How to create visual balance with your proportions and your calf size?
If your upper body is longer in comparison to your lower body or visa versa, this needs to be taken into consideration when finding your ideal style guide for calf shape and size. Naturally when you have shorter legs and a longer body you want to create visual balance by lengthening your leg line and avoiding any style features that will do the opposite. That also means that if you have longer legs compared to your upper body, you want to avoid any style details that will make your leg line even longer and opt for styles that will shorten it instead.
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Short body, long legs
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Balanced
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Longer body. shorter legs
Leg proportions and calf sizes
Small calves
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Short body, long legs,
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Balanced
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Longer body, shorter legs
Medium calves
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Short body, long legs
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Balanced
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Longer body, shorter legs
Big calves
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Short body, long legss
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Balanced
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Longer body, shorter legs
Here are a couple of examples how your style guide changes when having a longer body, shorter legs with different calve sizes:
Short legs, long body/short legs & big calves
Height is twice as important - firstly to give you a visually longer leg and secondly to give you a visually balanced body.
Your style guide is very simple and plain - stick to clutter and pattern-free lines combined with heels:
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Hoisery
only full tights, unless you are wearing socks and stocking under your trousers. Full tights need to be plain, dark colours and high in denier
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Trousers
Full length only in straight or slight boot cut style. Narrowing legs, flares or a wide leg will make you look even shorter and more disproportional
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Hemline
Never on your calf - best to end just below your knee or full length. Stay away from any patterns when dressing your lower body
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Shoes and heels
In an ideal world you should always wear medium to high heels. Avoid boots over trousers; this is only ok when wearing beneath them. Choose trainers and casual shoes with a platform or small heel. Even when at the pool choose flip flops with a heel or platform style. Wear medium to chunky heels only.
Short legs, long body/short legs and small calves
Your style guide is less is more - avoid patterns in your lower half and if you wear colour use deep colours only, paired with heels
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Hoisery
Stick to full tights only in medium to dark colour (a darker colour will visually lengthen your leg)
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Trousers
Shorts, and capris are not ideal; if you do wear them, then wear them with high heels only. Avoid contrast in your look and also stick to a straight or narrowing leg line (as long as it works with your body shape)
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Hemline
Above or mid knee are best
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Shoes and heels
Stay away from chunky shoe styles and ankle straps or boots with calf details. Kitten or stiletto heels are good. Careful with wedges - they should have a slim shaped back. Choose ballerinas and flats in a platform style - you need the height for visual balance.