Oversized Blazer Tips for Petite Women | How to Style Guide
The oversized blazer trend has been around for many seasons now with no signs of relenting. If you’re petite, perhaps you’ve passed on this trend thinking it wouldn’t work for your body type. I’m here to prove to you otherwise. The purpose of this post is to offer restored hope that you can make this trend work for you with the help of these tips and outfit ideas.
Including the boyfriend blazer trend in your wardrobe can be easily achieved with a stop to your nearest thrift shop or a visit to your favorite preloved online store. For me, I love to find either men’s or women’s blazers at my local thrift stores that are significantly larger than my normal size. This is such an economical and sustainable way to embrace a trend that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast.
The three extra-large blazers I feature in the looks below are all thrifted women’s blazers. The beauty, and sometimes the curse, of shopping at second-hand shops is that 99% of the time there’s only one size of any single item. For this trend, that’s okay because you want your preloved blazer to be larger than your typical size and when you’re petite most thrifted items won’t be the appropriate size.
Tip #1 | Wear an Oversized Blazer as a Blazer Dress With Strappy Heeled Sandals
The first and easiest tip is for petite women to wear an oversized blazer as though it’s a dress. Wearing a boyfriend blazer in this way works for smaller frames because it allows your bare legs to help define your figure and when you combine this with high heeled sandals you have the added bonus of the leg-lengthening effect that the heels offer 👡.
While the vintage Armani blazer I’m wearing isn’t an official blazer dress, you can make most oversized blazers work as though they are. The one thing to keep in mind when you’re using a boyfriend blazer in this way is that they may be shorter than a typical blazer dress. To accommodate for this and feel more comfortable with the shorter length, style it over bike shorts (as I’ve done here). For a cooler day or additional modesty, leggings would also work.
Bold, white-framed sunglasses added some dazzle to this otherwise unassuming color palette and just the right amount of sporty, chic vibes. A structured lunchbox-style purse also complimented the boxy shape of the oversized blazer.
– OUTFIT DETAILS –
HEELED SANDALS | Bershka (similar by Cult of Coquette)
PURSE | Sans Beast (current styles by Sans Beast)
SUNGLASSES | Oakley (current styles by Oakley)
Tip #2 | Choose a Boyfriend Blazer in Vertical Stripes & Wear With Jet Black Trousers
Another commonly known and used trick to appear not only taller but also slimmer is to wear vertical stripes. Vertical striping tricks the eye in an optical illusion kind of way, which is just the thing you need when height isn’t your strong suit. These are not to be confused with horizontal stripes, which can have the opposite effect. When you apply this vertical patterning to a boyfriend blazer it’s just the thing for smaller women to not look as though they are being consumed by their blazer.
A vertical prison striped blazer combined with leg-lengthening loose-fit black trousers makes for a winning combination for any petite frame. I think we all know the slimming benefits black-colored clothing has on a woman’s figure and by selecting black slacks that are so long they spill over your loafers, strangely enough, also creates the illusion of height. Punches of post-box red added just enough drama to breathe life into this black and white ensemble.
– OUTFIT DETAILS –
RED LOAFERS | By Blanch (similar by Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather and Carmona Collection)
PURSE | Angela Roi (current styles by Angela Roi)
SUNGLASSES | Oakley (current styles by Oakley)
Tip #3 | Layer An Oversized Blazer Over Fitted Layers Such as Ankle Grazing Pants
The trick used with this pastel-toned outfit was to wear fitted pieces under the boyfriend blazer.
By applying this trick, your shape is visibly defined by your base layers rendering the large size of the blazer less worrisome.
Also, by using darker colored tones on your bottom half (here with creamsicle ankle cropped jeans and lilac sandals) it helps to draw the eye away from the bagginess of the pastel blue blazer and focus the viewer’s attention on the form-fitting colored jeans.
The ankle crop and slight flare of the trousers is also a flattering length and shape for shorter women and works beautifully paired with an oversized blazer.
If you’re digging these lavender dad sandals as much as I do, check out my other post I dedicated just to them (Vegan Arizona Birkenstocks | The Dad Sandals You Won’t Want to Take Off) for additional styling ideas.
– OUTFIT DETAILS –
LILAC SANDALS | Birkenstock
PURSE | Sans Beast (current styles by Sans Beast)
SUNGLASSES | Oakley (current styles by Oakley)
Final Thoughts
The overarching idea for the tricks used throughout this post is relying on known techniques that petite women generally use to appear taller and applying them to the oversized blazer trend; whether that’s with color (black-colored clothing or using darker shades to draw the eye to slimmer body parts), patterning (vertical rather than horizontal stripes), balance (offsetting bulkier items with slim-fitting pieces), or of course, wearing high heels.
Other tricks that can help a boyfriend blazer from overpowering a petite frame are to belt it (check out my Sweater as a Scarf post, my post on Equestrian Styling, or the post I wrote on How to Dress Up Jeans to see that trick in action) or roll up the sleeves (aka “Bosch” it up) so the slimmest portion of your arm is visible (I demonstrate how this helps in my Mixing Prints & Patterns post and my post on How to Style Brown With Blue, where you should recognize the same sky blue blazer).
For additional styling ideas for your oversized blazers, see my other posts where I show you how to wear a boyfriend blazer with shorts, with a skirt and ankle boots, with dress pants and riding boots, with a Pretty Woman-esque skirt, belted over a dress with ankle boots, or belted over straight-leg jeans with heels. In case it wasn’t obvious, I’m an oversized blazer lover and I hope this post has turned you into one too!
And if you think biker shorts aren’t for petite women, check out my tips for styling bicycle shorts and you might also like to read about the latest jeans styles that are flattering for petites.
For more styling hacks for petites check out my other posts for short girls on:
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As always, happy styling!
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Michelle Rothenburger
Michelle Rothenburger is a vegan fashion blogger whose work has been featured in such publications as Marie Claire, InStyle, Woman & Home, and Vilda. Find out more by reading Michelle’s full story (from bullied to fashion influencer) and feel free to send her a personal message.
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- I’m 5’ 3”, Here’s How I Style Dad Shirts | Tips for Petites
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to leave a kind comment! 💛