The secret to making your body look longer? Use optical illusions by experimenting with sizes, patterns and colors. Look elegant and beautiful with these 3 styling tips for optically long legs!
Whether you were born with long legs or not, we bet you’d love to make them appear even longer. They can make it appear that your legs are longer than they actually are. Read on to learn more about it!
3 styling tips for optically long legs: Tip no. 1 – find the right pair of jeans and pants
You can’t expect an elongated leg line from every pair of jeans or pants. Pay attention to the following advice.
High-waisted jeans and pants
The easiest way to make your legs appear longer is to raise the position of your waist. That’s because the visual start of your legs is where your torso ends. A smaller torso means more legs. That’s why the extra fabric from the waist to the hem of higher-rise pants makes your legs look longer. Stay away from low-rise pants as they can make your midsection appear even wider.
Choose the pants that best suit your needs. Everyone has slightly different experiences, so try a few different variations and see what works best for you.
Design and leg width of the jeans and trousers
The pants can be of any design and leg width. When choosing, consider your personal style and body shape. But you can try a model that is perfect for optically long legs – jeans or pants with wide legs. The length of your legs and your general shape are concealed by floor-length, wide-leg pants. This is the universally most attractive pant cut!
Correct length of pants
Get your trouser legs hemmed properly! The optimal length is just above the ankle. Pants and jeans that are too high or long at the waist (especially if they hang over your shoes) can make you appear smaller.
Choose the right color and pattern
If you wear dark pants, you will appear slimmer than with light-colored pants. Light colors are fine, but if you want to look slimmer and taller, stick to black, gray, or a dark wash.
Styling tips for optically long legs – vertical stripes
The stretching effect of the vertical lines is achieved by directing the viewer’s gaze up and down.
Tip #2 – Pay attention to shoes
Since the shoes you wear can completely transform an outfit, you should be careful when choosing them. Shoes with spikes, for example, make your legs appear longer. Rounded toes tend to make you appear shorter.
pointy shoes
Shoes with spikes add a few inches to your foot, which in turn makes your leg line appear longer. If you wear heels, pointy stilettos or booties can add a few inches to your look.
Avoid ankle straps
Straps that cross the ankle or the top of the foot horizontally visually cut the leg right at the ankle and give the impression that your legs are shorter than they actually are. If you’re a fan of ankle strap shoes, consider wearing them with tights of the same color so that the line of your legs doesn’t look cut off.
Boots and Booties
If you are going to wear boots, you should choose a pair that has a shank that fits snugly around the ankle. When the upper is wide and chunky, the wearer’s ankle appears chunky, making it appear smaller.
Styling tips for optically long legs – sneakers
Choose shoes with a lower cut if you will be wearing flats or sneakers so that part of your foot and ankle is visible.
Shoes and pants should match
You can make your legs look longer by wearing shoes that match the color of your pants. Definitely avoid pairing tan shoes with black pants as it creates an obvious visual divide.
Shoes that are the same color as your skin will always make your legs appear longer, whether you’re wearing a dress or a skirt.
Tip #3 – style the tops
How should you choose and style your tops correctly to make your legs look longer?
Short jacket
Keep the length of your jacket short to give the appearance of a crop top. This gives you the same visual effect as with high-waisted pants, ie your upper body appears shorter compared to your legs.
Tuck your shirt into your pants
If you tuck your shirt, even partially, into your trousers, your high rise will be shown off to its best advantage. Hem ends that sit at the hip and are not tucked in visibly cut off the top quarter of your legs, making your legs appear shorter.
Wear just one shade from head to toe
The use of a single color for the entire design ensures a continuous visual line. Just make sure your toes and ankles are covered.