First up, the lovely blogger over at Budget Chic proves style can be fierce at any height. Guess how tall she is—go ahead, guess! You'll never believe that Ms. Chic is exactly 5-feet tall. I had been reading her blog for months under the assumption she was at least 5'8" until I read her "About" page. Choosing just three outfits to feature here was tough, so definitely check out her blog (http://fdiary.wordpress.com/) to see more great looks, but I feel these looks demonstrate a couple key techniques.

First, in the picture on the left, Budget Chic dispels the myths that short women can't wear 1) cropped pants, 2) oversized accessories or 3) ankle boots. By finding the proper cut and fit of both her jacket and pants, she makes this outfit work for her height and body type. The slits in the booties help elongate her legs and prevents them from looking cut off from the rest of the ensemble. The giant flower pin adds real interest and personality to the look. Very Carrie Bradshaw, don't you think? It's no surprise that Sarah Jessica Parker is one of Budget Chic's personal fashion muses (who happens to be short herself!).

In the middle look, Budget Chic rocks one of her wardrobe staples, the pencil skirt. Slimming, feminine, and classic, a pencil skirt that hits just below the knee is a short fashionista's best friend. And you'll rarely spy Budget Chic wearing flats: The woman LOVES shoes, the taller the better! Can you blame her? High heels give any woman a boost and create a long, lean line.

In the look on the right, Budget Chic is dressed to kill in a gorgeous Grecian inspired frock. Short fashionistas can have fun with any trend. Just look at those gladiator heels! To die for. Also, you know how all the fashion mags tell short women not to wear shoes with ankle straps? I don't buy it. Budget Chic often wears flirty ankle straps and they look amazing!




There's no shortage of short celebrities from which you can draw fashion inspiration. Nicole Richie has always impressed me with her ability to wear exaggerated proportions and somehow make them work on her tiny frame. At least, I think she does. She works giant shades, carries ginormous bags, and isn't afraid of full, flowing, floor-length gowns. I do worry sometimes that the girl isn't eating enough, but the former Rachel Zoe protégé has a huge following for her fashion sense.



Inspiration for short fashionistas abounds on Chictopia, an online fashion community site where readers comment on uploaded photographs. If you create a personalized profile at Chictopia, you can browse photos of other chic-sters based on body type and yes, even height! How cool is that? The uber cute fashionista above, Michelle Yue, is 5 feet tall. She pulls off layered looks and edgy pieces in ways I can only dream of doing. Check out her Chictopia blog (http://www.chictopia.com/user/blog/MichelleYue) for more unbelievable looks.

What's your advice for short fashionistas? Are certain styles "off-limits"? What styles look best for women under 5'4"?