Women come in different shapes, sizes, and body proportions. Some women have long lean legs, while others have curvier or muscular thighs and calves, which can make the person appear shorter. If these features are coupled with a pear body shape or one where mass settles more on the lower portions of the body, they can contribute to creating a stocky silhouette that some people feel self-conscious about.
While confidence comes from more than just your physical appearance, you might feel that your body type limits the types of clothes you can wear and your enjoyment of fashion. However, there’s no reason for you to not enjoy dressing up and feeling good about how you look. The key lies in finding the right clothes and outfit combinations that flatter your body and balance your proportions. By making your legs look slimmer, you can also look (and stand) taller than usual. Here are nine styling tips that you should consider trying.
Monochromatic Outfit
A popular styling hack that many stylists use is to create a monochromatic look, or wearing a single color from head to toe. Since you’re sporting a single color scheme, the visuals appear more fluid and streamlined. There are no cues to break up the top and bottom halves of your body, so you look leaner and longer—and it gives the illusion that your legs are slimmer and longer as well. In comparison, wearing contrasting colored tops and bottoms can create a horizontal break in the body. Avoid wearing such combinations, as they tend to make you look shorter and emphasize thick legs.
Fortunately, putting together a monochromatic outfit is easy. You just need blouses and pants or skirts in the same hue. You can even use tights for women to further streamline the visuals of your outfit, such as pairing black tights with a short black skirt. To make the look more interesting, incorporate different textures to create a subtle contrast, such as wearing fishnet or lace stockings under a leather skirt or denim shorts.
Vertical Stripes
Another method for making you look taller and your legs more slender is by wearing clothes featuring thin, vertical stripes. The print elongates the appearance of your body because it draws the eyes to move vertically. This gives the impression that your legs are longer and slimmer as well.
Depending on your preferred style, you can wear vertical striped patterns on your bottoms, such as pants and skirts. You can also pick dresses in this print so that it travels the full length of your body and further lengthens your silhouette.
Tops that Highlight the Top Half of Your Body
When you have thick legs and thighs, it is best to choose clothes that offset the proportions of your body to make it look more balanced. Doing so can help you have slimmer-looking legs. In this case, you need to draw more attention to your torso. You can do this by choosing a plain skirt or pants, and then pairing them with tops with eye-catching prints, unique sleeve designs, or one-shoulder necklines.
You can also wear accessories like scarves and statement necklaces or earrings to draw other people’s eyes to the top part of your body. While this style hack would suit many women, it’s especially beneficial for petite women who want to elongate their legs.
Oversized Tops
One trend you can take advantage of to make your legs look slimmer is wearing oversized tops. This styling method adds volume and emphasizes the top part of your body, so your legs look thinner by comparison. If you aren’t certain how to pull off this style, pair the oversized blouse or shirt with dark slim-fit bottoms. It will further highlight your top and make your legs look lean.
Also Read: Hot Women In Yoga Pants
Loose-Fitting Bottoms
When it comes to the kinds of bottoms that create slender-looking legs, loose-fitting bottoms are the way to go. Wearing flowy maxi skirts or palazzo pants helps to camouflage chunky legs and thighs. Because these styles widen from the hip to the hem, they provide extra leg space that will make you feel more comfortable and less self-conscious about your legs.
Choosing the right color also adds to the slimming effect of loose-fitted skirts and trousers. For example, dark hues like black and navy blue draw the eye away from the body and up to the head. They also help hide bumps and bulges that would otherwise be emphasized when wearing light-colored pants.
High-Rise Trousers
Sometimes, the best way to make your legs appear slimmer is to create the illusion that your waist sits higher on your body. You can achieve this effect by wearing high-rise pants, which create a longer vertical line with your legs compared to regular pants. Thus, your legs appear longer and more slender.
You can apply this trick with high-rise jeans and trousers, but you can also do something similar with a skirt by raising it above your natural waist. Remember to experiment with different fabrics and designs to match your outfits with the occasion.
Heels
Since a visually elongated form helps with slimmer-looking legs, wearing heels can be to your advantage. However, make sure to pick the right kind of heel, as some styles can have the opposite effect. For example, wearing medium-height, chunky block heels can help balance your calves and make your ankles appear slender. On the other hand, the thin heels found on stilettos and kitten heels might draw more emphasis to large calves, so it’s best to avoid them.
Shoes Without Ankle Straps
Whether you’re wearing heels or flats, remember to avoid designs with ankle straps. Ankle straps create a horizontal break on your leg, which can make your calves appear wider. And if you’re petite, the straps will make your legs look shorter. Instead, wear shoes that offer a fluid appearance from your lower leg to the top of your foot to help make your legs appear long and lean. One popular option is to wear nude-colored pumps that match your skin tone so that the vertical line of your legs remains undisrupted by your footwear.
Pointed-Toe Footwear
Apart from avoiding ankle straps and wearing heeled shoes, another way to make your legs look slimmer through your choice of footwear is by wearing pointed-toe shoes. Since the pointy tip makes your legs look longer, it also slims the bottom half of your legs. The best thing about this style trick is that it applies to both flats and heels, so you have different shoe options depending on the look you put together. Fashion is meant to be enjoyed regardless of your shape and body type, so if you want your clothes to enhance your body rather than hide it, you definitely have options to do so. Know which pieces will look good on you and fill your closet with these staples. Doing this will help you feel more comfortable with your clothes and more confident about how you look.
