I sometimes feel like Zara was put on this earth to taunt me. I hop onto its site, confident as can be, certain that I'll come away with a bounty. I leave either empty-handed or with a lone pair of shoes. Clearly, there are worse things in life (plus, you'll find some spectacularly expensive-looking footwear options in-store right now), but I'm always a bit disappointed that those tailored flares are so long they'd lose their silhouette if I took them up or that the standout dress I've been ogling online would be perfect if only the waistline sat in line with my petite proportions. I have an hourglass figure, too, and Zara's clothes appear to be far better suited to people who are tall, straight up and down and within a rather limited sizing range.
Many of us appreciate the impeccably high standards of Zara's trend-driven goods, but if only the retailer would cater to people around the 5'1" mark more often, right? I've tried on enough pieces over the years to be able to confidently say that the below categories do tend to fit me better. There are a few key pointers below, as well as some of the most petite-friendly new-in pieces. As always, buy the items that are built to last, suit your personal style and work within what you already own. Hope it helps you, my fellow short friends!
1. BLAZERS
Style Notes: Okay, so there's no denying that you might need to roll up a sleeve (or get something professionally altered) but I've always found that Zara blazers don't come up too long in the body and tend to fit well on the waist and shoulders.
Shop the best Zara blazers:
2. STRETCHY DRESSES
Style Notes: Whenever I've tried dresses from Zara that are more fitted or have buttons, waist-wraps or anything more structured, they just never ever sit in the right place. So I've discovered that their knitted, stretchy and jersey pieces work best.
Shop the best stretchy Zara dresses:
3. CROPPED TOPS AND JUMPERS
Style Notes: It probably sounds like a no-brainer to opt in for Zara's shorter hemlines on items such as crop tops, but you'll sometimes find you almost get a normal-length top instead and that can be a handy addition to one's wardrobe as well.
Shop the best Zara cropped tops:
4. SHORTER HEMLINES
Style Notes: Opt for shorter-hemline skirts and dresses, and they should still be a decent enough length. Don't even think about buying a maxi dress unless you're happy for it to trail through mud and be destroyed!
Shop the best Zara minis:
5. CO-ORDS
Style Notes: Where jumpsuits and dresses can be tricky to get right for petite proportions, it's a little bit easier with co-ords as you can have the flexibility to style them to suit. For example, you could knot an oversized shirt to tame it. Warning: You may still need to get trousers tailored to length.
Shop the best Zara co-ords:
+ Zara Voluminous Skirt (£80)
+ Zara Printed Voluminous Skirt (£50)
+ Zara Patchwork Trousers (£50)
Up next, the best wide-leg trousers for petite girls.
This story was published at an earlier time and has since been updated.
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