Do you dream of a slender figure without spending your days in painful pumps? When you are around 1.60 m tall, each outfit detail can shorten or, on the contrary, visually stretch the body. And there, a simple stylist tip changes everything.
Celebrity stylist and author of , Kim Appelt swears by the monochrome outfit, that look built around a single color family. An ultra accessible ruler that promises to gain a few visual centimeters… without heels.
Why the monochrome outfit really elongates the silhouette
For Kim Appelt, everything is based on a very simple optical effect: avoiding breaks between the top and the bottom. To People, she summarizes: , then adds that . Black pants with a black top, a navy skirt with a navy blouse or a beige ensemble let the eye slide without interruption.
Designer Lancy Chia recalls that a buyer told her one day: A vision that is too reductive. On Truekung, she explains on the contrary that she teaches her teams that a monochrome look follows the principle of and not of. For her, .
Pants, long skirts and depth tools: the winning combo
For petite girls, around 1.60 m, the right pants amplify this vertical effect. Grazia reminds us that the wide leg also works very well on small sizes: actress Reese Witherspoon, 1.55 m, wears them regularly. High-waisted, flowing pants coordinated with the shirt create a visual column, provided that the bottom does not accumulate on the shoe and that the waist is well defined.
Lancy Chia talks about her ways to avoid the flat effect: she advises . Cargo or slightly cropped pants that reveal the ankle, matched with a tone-on-tone top, can bring lightness without breaking this line.
Adopt monochrome everyday when you don’t like heels
Contrary to popular belief, long skirts remain excellent allies. When the cut is relatively straight, the waist well placed and a slit reveals a piece of leg, the whole remains vertical. Worn with a top of the same tone, without marked contrast, the silhouette is not “packed”.
In terms of colors, everything works if the top and bottom interact: black, off-white, chocolate, beige, navy or more intense shades. Lancy Chia even talks about collecting and where. For one or a look judged in the past, she focuses on the materials (satin, velvet, wool) rather than on the height of the heel, keeping the bag, the shoes and the small metals in the same color family, far from overloaded looks.
Is a monochrome outfit suitable for women around 1.60 m?
Yes, it’s even the ideal target for this tip. Grazia points out that around 1.60 m, a continuous palette and well-proportioned pants can visually elongate the silhouette, as with Reese Witherspoon who measures 1.55 m.
Can you mix several shades in a monochrome outfit?
According to Lancy Chia, the important thing is to stay within the same color family. She recommends using a base color then adding 2 to 4 similar tones, playing with textures to create relief without breaking the verticality.
What colors should you choose for a monochrome outfit without heels?
Easy-going neutrals work great: black, navy, charcoal, beige, cream, brown, off-white. Both Kim Appelt and Lancy Chia insist above all on the continuity between top, bottom, bag and shoes rather than on a “miracle” shade.
