Style
How to dress to look taller
Proportion does most of the work. A few rules on colour, fit and length that lengthen the line of any outfit.
The eye reads a figure from top to bottom. Every hard stop along the way, whether a contrasting belt, a pile of fabric at the ankle or an oversized jacket, shortens the line it travels.
Build one continuous line
Dress in tones of a single colour from shoulder to shoe. A navy knit with navy trousers, or charcoal from collar to boot, lets the eye move without interruption and reads as one long vertical.
If you want contrast, keep it near the face. A white collar under a dark knit draws attention upward. Contrast at the waist does the opposite and cuts the body in two.
One colour, head to toe. Charcoal knit, charcoal trousers, black Chelsea boots.
Match the trouser to the shoe
Dark trousers into dark shoes extend the leg. A white trainer works the same way with light denim or stone chinos. What breaks the line is a strong jump in colour at the ankle, such as black trousers, white socks and a brown shoe.
Get the trouser length right
Fabric that stacks at the ankle makes the leg look shorter. Aim for no break or a slight break, with the hem just touching the top of the shoe.
A slim, tapered cut reads longer than a wide or very skinny one. A mid to high rise raises the visual waistline, and tucking in a shirt shows where the leg begins.
Keep the top half fitted
Shoulder seams should sit on the shoulder bone. Jackets and overshirts that finish around the hip, rather than mid-thigh, give the leg more length. Oversized pieces swallow the frame and blur its proportions.
Small details that pull upward
Then the shoes
Footwear is where the line ends, so it carries the most weight. Every Zunuci style has its lift, from 2.0″ to 3.1″, built inside the construction. From the outside each pair reads as an ordinary trainer, boot or brogue, so the outfit keeps its proportions and the shoe gives nothing away.
