A pair of heels may be the quick-fix solution for instant extra height, but some of us prefer to live life a little bit closer to the ground—literally. Either that or you've got a long day on your feet ahead; in any case, the last thing you want is to look stout and stumpy! Below, five of our favorite Instagram style queens show you their tricks to standing tall, even in the comfiest of flats.
LINDA TOL: Keep skirt hemlines high
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/lindatol_
When the heel goes down, the hemlines should go up. While definitely not a set-in-stone fashion rule (and, anyway, you already know how we love breaking those), a shorter skirt no doubt helps create the illusion of height—the more leg you bare, the taller you look!
RENEE DE GUZMAN: Wear your (vertical) stripes
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/reneeedg
This one's fun. If you're in a floor-sweeping ensemble, nothing boosts your line like actual, uh, lines. You could do a full on striped jumpsuit or graphic print trousers, but our favorite piece among five-foot-two-inch Renee's three OOTDs has got to be those sleek black track pants streaked with bold red running stripes. Extra tip: cinch a belt higher up on your waist to stretch your bottom half out even further.
PAOLA MATHE: Expose your ankles
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/findingpaola
Your ankles are one of the smallest parts of your anatomy, so flaunting them helps slim your silhouette by a mile! It's also a great way to make sure your trousers don't cut you off at an awkward angle. Try Paola's fun trick and sneakily flash a chic hint of fishnet just above your sneaks!
MARGARET ZHANG: Go head-to-toe monochrome
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/margaret__zhang
This is exactly how you deceive the eye into seeing one very long, very sleek line: wear a single color (or non-color, in Margaret's case) head-to-toe! The stylist-slash-fashion-photographer is relatively petite at 5'5", but she certainly doesn't look it in these photos. Now you know why!
YOYO CAO: Throw on a long outer layer
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/yoyokulala
Regardless of what you might be wearing underneath, a long outer layer naturally elongates even Yoyo's 5'4" frame! While our tropical situation just isn't the place to be tromping around in thick knits and overcoats, there are other ways—try, perhaps, a shin-grazing sleeveless vest, or even a midi wrap dress left open to trail behind you, cardigan-style. A fashion girl's ingenuity knows no bounds.
