Height Lab | Eni Ilori, 5’2”


Influencer Eni Ilori’s area of expertise is petite dressing, the London-based, pocket-sized style maven coming in at 5’2”. 
 
A firm believer that her body shape doesn’t have to mean shopping in the dedicated petite section, in our new Height Lab series Eni styles her pick of our new September arrivals to prove her point.
 

 
 
The Midi Dress

+  New shorter length  +  Adjustable waist  +  Zip neckline

“I’m naturally drawn to wearing prints, and being from an African country has definitely helped me to embrace colour and print. As soon as I saw those items on the rail, I just knew they would be my top picks!”


Our new shorter dress length is the dream ticket for petite women, acting as a maxi length for those who are 5’4” and under. The dipped hemline is an added bonus, revealing more leg at the front to create the impression of extra inches. 

A drawstring waist draws the fit right in and elasticated cuffs stop the sleeves from looking too oversized, instead creating an elegant balloon silhouette.

 
 
The Swing Dress

+  Short length  +  Removable belt  +  Zip neckline
 

“Being petite means it can sometimes be hard to find flattering clothing for my shape, but one thing I loved about the ME + EM pieces were the dresses with the belts. It made the overall fit a lot better, more flattering and really accentuated my waist.”


Not only will a removable belt bring in the fit of a dress, it’s also a great way to pull up the length - once it’s tied, pull the body over the top just slightly to create a subtle blouson shape to earn back leg length. 

Follow Eni’s lead and zip the neckline all the way to the top for that polished standing collar or, especially those with bigger busts, wear it unzipped in a flatter v neckline.
 

 
 
The Mini Skirt

+  Short length  +  Slim-fit waist

“There is a stigma that petite girls are limited to what they can wear and I really don’t think that’s always true. I always say ‘You don’t know it till you try it'.”


Sizing up or down will help control where a mini skirt sits on the body and therefore the length. And when it’s tailored from Italian wool-blend fabric, it feels grown-up and polished but with just the right amount of British mod-inspired style. 

Pair with a Cashmere Curved Hem Jumper: with a hemline designed to be shorter at the front, it avoids cutting off the top of your legs and shaving off valuable inches. It also makes it easy to tuck it in at the front to show off a waistline.  
 

For more of Eni’s petite styling knowledge, follow her @eniswardrobe