With a nice little collection of dress shirts going, ways to spruce them up have been on my mind. I’ve been tinkering with the idea of things to layer over them (I have another fun little piece at the tailor…can’t wait!), and a wide waist leather belt has sounded like a fun idea for a little while now. Because I’m short, I’m aware of the tendency for wide belts to be shortening and swallowing, so I kept the color palette the same, so the belt could provide interest, while avoiding contrast.
Have a great week! =)
— Details —
Shirt Banana Republic
Jeans Koral (more Koral)
Shoes Christian Louboutin
Handbag Givenchy (there’s a crossbody version now!)
Watch Michael Kors (also at Zappos)
Belt ASOS
Necklaces Stella & Dot #1 & #2 (c/o)
Rings Tacori (c/o) & Catbird
Sunglasses Banana Republic (c/o)
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Nothing =)
Great idea adding black belt. Entire look is very chic!
http://tinytiffs.blogspot.com
Thank you Tiffany! =)
Do you mind explaining that tendency of shortening to another petite who isn’t aware of it?
I personally love wide belts and wear them all the time, but mostly with loose fit dresses that have that odd looking elastic at the waist, they both hide the elastic and accentuate my narrow waist (and the loose fit makes the rest look less skinny than it is), or with waist high skirts + shirt to make it look more pulled together. I also wear them a bit lower (waist waist, not imperial waist, if that makes sense), they’re slimmer and always contrasting. My last blog post has a picture of me wearing said dress+belt combo, for reference.
Your curls always look so good :) thanks for sharing!
Hi Mariana!
I’ll preface this by saying anything that makes people think they look short or tall (or that others look short or tall) is totally subjective. Your body type and/or frame could look amazing in something that others just don’t, you could exude so much confidence in something that you look amazing no matter what, or you might just simply not care if you look short in something (my attitude about it some days is, “hey, I’m short. Of course I’m going to look short. I’ll wear what I want”.)
I took a look at your post where you’re wearing a belt over a dress and I think it looks great on you! The belt is a great width for you and you have nothing to worry about!
For reference, the shortening concept is this:
1) If you’re short, you’re typically told to avoid visually chopping your body into too many parts with clothing and accessories. Supposedly, things like cuffed jeans, super wide belts, high contrast shoes, and even wearing a high contrast top vs. bottom can visually chop your body, making you look shorter. I throw most of this out the window because I love high contrast shoes, cuffing jeans, and contrasting tops vs. bottoms. To avoid this, short girls are “supposed” to wear low contrast items (like just wearing a monotone outfit), nude colored shoes (so your feet don’t look visually chopped by your shoes), etc.
2) If you’re short, keeping things like prints and accessories to an appropriate scale for your frame keeps you from looking like a child who got into mommy’s closet. I do try to adhere to this idea, because I’m small framed, so I do feel swallowed by things that are proportionally large for me.
So, in regards to this belt, it has the opportunity to visually shorten me for two reasons. 1) it’s a wide swath of black that has the potential to cut my body in half visually if worn against high contrast colors (against a white blouse, for example), and 2) it’s width is very wide against my small frame, so it has the potential to make me look smaller and “swallowed” by fabric. I tried to counteract this (I think I was fairly successful…haha) by layering the black belt over a black top. That way, I hope the belt adds more of a visual and texture interest, while avoiding the “chopping” and “swallowing” stuff. Also, by wearing the belt at my natural waist (it may look like imperial waist to you because I’m short-waisted, so there’s just less room for a waist on my torso in general, let alone for a belt that wide) instead of at my hips, cuts my body in more of 1/3 and 2/3 way, rather than in half. That way, at least my bottom half looks like it’s 2/3 of my body, and the visual illusion of long legs are always good at making people look taller.
I hope that makes sense…and again…it’s totally subjective so don’t put too much weight into any of it. Wear what looks and feels good to you, and if you end up having a “short day”, who cares? You’re short! Of course you’re going to look short! We’re not tricking anyone into thinking we’re super model height anytime soon. ;)
Bit of a different look for you. I like it! Very chic with an edgy vibe.
Thank you Col! Have a great week. =)
Kelly, this is such a rocker chic look on you. so different from the others and I am loving it! The belt adds such a beautiful dimension and proportion to this outfit. Love it all the way!
Love this look on you! Many would envy the size of your waist!!!!
Hi There! Luv you in the obi belt! I’m petite too and can’t wear one because my torso is so short. There’s no where for the belt to go. :) I think that’s probably the trick….they work on people with “normal” to long torsos.
Keep up the cute outfits!
– Meredith
incredibly chic, probably one of my favorite outfits of yours!
LOVE this look! :)
Hi Kelly,
The belt defines your waist very well. What size belt are you wearing? XS or XXS?
Hi Sumana! Thank you! I’m wearing size xxs, but I bet xs would work just as well since all you need to do is wrap it around. =)
Thanks Kelly!