Armoire Fashion for Petites Over 40 by Style Expert Beth Ferguson
This post on fashion for petites over 40 was written and styled in collaboration with Armoire member and petite blogger, Beth Ferguson. You can see more of her Armoire looks on her blog Serious About Style or on her Instagram at @sasforshort.
At Armoire, our goal is to become the closet for every woman. In the few years since we started, we’ve already expanded into maternity and plus-size clothing rental. Exciting, right?! While Armoire doesn’t carry petite sizes (… yet), petite women, like Beth, can still take advantage of the convenience, sustainability and style that comes with an Armoire membership. To gain a few pointers on fashion (including rental) for petites over 40, we asked Armoire member and petite blogger, Beth Ferguson to give us a few tricks of the trade.
Beth’s Tips for Incorporating Standard-Sized Items into a Petite Wardrobe
When Renting
As a petite woman who often struggles with finding the right fit, the concept of clothing rental really intrigued me. I first heard about rental through a few influencers I follow that use Armoire to supplement their wardrobes. Adding fun rental pieces to your closet really takes your look up a notch or two! I started using Armoire to supplement my wardrobe with trendier pieces in an economical way.
One of my favorite Armoire perks is the ability to purchase items I’m currently renting. That way, I can determine how an item fits before permanently adding it to my wardrobe. Renting is a great way to try new styles, colors and fits to see if they work for you before making an investment. As an influencer, I’m always trying to create new and exciting outfits, and clothing rental allows me to do just that.
When renting, focus on the overall length of the item. Ill-fitting items can swallow your small frame, making you look bigger than you are. With rented pieces, I typically look for cropped fits, which will often be full length on a smaller frame. For pants, look for ankle-length fits; for tops look for cropped or hip-length. While these may be full length on average-height renters, they’ll hit petite gals at just the right length. A half tuck is an easy way to fib the length of an item that’s a bit too long. Be sure to have double-sided hem tape handy in case you need to shorten something on the fly.
When Buying
When purchasing items, I focus on buying high-quality, well-fitting basics. This maximizes my wardrobe, by allowing me to mix and match with my rented items. The right fit instantly makes you look longer and leaner. What woman doesn’t want that?! Plus, having a closet of great-fitting items makes it even easier to experiment with your rentals.
Good black trousers and a great pencil skirt are essential to every petite woman’s wardrobe. My height—or lack thereof— means I typically need to have pants hemmed. Make friends with your alterations person, as you’ll be seeing a lot of them. A little tweak here and there can really make a difference in how clothing appears on the body and the message that it projects to others.
If you are wanting to appear taller, a monochrome look is one of the easiest tricks in the book. To create the look, your top, bottom and shoes should all fall within the same color tones. Add a great jacket and you are good to go! This can easily be done in a casual or business look. Plus, monochrome looks are gearing up to be one of 2020’s biggest (and most wearable) trends!
A peek inside Beth’s closet
Boden
Brass
Equipment
White + Warren
Tart
