First off, your slacks should be a modern neutral shade. The new neutral nowadays is brown. Many individuals have not considered this a neutral as a great many women still consider black the mainstay; however, brown is a most compatible color with many other color palettes and you can't go any less wrong with brown then you can with black, so definitely consider brown when dressing for fashion success.
Since you are more on the short side, you may want to look for slacks or trousers with a hint or an obvious pinstripe in the pattern. Do not feel concerned that you will not be able to dress this type of trouser up with prints as well as solids as a neutral shade with a pinstripe looks very nice with a plain or print patterned blouse.
Also, assure that the waist of your slacks falls just slightly below your own natural waist as what we are trying to do here is minimize the fact you are short-waisted.
Also, a shoe with a slight heal; however, not a real fat heal is best advised. Assure the hem of your trousers hits about mid-heal. You want to wear heals for additional height and your shoes should be comfortable; therefore, you don't want a heel that is overly excessive in its height, just enough to make a comfortable difference.
The blouse you pair with your trousers should fall, again just below the waist of your trousers. It does not need to be tucked inside as long as it is hemmed. Wear a jacket of similar proportion as the blouse with the jacket falling at around the same location as the blouse.
Try to find nice fabrics to initiate this look. Fabrics such as cotton blends and linens will make you feel especially confident.
Depending where you live, climate and time of year will make all the difference; therefore, if the climate is cold then as far as trousers, you may want to look for a wool blend. Just make sure whatever fabric you choose, you are not allergic. The majority of better pieces are lined so irritation from a wool blend should not present a problem. Cottons are wonderful choices as they allow for easy comfort in warm climates. Always keep in mind whether vintage shopping or shopping at retail the versatility and durability of choosing better fabrics. Even a lady on a rather tight budget can afford to purchase better blends if she chooses to shop the sales or vintage boutiques.
The other item petite ladies need to address are dresses. Loose fitting dresses can be quite flattering and look better then something that is situated too closely around a short waist. Many styles in the eighties provided short waisted women with a cloth belt that even made the woman look shorter and short waisted. Try to stay away from this look. Wear shorter style skirts and dresses, if you have the legs for it and an average heel to give you more stature.
Accessories should never be heavy on a petite size woman. You don't want to look as if you are carrying the burden of your jewelry around your neck. Possible suggestions include daintier and better class jewelry such as small gold hoop earrings meaning enormously small hoops and necklaces that can be worn with an open collar blouse and positioned comfortably around the circumference of the neck. Keep jewelry, proportionate with your own petite dimensions and try not to make a statement by over-accessorizing yourself.
Hair and makeup on the petite woman are extremely important. As well, nails both feet and hands should always be well-manicured. The reason being, the whole idea is to keep people focused on your other features and less on your height. If you keep yourself exceptionally well-groomed in these essential areas your lack of girth will be less of a factor. People will see you as an exceptionally neat woman and will not even recall that you are especially short. This brand of psychology is totally practical as it relates to our petite size lady.
As far as your hair try using some highlights, if your hair is brown or slightly lighter. That is if highlighting compliments the rest of your features. This is the perfect solution in getting people's attention away from your height.
If you are a younger lady, a nice matte foundation and other makeup applied evenly and not over excessively will get people to notice your hair and face more than your height. Pay special attention to have your brows groomed to perfection.
As far as a purse, try an average size shoulder bag. You needn't accessorize with a very small bag as this may look as if you are over-emphasizing the fact you are petite. No, the suggestion here is just get a normal size shoulder bag, one you can comfortably carry over your arm. This is one accessory item you will enjoy purchasing as you can have your run of average size purses of which you may carry.
However, the main thing to keep in mind in your situation is to keep hair and makeup in top form and you will have other individuals focused or trained on the fact you are so well-manicured, easily forgetting your dimensions from top to bottom.
Also, carry yourself at full-height and with an air of confidence (not arrogance of course) but just overall self-esteem. This in itself, along with your well-manicured look can win you all types of success in your dealings with the outside world and how they relate to you, many times far more than other people with perfect dimensions.
