Can short women wear palazzos? Yes, with care

Waist height and leg width

Have the trousers sit at your natural waist, not on the hip. The higher the waistband, the longer the leg measures from top to hem, and that length is what you are trying to show. It also means the fullness starts from the narrowest part of you.

Then keep the width in proportion. A full palazzo has a hem about as wide as the hip, and on a small frame that much fabric can take over. A moderate wide leg that falls straight from the hip looks more elegant. As a rough guide, a hem of about 25 to 30 centimetres across, measured with the trouser laid flat, already looks properly wide on most petite women, and the easiest way to judge is to measure a pair you like. The palazzo guide explains how the style is cut.

Hem length, with your shoes on

This detail decides everything. A palazzo hem should nearly touch the floor in the shoes you will wear, covering most of the heel and leaving only the toe of the shoe showing. Whatever height your shoes add is then hidden inside the trouser and looks like leg.

• Decide the shoes first. A hem measured for flats is too short with heels, and one measured for heels drags in flats.
• Block heels, wedges and platforms add height invisibly under a wide hem.
• Avoid cropped lengths. Culottes and ankle-grazing wide legs draw a line across the lower leg and shorten it.
• Measure standing straight, from the natural waist down the side of the leg to just above the floor. Our trouser size guide shows the method.

The kurti that keeps the leg line long

Every centimetre of kurti that hangs over the palazzos hides the leg you have just lengthened. A hip-length or mid-thigh kurti shows the most trouser and suits a short frame well. A knee-length kameez cuts the body into two equal halves, which is the least helpful proportion. Our guide for petite women covers kameez lengths and proportions for a smaller frame more widely.

• Match the colours. A kurti and palazzos in the same or similar shades look like one long column.
• If you prefer a longer kameez, ask for side slits to the hip so the trousers show through as you walk.
• Choose fluid fabric. Georgette, crepe, viscose and soft lawn fall straight down. Stiff cotton stands away from the leg and adds width.
• Keep hem borders narrow. A deep contrast border on the trouser is a strong horizontal line right where you want length.
• Scale the print. Small and medium prints sit more easily on a small frame than very large motifs.

Ordering palazzos to your height

This is where made to measure helps, because ready-made palazzos are cut for an average height and are often too long in the rise and the leg for a shorter woman. On our quote form choose “Wide-leg” under trouser style, give your trouser length measured in your shoes, and add the hem width you would like. We work from your measurements through custom stitching, with our fabric or yours, and you can request a quote here. The agreed lengths are confirmed in writing before cutting.