Overalls are a popular style staple that has long made their mark on fashion history. They’re available in every color and made with every material you can name. They’re cute casual wear and they’re fun to wear, too, which isn’t always true when it comes to clothes. But if you’re not tall in stature, wearing overalls is a little tricker. Do overalls make you look shorter? If you don’t wear them the right way, they definitely can. That’s why you have to be careful about styling this item. Learn the right way to do it and wear your overalls with plenty of style that will have you walking tall.
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Overalls in Fashion
They’re worn by the hottest and newest celebs on social media constantly, but overalls have been around for a long time. They were actually created first as military wear but quickly caught on across the ocean.
The First Overalls
Made with durable fabric in a design that provided a lot of protection, overalls became popular with people in the U.S. where there were lots of tough jobs to be done. Farmers, miners and builders loved the durable overalls, especially once they got a little upgrade from a man who would make some pretty big waves in fashion in the decades and century to come: Levi Strauss.
Along with a tailor in Nevada named Jacob Davis, Levi Strauss made pants for working men made out of durable denim fabric that was reinforced with copper rivets. The tough fabric, the reinforcements and the overall comfort of the design were an innovation that changed workwear for ever.
Working men loved them and soon, blue jeans spread all across the U.S. Strauss, never one to miss an opportunity in business, decided to offer overalls made in denim, too, and farmers across the country were soo wearing them while working in their fields.
Evolution of Overalls
The image of back-in-the-day farmers wearing overalls is an iconic one and it represents a chapter in American fashion unlike any other. Back then, overalls were meant to be a little bit baggy. After all, you need to be able to move around and bend, twist and work with ease when you’re on a farm.
Later, overalls broke out into pop fashion and made the transition to the runways. Music artists, hot celebrities and fashionable people of all types were wearing overalls all of a sudden. They have stopped being strictly workwear and now they’re high fashion, too. And seeing how popular they are might make you want to wear them also.
When you do, you probably don’t want them to make you look a lot shorter. But if you don’t wear them the right way, there’s a good chance they will shorten your body and have the exact opposite look of what you’re going for when you put on overalls. Learn all the tricks to making yourself look taller with your fashion. Overalls are actually a perfect garment for giving your body a longer look.
Overall Overalls Guide
The way your clothing fits says a lot about you and some of the mistakes you might be making with your overalls are definitely going to make you look shorter. Not only will you look shorter, but you’ll also look less well-dressed overall. You won’t look quite as put together even if you took a lot of time and care with your outfit. Because when it comes to style, the key is to get a good fit. If your overalls are making you look shorter, you don’t have the right fit.
Avoid common overall styling problems to get a great fit for your overalls and do more to flatter your natural shape and height. When you wear overalls the right way, you’ll love the end results.
Length
The length of your pants has a big effect on how your legs and your entire body looks. If your pants are too short, they will have an effect that sort of visually cuts off your legs and makes them look much shorter than they are. Even if you’re starting with a tall frame, cropped and short pant styles are going to have this effect and make your legs look inches shorter. So if you’re starting with a shorter frame already, this can really have a jarring final result.
Pants, including overalls, should fall right to the bottom of the ankle bone. This is the right length to give you a longer silhouette overall, which helps to create the illusion of height.
Flare
Wearing wide leg styles may be popular and you may easily find these styles everywhere when you’re shopping, but flaring styles have a way of making legs look chunkier and shorter. The widening at the bottom has an effect that is similar to cropped pants, in that it breaks up the natural line of your leg. You want a long, unbroken line to create the look of height. Short lines are going to make your whole frame look short. Stick to skinny and straight leg styles, which have a streamlined look that is lengthening on the legs.
Cuffs
Cuffs at the bottom of pants and overall is a stylish look for some and very on trend with certain styles, particularly looser-fit styles like boyfriend jeans and overalls. But cuffs at the bottom of your overalls create a visual break that will, ultimately, make your legs look shorter. Your legs will look like they end at the cuffs, when it would be visually better for you to have the longest leg line possible. Avoid cuffs or you will visually stunt your legs.
Pants of all kinds, including overalls, can be cut and re-hemmed so they are a perfect length. This eliminates the need for cuffs. Just tailor them to get a better fit. This is a very easy alteration to make and can be done pretty quickly.
Pattern Matters
If you want to appear taller, or at least don’t want to look shorter than you are, avoid horizontal stripes at all costs. Patterns won’t do you any favors most of the time, particularly large-print patterns. Stick to solid-color designs in darker shades. This has a slimming and lengthening effect. Aso, don’t wear too many colors. Stick to a basic palette of one, two or three colors to avoid making a mistake that will visually shorten your body. A monochromatic outfit will have the best effect on shorter frames, as this creates the look of height.
Lots of colors and large, busy patterns will sort of visually chop up your body, leaving you with shortened lines when want you want is long, clean lines to make you look tall and commanding.
The Bib
The way the bib of overalls fits affects how the overalls look overall, which can make you look shorter…overall. A drooping, sagging, too-large bib will create the effect of weight up top and pull the eye downward. This can make your body look shorter overall and it will create a visual division between your torso and your legs. That won’t do you any favors when you have a short frame.
You want your entire frame to appear long from top to bottom, with no big breaks, to create that look of being tall. Clean, long lines are what will make you look taller. Visual breaks and sags are only going to shorten those lines and create just the opposite effect of what you want.
Add a Heel
A little bit of a heel will make legs look longer. Even a short heel can add the illusion of extra inches to your legs. Men can do this as well by wearing cowboy boots, which have a little bit of a heel on them. The pointed toe of the cowboy boots is perfect, as this design makes the legs look longer.
Pointed toe shoes are a wonderful way to elongate the foot, which visually lengthens the legs even though your legs stay the exact same length no matter what shoes you’re wearing. Fashion is all about tricking the eye and pointed toe shoes trick eyes into making you look taller!
Fit
Baggy overalls have been a popular look several times in fashion history and overalls started out as a baggy, loose-fitting design…but that just won’t work on shorter bodies. Choose overalls that have a fairly close fit all over. A straight fit or a tapering skinny fit will suit your shorter frame the best. This creates a column-like silhouette that will make you appear to be taller than you are. Your overalls don’t have to be and should not be skin tight but they should fit your body well with no visible saggy or big, loose areas. Clothes that fit you well are much more flattering on your body overall.
Choose the Right Top
The top you pair with your overalls has a big impact on your overall look and can even make you look taller if you’re doing it the right way. You want a top that fits you well, nothing that is too long in the sleeves or too baggy on the body. Continue to avoid horizontal stripes and large, busy patterns that will shorten your torso and your entire body.
A low-cut neckline can help make your neck look longer, which continues that lengthening theme throughout your body. If you make all the different areas of your body look longer, you will look taller overall.
Do Overalls Make You Look Shorter?
Overalls can make you look shorter if you aren’t styling them specifically to give yourself the appearance of length, particularly if you’re starting with a frame that’s on the shorter side already. Avoid the style mistakes that will shorten your body and always dress to lengthen your frame. Straight lines create a clean, elongated look. Remember this when you’re dressing and you will always be able to style your shorter frame to look tall and elegant.
Sources:
Men’s Journal – 9 Style Mistakes Short Guys Should Never Make
Modern Farmer – Bib Overalls: From Farmwear to Fashion Icon
Northwest Blonde – A Short Girl’s Guide to Wearing Overalls
Straight A Style Blog – How to Wear Overalls – Styling Tips and Tricks to Avoid Looking Like a Farmer
Under 5’10 – Top 7 Style Mistakes That Make You Look Shorter