Would you believe that 80% of women agree on one thing? And no, it’s not dogs versus cats or chocolate versus vanilla or even heels versus flats.

Nope. 80% of women agree that they don’t like their middle section, meaning their stomach, waist, and thighs, or at the very least, it is their least favorite area of their figure.

Does that sound familiar? If so, then you are going to you love this episode because by the end you’ll have a list of the exact styles that accentuate your favorite feature, flatter your body shape, all while camouflaging and distracting attention from that pesky middle section. 

How to Dress When You’re Petite and Over 40

Like you heard in the intro, the Petite Style Diaries episodes are all about answering real questions from real Petites.

So, a huge thank you to Petite Revolution member Jess for letting me share her question, which is she’s looking for suggestions on the best styles for when your weight shifts specifically to your stomach area. So, let’s get Jess and the 80% of the rest of us an answer to this kurfuffle. 

The Importance of Definition in Petite Fashion

Now, when weight shifts, our natural impulse is to gravitate towards looser, less structured, even oversized styles. The problem though is that shapeless styles from head to toe with no definition or tailoring make us look shorter and wider. It also often times makes us feel frumpy because all that extra fabric actually emphasizes the weight shift instead of hiding it, resulting in us actually looking bigger everywhere, not just in the middle section.

In case your cell phone battery dies, right now, the most important takeaway is that Petites need to have definition somewhere. Now, it might need to change from what you defined 10 years ago, and that’s okay, but definition is a must. All the styles we’re going to talk about have that definition and will be so much more flattering than baggy, oversized tunics. 

How to Camouflage Your Middle Section While Accentuating Your Best Feature

But where do we start?

The first is to remember that when we’re dressing to flatter our body shape, that the very first thing that we do is accentuate your favorite feature.

In case you’re new here and the term favorite feature is unfamiliar to you, first, welcome. I’m so happy that you’re here. And second is that you’ll want to take the Petite Body Shape quiz. In case you’re thinking, I already know my body shape. I’m an apple or a pear or a banana or whatever. You may want to reconsider because we look at body shape differently around here. You are not a fruit salad or anything that goes into a fruit salad. You’re also not a circle, a square, or a rectangle because your body is not a geometry problem to solve. In case you’re concerned, the quiz is super fast. It’s like seven questions and takes about 2 minutes. Plus, once you take the quiz, this episode and all the other episodes will make a whole lot more sense.

Now, the quiz lives full time at insidepetitestyle.com, and I’ll also add the link to the show notes so you don’t have to hunt it down.

Okay, now back to Jess’s question. We’re going to break down the most flattering styles based on your favorite feature. And as we go over each of the options, be sure to put them through the filter of what you already know about dressing for your Petite signature shape. Specifically, does this add volume where you want it to and avoid adding volume where you don’t?

Flattering Tops for Women When Weight Moves To The Middle Section

For women who’ve picked their bust, décolleté, or collar bones as their favorite feature. You’ll want to look for wrap, peplum, a-line blouses, and tops and sweaters with a V-neck. I mean, wow, that’s a lot of options. Now, there are a couple of additional tips to keep an eye out for. 

How to Choose the Right Belt Placement

The first is when it comes to wrap styles, depending upon the brand, the belt can rest as high as underneath your rib cage to as low as your natural waist. For women who are camouflaging their stomach area, look for a belt that hits closer to your rib cage. For women who want to camouflage their hip or thigh area, look for a belt that rests right at your waistline. 

Best Wrap and Peplum Tops for Petites

When it comes to peplum tops, some are very tailored and the peplum flare is subtle and others have a more dramatic, fuller flare. Shoot for a top that is as tailored as you feel comfortable wearing because unless you’re making a personal style statement, the more streamline the silhouette, the less likely it is that you’ll be overwhelmed by all that material.

Now, for a little added peplum inspiration, I will put the link to my Pinterest board that highlights Reese Witherspoon’s best looks. She wears peplum tops pretty frequently and is a master at the look. 

With any of the tops and blouses that we just talked about, always keep in mind that for Petites, proportion is critical. So, any style you choose, shoot for it to hit no lower than the top top of your hipbones. And the closer it falls to your waistline, the better off you are. A cropped blazer is also a smart option. Pop one over any of the styles that we just talked about, especially when dressing for the office. Don’t feel obligated to tuck your top just because you’re putting on a blazer. Next, let’s talk legs.

Dress Styles For Petites That Flatter Your Legs

For women who their legs are their favorite features, you have oodles and oodles of dress options. You can go with a-line, which is narrow at the shoulders and widens to the hem. This is a great choice for career wear. There’s also two types of tiered dresses that’ll work. Some have loose tiers, almost like a ruffle. The others have a more secured tier, which just flows right into the next layer. The loose layer tier dresses usually have a more casual feel, while the secured tiers feel dressier and more work appropriate.

Flattering Dress Styles For Petites

The third dress style is wrap dresses. Now, like we mentioned with wrap tops, where the belt lands on you is crucial. Also, knowing whether you require Petite or regular sized dresses will make shopping for them a whole lot easier. Now, in case you missed last week’s episode on Petite versus regular sizing, I’ll be sure to put the link in the show notes. Um, and that is definitely the next episode that you’ll want to catch up on. 

Empire Waist Dresses for The Office

Next, empire waist dresses and tops which give you that precious definition. right underneath your bust. When it comes to whether Empire waist dresses are dressy enough for the office, it’s all about the material and of course how conservative or not your office is. For something dressier, look for a stretch twill, a wool gabardine, or a crepe blend. Row and Zo right now have a tieback empire waist dress that is crazy flattering and one of those dresses you can literally throw on and completely forget about it. I’ll be sure to put the link in the show notes, too. 

How to Accentuate Your Best Asset with Proper Proportions

Are you ready to move on to how to accentuate your bum as your favorite feature? We mentioned proportion earlier as far as the length of tops go. But when you want to emphasize your bum, length is even more important. Too long and you’re actually hiding what you want to emphasize. So, before committing to any item, always be sure to check the rear view. 

Fit & Flare Dresses For Petites

What do we do when our waist is our favorite feature? Honestly, peplum tops are going to be your winning outfit formula. Check out Fold London for some really special peplum tops with details and tailoring like no other brand. They are just really, really special.

Another terrific style will be fit and flare style dresses. Preferably, look for a thicker, stiffer material for the skirt section, especially a thinner, clingier fabric won’t have that same midsection camouflage that you’re looking for.

If this sounds like a style for you, check out Modern Citizen. They have a bunch of career dresses with adjustable attached wrap belts, different enough to keep them from being boring while still being perfect for work. 

Quick Fixes for Oversized Tops You Already Own

Let’s talk about the items you already have in your closet. Say you have a few pieces that fall into the oversized tunic category. No worries, because there are two super easy fixes.

The first is to add a belt. And what’s so brilliant about this solution is that you can fit the belt to wherever it works best on your figure. A couple of style tips, though. A thin belt that’s the same color as the blouse or blazer that you’re belting will be the most flattering because it won’t break up your vertical line, and you’ll look longer and leaner.

Strategic Tucking To Hide Your Tummy

The other fix is to tuck your top. And you don’t have to do a full tuck. You can just tuck the back, which is perfect for women with a great bum, or you You can do a looser side tuck, which is perfect for women who want to camouflage their stomach section.

Monochromatic Outfits To Make Petites Look Longer & Leaner

Oh, wait. Okay, so there’s Okay, take that back. There’s a third tip. In case you have a couple of tops that hit maybe like the top to the middle of your thigh, pair it with a monochromatic pant or skirt, so that the pieces themselves, while they might not be perfect, you’re balancing it out by creating that monochromatic column of color, which is so flattering on Petites.

Are You Ready For A Petite Style Challenge?

Are you ready for a style change? challenge tomorrow morning. Take a quick look at your closet and identify the tops, sweaters, and dresses that fall into one of the categories you and I spoke about and see is it good as is or does it require a belt or tucking or maybe a monochromatic bottom to accomplish your goal of both accentuating your favorite feature and camouflaging the area that you’re less than crazy about. And remember, when in doubt, always Take a look at the whole outfit, including the shoes, in a fulllength mirror, and you can ask yourself, is your favorite feature a focus? Is there visible definition? Where does your eye go first?

Do you feel comfortable with the amount of camouflaging that you’ve achieved? And what, if anything, can be tweaked to make it even more flattering?
Afterward, be sure to pop over to inside petitest.com and send me a message or tap the voicemail button on the right and share how it went because I can’t wait to celebrate your savvy style choices with you.

Get Your Petite Style Questions Answered

And again, thank you Jess so much for sharing your question and for allowing me to share it with the other listeners. I’m sure 80% of us are going to appreciate you even more tomorrow morning when we get dressed. And that, my friend, is a wrap. Thanks so much for hanging out and you and I will chat next week.