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Can petite women wear skinny jeans? Just ask Eva Longoria, whose petite stature is well known. She defies fashion experts who claim a woman shouldn't wear skinny jeans past a certain age or under a certain height -- and she looks great. You will too, provided you stick to a few rules for dressing your smaller-than-average frame.
Keep It Dark
Just about any woman knows the cardinal rule of dressing. If not, here's a friendly reminder. Dark colors lengthen and slenderize. Light colors do the opposite. If you're petite, you want your legs and torso to look as long as possible. So it stands to reason that you should be wearing dark blue, indigo and black skinny jeans. Leave those light pairs for longer legs.
Keep It Clean
Of course you know that regular laundering of your clothes is just good personal hygiene. But there's another meaning for the word clean, as in clean cut. Styles in washes and distressing of jeans come and go. As long as you keep your jeans classically clean cut, you won't have to worry if they're still in style. But, more important, cuts, rips, tears and fading on jeans add size to your legs and make them look shorter, so avoid them.
Keep It Long-ish
Skinny jeans that come up to your ankles are doable but risky. They'll make your legs look shorter. If you do wear an ankle-length pair, make sure you've got heels on and try a high-waisted style. Otherwise, make sure your jeans go down to the heel of your foot. It's OK if they pool a little at the bottom, as long as the jeans are dark. Your best bet is to buy a too-long pair and have them re-hemmed to reach the bottom of your heel. Avoid cuffing your jeans if the inside is lighter than the outside. This is also going to shorten your legs. If your jeans are the same color on both sides, feel free to roll them up.
Hike Up Your Stems
A petite woman definitely needs heels, despite the best arguments of your foot doctor. Try to alternate wearing heels, so you don't them on every day. And save them for the days you have your skinny jeans on. Keep those heels black, to create a long line between them and your dark skinnies. Don't forget, putting on a pair of knee-high high-heeled boots over skinny jeans is a sure-fire way to add height and look slim.
