.
- Look for tops with horizontal detailing like stripes, yokes and exaggerated collars. This raises the eye upward and the waistline too.
- Wear skirts at the knee and with a heel to balance out the leg line.
- Wear pants extra long and with heels (my PPL theory).
- Avoid pants with cuffs. They shorten the leg line and draw the eye downwards.
As usual, this is about restoring balance by putting the emphasis in the right place.
Left: An empire blue top with waist-cinching white belt over a pair of white pants shortens the torso beautifully. Middle: A top tucked into a high-waisted pair of pants or skirt does the same. Right: The empire line shortens the length of the torso by focusing above the natural waist.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Thank you so much for this article Angie! I am very long waisted and this information is extremely useful to me!
Is the long waist typically accompanied by short rise (for the pants) or the two are not connected? I find that petite pants typically fit me better in the rise than regular, but alas, the inseam is too short for me.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I tried on the French Connection shirt in the middle picture. The color is fabulous, the blouse is not. It’s a light weight cotton and it seem to puff out everywhere. Too much going on. Just in case you wanted to know.
May 15th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Just wanted to add that this DVF dress is absolutely stunning! If my budget allowed for it, it would be mine this moment!
May 15th, 2008 at 8:00 am
This blog entry was just for you, Tanya. You had requested this information a little while ago and I apologize for not obliging earlier. The issue of your petite rise is not uncommon. But quite right, petite pants do not work if you are regular height. Happy to hear that the info is useful, and I had suspected that the DVF dress would be your cuppa tea!
Thanks for the info, Shannon. The sleeves of the FC blouse do prevent the look from being as streamlined as I’d have liked, but the neck detailing on this top is good and I hope that it forms enough of a frame of reference. Silhouettes like this blouse are better in drapey, collapsible fabric - not stiff cotton.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Thanks for the information, Angie! I’ve started doing these things since coming to YLF and it has helped immensely! I particularly appreciate the belt over empire top suggestion, since I just ordered a rather blousy empire top from J. Crew in coral (my favorite color!). I am going to try wearing it with a black patent belt over it. Of course I’ll post pictures in the forum and ask for opinions.
Thanks again!
May 15th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Thank you once again Angie, and no need to apologize, I’m deeply grateful and humbled that you did this post in a first place!
About the petite rise, the only place I could actually make it work for me is in my hunt got the clamdiggers! I shall actively search for them in the petite departments first !
May 15th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I really hope this isn’t a dumb question. I took my measurement from the middle of the shoulder over the breast to my natural waist. It measured at 18 inches. Did I measure right and what is average? I doubt I’m long waisted, although my MIL (mother in law) told me I was. If I can find an Empire waist line that sits under the breast it does give me a longer line, but for the most part I think it makes my torso look stumpy and it increases the size of my breasts. I really perfer having belts sit at or on my hip, as I feel it enlongates the distance from my breasts making them less of a focal point.
May 15th, 2008 at 9:34 am
There is no such thing as “a dumb question”, Marianna! Offering an average measurement is not the answer because it’s ALL relative. Also, it’s best not to measure over the bust line because that distorts the measurement if you’re busty. At the risk of sounding unscientific, you need to eye-ball it. Most people get a good sense of whether they have long or short bodies compared to the length of their legs. It’s quite easy to spot (without heels). If you can’t decide, you’re often “average” length in the legs and torso. Refresh your memory with my entry on the short waist.
http://www.youlookfab.com/2007.....t-waisted/
I’m eager to see your new blouse, Ana! And going petite on clamdiggers, Tanya might be a good strategy.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I am very longwaisted but also have a small waist in relation to shoulders, bust, and hips. (I’m an hourglass, sort of–just not terribly curvy.) I feel that empire silhouettes as in the DVF dress obscure my best feature. Fit-and-flare is my most flattering silhouette, but I’ve pretty much given up on everything in the stores–they all look like empire waists on me!
May 15th, 2008 at 11:18 am
I love a white belt with a colourful top and white pants. It does break up a long torso. Just think how great it will look with a new white watch!
May 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I am the opposite way. Angie can u have advise for short torso?
May 15th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Ana, Angie has already adressed short torsos on the past:
http://www.youlookfab.com/2007.....t-waisted/
May 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I’m actually almost perfectly proportioned vertically. I.e., from shoulder to natural waist is the same exact measurement as natural waist to sit bones, and the same as sit bones to knee, and same as knee to floor. Think about it… this translates into short legs!! And if I wear low-rise jeans, I *look* long torso’d with short legs.
So I don’t think I’m *technically* long torso - but some of these strategies do work for me too. Actually, anything that accentuates my natural waist is the ticket for me.
May 17th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I have always thought of myself as long waisted because when I buy leotards for dance class they are often short for me. Now after reading this post I think I may have a long torso but can’t decide from looking in the mirror whether I’m long or short waisted. Here are my measurements:
Base of neck to natural waist = 15″
Natural waist to crotch point = 14″
Natural waist to floor = 44″
Overall height = 5′-10″ (70″)
Am I short or long waisted?
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Great information– I will pass this on to my daughters who are both long waisted. I happen to be short waisted and find wide belts especially uncomfortable. Would love to hear what suggestions do you have for short-waisted ladies.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Ok, I just checked your previous entry on Short-waisted. I believe I am short waisted–I have barely any space from my lowest rib to my hip bones. Hence the uncomfortable wide belt issue. I do seem to have a problem with getting one piece bathing suits to be long enough though–does that mean I have a long rise? Thanks for all your help. I have been revamping my closet since my sister told me to check out YLF. Really helpful. Oh-one more question. When I look in the mirror, it seems my waistline of my pants tilts (higher on one side). Got any ideas why that would be?