Month: July 2016

Shrimptank > Latest Posts > 2016 > July

Petite Style Tips – V necks

Posted on July 27, 2016July 27, 2016 by Sarah

A V neck is always flattering on a petite frame.

I’m only 4’11” and I’m totally fine with rocking my short stature. I don’t feel the need to “dress taller” but I do try to wear clothes that are flattering on my petite frame.

One of the easiest fashion tips for a petite person is to wear v necks. Whether it’s a shirt, a dress, or a swimsuit, a v neck will elongate your neck. Like vertical stripes, it helps to make you look long and lean. Whether you’re flat chested or have full figured, the v neck is still flattering.

Eva Longoria is 5’2″. She’s wearing a plunging v neck dress, and t-strap shoes. Both are considered elongating for petites. The one solid color is also flattering on shorter ladies.

I’ve found a couple examples on Amazon of both short and long v neck dresses, that would totally match Eva’s style.

One of my favourite brands, Anatomie Style has a top that hits all the right notes for petites. A v neck, vertical stripes, and one colour. Paired with pair of black pants, or a short black skirt, it will be flattering, and a great addition to your petite wardrobe.

Way back when many of Hollywood’s finest were petite women, they knew how to dress. You’d have never known that Liz Taylor was only 5’2″ when she was on screen. Here she is, wearing a flowing v neck caftan. You can find one to suit you over in the SHOP section.

This swimsuit has a plunging v neck, as well as vertical cutout detailing. This makes the eye go up and down the body, creating the illusion of length.

FYI, This page contains affiliate links, and if you click on them, I might make money.

Anatomie Summer Sale

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Sarah

Get 20% off Anatomie

Anatomie is having a 20% of summer sale. I got an email from them this morning about a sale on their clothing, which was funny, because my Facebook memory today was of our trip to Europe last year, where I packed almost all Anatomie clothes for my trip.

Last year while on a trip to Miami, I went to the Anatomie warehouse store, and got to see ALL of their clothes. The place was pretty amazing. While they’re not petite specific, they did have a lot of petite friendly items. They also had a seamstress at that store, so that if you found a pair of pants you liked, they would hem them right there to make them fit properly. Now that’s customer service! I wanted a capsule wardrobe for Europe, because I was carrying a backpack only. I got two pair of pants, the Kate Skinny Cargo in Navy and the Andrea Contrast Panel Legging. Neither one needed hemming for me. The leggings were so comfortable for the plane ride, but still looked dressy enough while sitting in Business class and the lounges.

I got three tops, all in white. The Trina, a Bailey Jacket and a blossom top, which is long lace mesh sleeves. Even though it was going to be hot, a lot of places we were going to be visiting required sleeves. The mesh is great, because you’re covered, but can stay cool.

Trina Racerback Tank and Bailey Mesh Jacket over top. — Trina Racerback Tank and Bailey Mesh Jacket over top in Tuscany, Italy.

Andrea Contrast Pants in Italy — Andrea Contrast Pants at the Colosseum.

The pants could be hand washed in a hotel sink and hung up at night, and we dry the next morning. Same with the tops. The mesh jacket dries in about an hour!

Great for travel. Call and ask them which are the more petite friendly styles. They’ve got great customer service.

Another beautiful day in South Florida

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Sarah

Staying cool in a caftan.

One of the perks of living in South Florida is the beautiful weather all year long. In winter, it’s fairly warm in the day and cools off at night. In Spring and Autumn, it’s gloriously perfect. Summer the sun shines, and we get the daily thunderstorm roll through to add to the humidity. It can get a little too hot during the heat of the day, but that’s where the local dress code is a win.

Unlike some places where they wear their jeans all year long, down in places like Palm Beach, everyone slips into something a little more comfortable. Shift dresses and caftans are everywhere. Bright colors, and crisp white are de rigeur. Palm Beach was the home of Lilly Pulitzer, and her spirit hasn’t left the island. Wearing bright colors makes you feel happy. There’s no being a wallflower in a kaleidoscope print.

Palm Beach has more preppy pastels with splashes of bright pinks, but as you head south towards Miami, the colors, like the people, get a little louder.

When I was there last week, it was like Miami had issued a uniform. Almost every single lady was moving between the beaches and bars in soft flowing caftans of every length, color and pattern imaginable. It was magical. All these women, flowing around in soft fabrics. Some had plain, short, sheer cover ups to show off their sexy bikinis underneath, others had long silky caftans that looked more like etherical evening gowns. Everyone looked so comfortable, even in the stifling heat. The caftans dry quickly, even when put over a wet bikini. The few people walking around in cut off jeans had wet patches that looked super uncomfortable. The best part about a pretty caftan is I can walk straight from the beach, over to the bars, and get myself a pina colada, and I don’t have to go back to my hotel and change first. You can also tie your caftan back or go one shouldered and make it look like a sexy dress for clubbing after the sun goes down. Everyone had completely different patterns and lengths, so no two women looked alike. It was a beautiful thing to observe.

South Florida is full of resorts. No resort wear wardrobe is complete without the staple caftan.

So if you’re headed to South Florida, do yourself a favour and grab yourself a caftan or two. It’ll be the most versatile piece in your luggage.

If you’re like me and have trouble finding a caftan to fit your petite frame, I’ve curated a collection of both long and short caftans that will all fit a petite. Check out my Petite Caftan Fit Guide to see how long each length caftan is on an actual petite person, and then find something in your style at the Shop.

Petite Caftans

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Sarah

Living in South Florida, I see women effortlessly breezing around in this heat and humidity in soft flowing Caftans or every color.

I was sad thugh, because I could not find any pretty petite sized caftans. Most were too long, and either drug along on the floor, or required cutting off half the pattern. Even most of the “short caftans” were still too long, and would come down to just below my knees, which makes a short girl look even shorter.

So, I did some research, and decided that I would find petite caftans. I am working with an apparel manufacturer, and I purchased some samples so that I could make sure that the quality was great, and the lengths were correct.

In the future, I’ll produce my own designs, with my own label, but for now, I’ve got a bunch of perfectly proportioned petite caftans that I’m ready to share with y’all. They are all different designs, and they are also all slightly different lengths. They are all made from viscose, some are crepe, some georgette. There are also some long ones. I’m 4’11” tall, so I’ll post pics of them on me, so you can gauge the length. I’ll be putting them all up in my online store here. Let me know if there’s some you really like, or any color combinations you would like to see in the future, and I’ll make it happen.

Hand embroidered animal print caftan in petite

Hello world!

Posted on July 11, 2016July 11, 2016 by Sarah

Starting Over!

Sometimes in life you just need a do over. Or a fresh start. Or to try something new.

I started life as a fashion model, went to acting, wrote a book, and now I’m going to come full circle back to fashion, with my own fashion blog, and hopefully soon, my own apparel.

This site is geared towards the Shrimps like me. As a 4’11” petite, who wears a size 34 shoe, I know the very real struggle of getting clothes to fit, without a trip to the tailor.