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Whether or not you were born with long legs, you can still make it seem that way. Check out these six easy ways to create an elongating illusion.
Match Your Shoes and Pants. Choose shoes that are the same color as your stockings, pants or socks. This monochromatic look will create a clean line that seriously elongates your legs. Shoes, socks, stockings and/or pants that are different colors, on the other hand, will accentuate the separation between your feet and your legs. This will, in turn, make your legs look even shorter than they are. One of our go-to combos? Black booties and black trousers.
Pick Dark Pants. In general, dark colors have a slimming effect. Wearing pants in hues like black, gray or oxblood will make your legs look thinner, which will also create the illusion that your legs are longer than they are.
Choose Nude Shoes. Even if you aren’t wearing pants, you can still get the look of longer legs. When you have on a skirt or dress with nude stockings or bare legs, nude pumps are the way to go. This will make it look like your legs simply flow into your feet (just as when you match your shoes with your pants), which has an overall elongating effect. The high heels, of course, will add to this illusion even further.
Go With High Waists. Wearing high-waist pants–ones that lie above the hipbones–is another easy way to make your legs look longer than they are. Conversely, pant with a low waist will take a few inches off of your legs. Tucking your shirt into your pants will also help – this will make your torso look shorter than it is, and your legs relatively longer.
Wear Vertical Stripes. Generations of women have enjoyed the almost magical illusion created by wearing vertical lines. By causing the eye to move up and down, they making whatever body part the lines are covering look longer (and also, conveniently, slimmer) than it really is. And stripes aren’t the only thing that serve this purpose: Creases, pleats, corduroy, piping, and vertically placed buttons all can bring about the same effect.
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Skip Ankle Straps. Of-the-moment ankle straps might look cute, but they aren’t good for making legs look longer than they are. In fact, by breaking up the leg, they cut it off and make it seem even shorter. The same problem occurs when you wear booties, which means tall boots are the way to go.
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