Today we’re talking how to dress if you’re a little shorter than the average. When dressing a short body, the trick is to wear things that fool the eye into thinking the body is longer and leaner than it looks. Whether you’re 5’6 or 5’9, skinny or chubby – you need to wear clothes that are similar in tone and fitted to the body.

Here are all the tips and tricks you’ll need to arm yourself with when shopping!

• Wear things that emphasize vertical lines. Try wearing v-necks, vertical stripes, skinny ties and skinny scarves in order to trick the eye into thinking your body’s longer.

• Tuck your shirt in! Either that or wear tops that stop around the belt area, that’ll help keep your legs looking longer.

• Fit is very important. When you’re short, anything too large will make you look shorter than you are. In fact it’s better to go for a fit that’s slightly too small than too large.

• Avoid wearing oversized-anything.

• Wear fitted trousers. Fitted doesn’t have to mean skinny! Of course skinny jeans are a good option if you’re shorter but that may not be your style. Go for a nice slim-fit instead, trousers and jeans should fit close to the thighs and butt.

• Watch your hems. If your trousers are too long, they’ll pool at the shoe and make you look like you borrowed your older brother’s jeans. Make sure there’s only a very slight gather of hem at your shoe, if you can’t find trousers that are short enough – have a tailor hem them. It costs next to nothing and makes a huge difference. Don’t wear turn-ups!

• Don’t clash too much. If your bottom half is dark, don’t make the top half stark white because it’ll effectively cut your body in half and make you look shorter. Try to wear clothes that are similar in tone or bridge the gap with a jacket/cardigan/jumper that’s a similar tone to your trousers (like Zac does when he wears a white tee).

• Shoes are very important if you’re short. Boots or chunky sneakers are a fantastic way to add height without looking too obvious. Try to keep the colour of your shoes in a similar family to your trousers. A white sneaker with dark blue jeans will make your legs look shorter than they are. Try switching to a darker shoe so that your bottom half is a more uniform colour – it’ll make your legs look longer.

Skinny scarf/tie, scoop neck tee, slim-fit jeans, black boots and a fitted jacket. Styled with River Island clothing.

• Stand up straight! A good posture can make you look much taller. You’d be surprised how much we slouch at computer desks, try standing up straight with your shoulders back! If your posture’s appalling, try a bit of yoga to set yourself straight.

• Hair. Shorter hair will make you look taller, leave the longer styles to lanky folk.

• Stay fit. A broad body will make a short person look even shorter. Not only does this mean you need to keep your weight in check, it’s also important to build lean muscle rather than bulking up when you go to the gym. Focus on getting you body lean and toned, rather than ripped and bulky.

And there you have it, how to dress a shorter frame! Next time we’ll be talking tall guys…