Best Petite Formal Dresses

As someone who is 5’2″, I totally understand how hard it is to find any long dress for petite women. It gets even harder, if you are looking for a long dress for a formal occasion!

Not only I am petite, but also I have a petite clothing line, so I get feedback from thousands of my petite customers.

Based on my own experience, and feedback from my customers, I have put together this comprehensive guide to help you choose the perfect formal long dress for your upcoming occasion.

Petite Evening Dresses

Each silhouette creates a different shape and suits different body types, but there are several that generally look better on short women than others.

This style of petite formal long dresses is designed in such a way that the seam runs vertically from the shoulders down to the hips.

Since you have a shorter frame and less to work with, the most flattering formal petite long dresses are those with simple and sleek silhouette to complement your natural figure.

Petite Formal Dresses

It fits snug on your upper body and flare out under your waist, emphasizing a slim waist that is flattering to petites of all body shapes.

If you go with something overly complicated, you will easily get overwhelmed and it may look like the dress is wearing you.

A line formal petite long dresses are ideal for short women because they hug at your hips to accentuate your waist line of your body.

Best Petite Wedding Guest Dresses For Fall

Don’t underestimate the power of the neckline.  They can totally change the shape of your face and even the look of the whole dress.

It creates ample space around your face, and what that does is to make your face appear more slender, even without the help of make up.

Even though this post is about formal petite long dresses, whether a petite woman should wear short dresses or formal petite long dresses is the never-ending debate.

Where Can I Find Great Petite Formal Dresses?

For petite women, the key to style your jewelry is to draw attention above, not down. That means wearing anything higher up such as hair accessories, earrings and necklaces will draw attention to your face, thus is more flattering.

Many women of petite height have shorter necks. A necklace with a long pendant is a great choice to elongate your short neck.

Despite the current trend of wearing a bold and chunky statement necklace, women of petite height should use caution. Petite women can look overwhelmed by a giant necklace unless they are petite and plus size.

Best Prom Dress For Your Body Type

Pointy toe pumps are the most flattering to short women, period. It may be just half an inch of the difference compared with round toe or square toe, but that slight change makes a whole world of difference in how your legs will look in them.

The lower the vamp, the longer your legs will look. If you don’t know what vamp is, think about those pumps that show a little bit of your toe cleavage.

Straps make your legs look cut-off, so avoid them if you can. For more tips, read my post on “The Best and Worst Shoes if you have Petite Feet“.

Petite Formal Dresses & Gowns

Now, if you know you might be standing or walking quite a bit. Make sure your heels are comfortable enough. I am sharing with you my tips of standing and walking all day in heels on my wedding day on post on “7 Tips on How to Wear Comfortable Heels All Day”.

If you are a curvy petite woman, carrying a tiny clutch may actually make you even bigger and out of proportion.  So, the key is the size of the bag should be in balance with the overall body size of a petite woman.

A good quality brand on the market could cost anywhere from 200 dollars to up to 500 dollars, depending on the designer, fabrics, and details. Since formal dress can be such a high-ticketed item, buying it should be treated like an investment decision.

Petite Prom Gowns, Prom Dress For Petite Figure

Even if you are not ready to throw 500 dollars into a formal dress, you should still have the mindset of investment vs expense.

The mindset of investment means you buy what is the best value from the long-term perspective, whereas the mindset of the expense will lead you to jump on the lowest price for what is trendy this season.

You will need more than one formal dress in your wardrobe for different events. Most of us have our preference for certain colors, styles, and even lengths, and we tend to be shopping for a similar style in our closet.

Petite Size Evening Wear

For formal dresses, the smart way to shop is to get different style and color so that you can wear to multiple events without always looking the same.

Of course if you are shopping for mother of the bride dress, that is the special day of your daughter and you might be ok to just wear the dress once and then put it in your closet as a memory. 

Otherwise, if you are shopping for a wedding guest dress or a dress for a black-tie gala,   you are better off looking for something you can wear more than once.

Must Know Tips To Choose Petite Evening Gown

Hello there! My name is Chi Li, 5'2, founder of PETITE DRESSING, the clothing line for women 5'4 & under. Are you petite and have you been frustrated with what to wear?

Being petite myself, I have been writing about fashion for short women since 2016 and my brand petitedressing.com has touched the lives of millions.

My styling concepts for petite women not only focus on the perfect fit but also on flattering & elongating the petite frame for a lean silhouette, optimizing the proportions.When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.

Sustainable Brands Making Beautiful Ethical Formal Dresses You Can Wear To Weddings And Special Events — Sustainably Chic

Jessica Booth is a journalist with over 10 years of experience and a freelance writer whose work has appeared on sites such as Bustle, Insider, and Refinery29.

/ Lecia Landis So, you've been invited to a wedding—how exciting! Part of going to a wedding means finding the perfect dress for the occasion. Since the goal is to look and feel 10/10, scoring a dress that has a seamless fit is a must. In fact, it should be a non-negotiable! But, for women looking for petite cocktail dresses, this is often easier said than done. Petite dresses aren't always easy to come by and the in-store selection usually isn't ideal either. Trust us, we feel your pain. But, the right dress is most definitely worth the search for a great, comfortable fit that doesn't require (too many) alterations. When the wedding you're attending requires semi-formal attire, a cocktail dress is a good go-to option. Effortless yet elegant, cocktail dresses are easy to dress up or down for a look that you're bound to continue to pull out of your closet for years to come. This dress type can be defined as one that typically falls right above or below the knee, so it's usually on the shorter side. For petite people, finding this length can be difficult because a regular length can sometimes run too long. Instead of needing to be hemmed, purchasing from a designer or retailer that offers petite lengths eliminates the hassle of having to spend any extra money on alterations—meaning more of your dollars can be put towards accessories or shoes! We've searched the market for the best petite cocktail dresses, some of which are versatile enough to be worn to a variety of different weddings, and some of which feel more trendy and modern. Here are our favorites. Our Top Picks Most Feminine: ASOS DESIGN Petite Off-the-Shoulder Twist Detail Voile Mini Dress at Asos Jump to Review Best LBD: ASOS DESIGN Petite Velvet Halter Cross Front Dress at Asos Jump to Review For a Winter Wedding: Not So Serious by Pallavi Mohan Lace Mini Dress at Anthropologie Jump to Review Best Puff Sleeve: Magali Pascal Puff-Sleeved Midi Dress at Anthropologie Jump to Review Most Playful: Hutch Colorblocked Bow-Tie Maxi Dress at Anthropologie Jump to Review Best Wrap Dress: ASOS DESIGN Petite Wrap Around Pleated Mini Dress at Asos Jump to Review For a Garden Wedding: Reformation Petites Juliette Dress at Reformation Jump to Review Best Rewear Dress: Reformation Petites Twilight Dress at Reformation Jump to Review For a Stylishly Modest Look: Reformation Petites Juni Dress at Reformation Jump to Review Best Print: Reformation Petites Sigmund Dress at Reformation Jump to Review Most Feminine ASOS DESIGN Petite Off-the-Shoulder Twist Detail Voile Mini Dress Asos View On Asos Runs: True to size | Size: 00P-12P | Materials: Lace | Length: Mini Looking for a sweet, fun, and feminine little number? Look no further. This lovely blush pink