Thread: Longer legs, shorter torso?

Okay, so I've been thinking about what kind of costumes would be most flattering on someone of my shape. I have longer legs and a shorter torso for my height. Supposedly the average inseam for a woman of 5'4" is 29" and mine is 31.5". I wear 38" skirts perfectly. I have a large bust and large hips with a nice waist line. Basically, I am hourglass, but kind of squashed down a little at the top ..l;, ..cr.:

I LOVE bedlah with big circle skirts with long slits in them. Is this ideal for my shape? Or is it making me look like a muffin? I'd like to give the illusion that my torso is longer, to balance it out. I hike up the ladies which helps a little, but not by too much.

Any tips??

I'm the same body type!!!

I'm 5'5" with a 33.5" inseam, huge hips, big butt, small waist, medium boobs, and a really really short torso in proportion to the legs. I totally know what you mean about feeling like a muffin!!

I prefer the bedlah/skirt combos too, but have been finding that endless wave pants tend to look better on me than with full skirts which make me feel like a big muffin. Costumes that are form fitting on the hips and then flare out (mermaid and trumpet style) seem to look the best on me if I can find ones that don't accentuate my muffin top. I think they help lengthen my torso.

It really helps to do bras that don't have lots of fringe hanging down... they make my torso look smaller. A line of fringe in the middle or looped fringe looks good.

I also pull down my belts as far as I feel comfortable to get a little extra torso skin showing.

With street clothes, I wear longer form fitting shirts that go halfway down my hip.

Me, three. I wear bedlahs with various skirts (although 3 panel and trumpets are my favorites). Wear the belts low. You will still look proportionate.

I agree with Leisdi that long fringe in bras are not a good look. If there is fringe in the cups, I try to make sure it doesn't come below the bottom of the cups. Although I do like a good belly drape.

Also, to help minimize the look of muffin top, tuck and drape your circle skirts! Pouf make great camouflage!

{{{HUGS}}}

Oh I forgot about that Tahira! I tuck my circle skirts too sometimes and that really helps. It draws more attention to my big hips and less to my short torso.

Also, I've noticed that bedlah with v-like shapes or dips in the front that let more of my belly hang out make me look longer too.

I'm the same way, too, except a more "athletic figure" aka, no waist at all. I'm muscular and have thin, muscular legs, and then a wide ribcage, no waist, and short torso. Still trying to find the perfect costuming! I'm not too bad, since I'm fit, but not the "ideal" shape. Not that many of us are!

I HAVE noticed that giant fringe on cups make me look like, well, i basically have no torso XD In fact the first costume I made had the workhorse V on the bra and when I saw a pic of me in costume, I looked like some kind of doll! It did the exact opposite of what I wanted, especially with heels.

thanks for the tips! I've got a semi-mermaid style costume on the way, I can judge that when it gets here. I got the American Icon II from Dahlal, the coin one with the supa long fringe down the middle, and I LOVE the way it looks on me! It keeps me contained and lifted in the top half with a nice long line going down the middle. I think that line helps make a "longer torso" illusion. Oh and yeah, I love tucking the skirts into my belts! It does help, both contain the visual eye to my hips instead of my short torso, and it also helps me mentally. IDK, it just feels good :)

I also do the same thing with street wear, which is very beneficial for me since long shirts are the fashion in us young'ns now.

thanks for the tips ladies!!

I would think the Great Loop would look nice b/c it sits on the high hip and dips down on the belly, giving a longer torso look.

I have the same shape. I'm 5'6 but my waist is pretty short. Straight skirts look best on me but I do like to wear the full ones too. But not too full like tribal dancers wear or I look all hips. I make sure the belt covers a good portion of my hips so it makes the skirt look like it's starting a little lower, thus making the skirt look more proportionate to my body.

I like shorter fringe or looped swag on my bra and belt sets. I also love big skirts and find if I wear my belt a little low it works. Look for belts with a slight dip in the front to elongate your torso. Also avoid too much fringe covering your upper body. V fringe on a bra looks nice as does a small accent of fringe between the cups.

And if you have a nice waist, please show it! The worst thing you can do is wear one of those waist chains. As much as I love them, they just cut me in half.

Originally Posted by Elianae

I'm the same way, too, except a more "athletic figure" aka, no waist at all. I'm muscular and have thin, muscular legs, and then a wide ribcage, no waist, and short torso. Still trying to find the perfect costuming! I'm not too bad, since I'm fit, but not the "ideal" shape. Not that many of us are!

Thats me, to a T! In fact, I am a T!!!!! Look for things that will visually lengthen the upper body. Red bedlah with red skirt lengthens. Gold bedlah with red skirt shortens. Lycra bra with lycra skirt with embellishment at the hip rather than separate belt lengthens. Gauntlets lengthen. Armbands shorten. Add height to your hair. Choose necklaces that drop down low into your cleavage instead of a choker style. Fringe between the cups and not on them. Anything to draw the eye up and down the body will help give a lengthening illusion to your upper body.

I have narrow hips and butt compared to my shoulders and bust so I like wide skirts, trumpet skirts, full skirts with drapes and godets to give a more hourglass shape to balance the upper body. For you with wider hips already you could emphasize your long legs with straighter skirts with long slits and then lengthen the upper body with all the things I mentioned above.

So in short, look for vertical instead of horizontal design elements; add upper body length with an updo hair, crown, tiara, hair bump, high pony tail, etc.; go for single color rather than blocks of color.

And practice being a queen when you dance so that you build the muscle memory to stand tall and pull your chest up off your hips as much as possible.

Hope that helps.

Wow, Souzan, I'm going to use this information about the colors! Great tips!!

haha Fotia, I tried on a belly chain after seeing one on a video and thought, "Wow neat!"...no. the lady in the video had a loooong torso so it looked nice, on me...no...just...no.

that's funny, I always was told that arm bands also expand the chest, which i really don't need/want. I'll try gauntlets...

I've heard headbands make you seem taller, thus making you longer, but I just hate the way they look on me! I can only wear them if they are showing at the crown, then kind of disappear, otherwise they always seem to make my face super round!

Originally Posted by Elianae

I'm the same way, too, except a more "athletic figure" aka, no waist at all. I'm muscular and have thin, muscular legs, and then a wide ribcage, no waist, and short torso. Still trying to find the perfect costuming! I'm not too bad, since I'm fit, but not the "ideal" shape. Not that many of us are!

this is me, I find that the lower I wear my belts, the longer my torso appears. careful of crackage in the back, I wear the fronts just at the hip bone line. Also shows off the fullest part of my hips.

Again, keep the back hiked up (elastic helps with this) and say no to crack.

I keep thinking that with these proportions, we will always be wearing a "short skirt and a loooooooooong jacket!"

Anyway, I like these tips. I always make sure my belts curve to try and pretend that I have a torso.

Originally Posted by eden_eyes

haha Fotia, I tried on a belly chain after seeing one on a video and thought, "Wow neat!"...no. the lady in the video had a loooong torso so it looked nice, on me...no...just...no.

that's funny, I always was told that arm bands also expand the chest, which i really don't need/want. I'll try gauntlets...

I've heard headbands make you seem taller, thus making you longer, but I just hate the way they look on me! I can only wear them if they are showing at the crown, then kind of disappear, otherwise they always seem to make my face super round!

Oh I know, those things just seem to cut you in half and make you look even shorter in the middle!

I used to hate them, but now I love gauntlets and headbands. I think they help with lengthening or at least drawing attention away from the shortness of my torso.