As a pint-sized individual (4’11”), I’m always on the hunt for clothes that fit my petite proportions. Fun fact: a true petite fit doesn’t involve just a shorter overall length, but also elements such as a narrower shoulder width, a shorter torso length, and a higher natural waist.
Surprisingly, I have had decent luck finding petite-friendly dresses on Amazon, and I wanted to share some of my favorite finds with you all! Amazon shopping is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine, due to the quick shipping, free returns, and wide range of informative customer reviews and photos. Not gonna lie, I regularly scan the reviews for complaints of dresses being “too short,” because they usually end up being just right for petite gals like me! 😛
Disclaimer: Although I’m highlighting the petite-friendly features of these dresses, they could also work beautifully on average/taller figures, especially those with some petite characteristics like short torso length. Sometimes a maxi length dress on a petite figure can also make for a classy midi length on a taller figure, so feel free to keep reading even if you’ve been blessed with more verticality than I have! 🙂
DRESS #1: ANGASHION BOHO MIDI DRESS
I love this boho dress from Angashion! It has a lot of great things going for it, including a full skirt perfect for twirling and dancing, flattering flutter sleeves, a built-in snap at the neckline, and a cinched elastic waist that doesn’t hit too low on my torso. It also falls at the perfect ankle length on me. As a super klutzy person, I actually prefer ankle length to full/maxi length, since I’m less likely to trip over myself! 😛
This dress comes in a wonderful range of colors, in both floral patterns and solids (with a swiss dot texture). I’m wearing it in the “coffee” color floral print, which is great for warm skin tones. Below are some other colors that would photograph wonderfully for a portrait session!
Shop this dress here:
Angashion Boho Floral Print Dress
Angashion Boho Solid Swiss Dot Dress
DRESS #2: BERRYGO EMBROIDERED MAXI DRESS
This embroidered dress from BerryGo would be perfect for a summer photo session! The adjustable straps help it adapt to varying torso lengths, and the maxi length just barely skims the floor on me in flats (I’m wearing 3″ heels here for reference). It’s also worth noting that this is a cotton dress (a rarity in the polyester landscape that is Amazon fashion :P), adding to the summer comfort factor!
I’m obviously a huge fan of yellow, but this dress also comes in a range of photo-friendly pastels and prints, as seen below!
Note: This dress includes faux pearl buttons along the front. However, they are very shiny and cheap-looking in person, and aren’t sewn on in a straight line, so I opted to remove mine by snipping the backing threads carefully with small sewing scissors.
Alternate colors: mint (top left), peach (top right), sky blue (bottom right), and white floral print (bottom left)
Shop this dress here:
BerryGo Embroidered Maxi Dress
DRESS #3: RELIPOP MINI WRAP DRESS
Remember when I talked about scouring reviews for complaints about dresses being too short? Well, this is one of them! 😀 This polka dot dress has a classic, figure-skimming fit, flutter sleeves, and a few well-proportioned ruffles on the bottom that add visual interest without being overwhelming on a petite body. On me, it hits a few inches above the knee – perfect for creating the illusion of longer legs, especially when paired with nude heels! 🙂
Note: This dress does gape a little at the front, so I added a snap at the top of the overlapping wrap portion to help it stay in place throughout the day (one of my favorite hacks for wrap dresses)! I’ve actually shot a full wedding before in this dress, and I’m very happy to report that I didn’t flash anyone! 😉
Shop this dress here:
DRESS #4: NAVINS FLORAL FAUX-WRAP DRESS
If you prefer a faux-wrap style dress instead of a true wrap style, this floral dress from Navins is a great alternative to the Relipop dress above! It has a built-in snap at the neckline, a slightly longer knee-length fit, and….*drumroll* ladies and gentlemen, IT HAS POCKETS!!!!! 😀 It’s also made of comfy, lightweight cotton-poly blend (despite the description saying it’s 100% polyester).
Note: This dress also comes in blue, black, and pink floral prints, but I find the other colorways to be a bit busy. This whimsical mint colorway is perfect for spring and summer!
Shop this dress here:
Welllll that wraps up this blog post! If you’re a fellow shortie (or even if you’re not!), I hope you found it helpful! If you have any Amazon gems in your own closet, I would LOVE to hear all about them in the comments below! 😀 Until next time!!
<3,
Jocelyn
Jocelyn Bravo is a Northern VA family photographer who specializes in creating joyful and luminous images for families and couples. She is based in Alexandria, VA and loves working with clients all across Virginia and the DMV.
