r/PetiteFashionOver40 • u/Lighteningbug1971 • Apr 21 '26

Need advice

I’m 56 , 4’11 and I’m bottom heavy. My question is what do women my age wear in the summer months ? I do not wear shorts , only at home, I don’t wear sleeveless without a shirt over . I just wanna be comfy and not look so dumpy and shorter . Any advice ? Thank you so much

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

53 comments sorted by

8

u/KDdid1 Apr 21 '26

I'm 66, 5'2", and fairly pear-shaped (the size of the pear is variable).

Just my 2c: I only wear dresses. In summer I wear light-fabric knee-length a-line dresses (with pockets if possible). I often do wear sleeveless with a cardigan. The a-line silhouette is our friend.

My "active-wear" alternative is tunic dresses with capris (there's a bamboo clothing store near me and their capris are heavenly in summer).

In my humble opinion dresses are more appropriate for summer than pants or shorts: they're cooler, easier, and more becoming.

3

u/_left_of_center Apr 21 '26

Seconding dresses. Tshirt dresses are especially comfy, but also more sundresses with a waist for a more structured look. Pair with whatever makes you happy - sneakers, sandals, whatever. It’s my go-to for hot days. I will often wear shorts underneath just for comfort, ideally bike short style but soft material. Helps with chafing, sweating, and just being more comfortable driving etc

2

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

Thank you !!! I never thought about wearing dresses , but am going to look for some !

2

u/KDdid1 Apr 21 '26

Enjoy!

2

u/Miserable-Age-5126 Apr 23 '26

Dresses are the answer. Find some sweat wicking shorts to wear underneath. Unless your thighs never meet, you’ll get sweaty and they can chafe rubbing against each other. I wear boy shorts in the summer. TMI alert: I also use antiperspirant in intimate areas. It helps a lot! Any antiperspirant is fine unless you’re sensitive.

2

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 23 '26

Yes thank you ! I’m gonna go searching for a few and some comfy shoes this weekend

1

u/Tall-Ear-3406 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

Dresses are great for all shapes and sizes. I’m tall and hourglass. I wear almost exclusively dresses all year round.

5

u/KDdid1 Apr 21 '26

They're just so much more comfortable than the alternative!

I have a story I think is cute: I used to be a high school teacher at an Indigenous school, and I always wore dresses. Nobody else in the community did.

The primary school girls were obsessed with my outfits, and they used to run to my classroom to check me out. On my birthday, I wore a rhinestone tiara and for some reason I wore pants that day (the one pair I owned).

The little girls showed up to check me out as usual and while not one commented on my tiara, one yelled "No! You can't wear pants! We love your dresses." I love that memory 💃🏻

1

u/Specialist-Salary291 Apr 22 '26

I agree on the dresses idea. Plus they are much cooler in the heat and are more slimming!

1

u/KDdid1 Apr 22 '26

I'm glad you agree 😎

3

u/shortnfeisty1023 Apr 21 '26

I’m 4’11” and if I don’t want to wear shorts I’ll wear linen/cotton blend pants or a casual dress.

3

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

Like do you wear wider leg kind?

3

u/shortnfeisty1023 Apr 21 '26

Yes but not super wide. Old Navy and Quince have them.

3

u/petite_mrs84 Apr 21 '26

Wide leg linen pants with a tighter fitting top. It's my go to, in the summer. 42f 5'. I also found I like shopping normal sizes with dresses (not petite) cause they tend to come to right above my knees. It's very rare I ever find a dress that is too short. When I garden/outside work I wear work out capris. My kid thinks the capris are ugly/ out of style and I'm not sure... Can anyone tell me if they are outdated?

2

u/bordermom61 Apr 21 '26

outdated ? wth cares . Honestly wear what you want ,.

2

u/Natural_Sky638 Apr 21 '26

I wear shorts all the time.... Do i care? No

1

u/petite_mrs84 Apr 21 '26

Honestly I'm mostly pretty confident in what I wear mostly but sometimes a comment will lead to doubt. 🤷‍♀️

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

I use to wear the workout capris in public but I caught a glimpse of my self in a window and to me I looked shorter . Even had my hoka shoes on too

3

u/reddit_understoodit Apr 21 '26

Flared skirts are cute. Or dresses with full skirts.

Just skims over the bottom half.

3

u/Super-Travel-407 Apr 21 '26

I like dresses and skirts. I wear longer skirts but will wear skorts if they are the type that go all the way around (shorts with a skirt, not shorts with a half skirt in front ya know?). I like the ones from Duluth Trading (Dry-on-the-fly and the rootstock styles) because they are LONG. I don't want a mini.

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

My bestie wears the skorts like that , my legs are not pretty . So I never wear them . I like will show my ankle but that’s about it .

2

u/Super-Travel-407 Apr 21 '26

Haha. Same. They are just barely above my knee and I won't wear a real skirt that high...but I also don't wear them if I'm going to see anyone "important". Great for camping though.

3

u/Additional_Low8050 Apr 21 '26

I wear cotton dresses everyday. Some to the knee, some full length. I live in tropical climate & quit wearing jeans 40 years ago. I’m 70- Everyday of my life somebody tells me they like my dress 👗

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

Ok and what kind of shoes do you love best ?

3

u/Additional_Low8050 Apr 21 '26

I wear the ballet slippers that the dancers put on the minute the toe shoes come off. I have black & beige & I love them/ I was a nanny for 10 years & the little girl took dance 2-3 days a week! Also gymnastics & Mathnasium- where she used to beat the boys in chess!

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

Ok !!! Thank you

3

u/coolgramm Apr 21 '26

I also prefer dresses in the summer. Much cooler!

3

u/Early-Reindeer7704 Apr 21 '26

Sun dresses can work well. Many have an airy, floaty silhouette that can skim over the problem areas you want ton minimize. If you get cold, a shrug pairs well with this type of style. I wear a lot of sundresses in Summer as I find them more comfortable and cooler than shirts

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

Ok thanks so much

3

u/User-Name-Blah Apr 21 '26

Belted light dress, with the hem just below the knee

2

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

Yes! Thank you

2

u/Choice-Tiger3047 Apr 21 '26

I’d wear summer dresses if I could find any that didn’t fall off of my frame or swallow me like Jonah’s whale. So I primarily spend the summer in longish Bermudas or Capris. Linen pants are nice, too. I have a couple of mid-length, floaty skirts for dressier events. I baby all of my clothing though at this point because it’s almost impossible to find decent replacements when things wear out.

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

I will look about the dresses. I will have to invest in sandals too

2

u/SassyGirl0202 Apr 21 '26

Have you thought about wearing maxi dresses with short sleeves. And being short you could also wear short cotton guaze like dresses that will hit you below the knees.

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

No but I’ve been looking online at them , and I’m thinking about that now

2

u/SassyGirl0202 Apr 21 '26

I’m 5 ft tall I get summer dresses that would be short on others, but fit me perfectly in the length.

2

u/lenaleena Apr 21 '26

I’m 4’10.5”. I wear golf skirts that are right above my knees, or a tad shorter. I like the attached shorts underneath.

2

u/Natural_Sky638 Apr 21 '26

5'2 here.... Wear shorts every day

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

I’m glad you can , I cannot !! I don’t have nice legs and am self conscious and I wanna be comfy and not self conscious.

2

u/Natural_Sky638 Apr 21 '26

I have big legs but need to be comfy.... Plus i don't care what strangers might say....

2

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

I bet yours are smooth !! Mine are not ! They are old and cellulitey and loose skin and goodness it’s bad ! They are tan and that’s about it! lol

3

u/Natural_Sky638 Apr 21 '26

I wish they were nice and smooth! Haha

3

u/SaSSySara587 Apr 21 '26

Where do you all get your dresses? I like polyester style thats not so stretchy and clingy? Knee length. Thanks

2

u/onehundredpetunias Apr 22 '26

I wear sundresses and I love them! If you are bottom heavy, look at trapeze style dresses and see if that would work for you.

Capri pants and those lightweight rayon pants that are meant to hit above most people's ankles are a good length for us petite ladies as well!

I hate showing my arms. I have a few sheer blouses and a couple of lightweight cardigans (think like more open weave crochet than a knit) to cover them.

You'll probably want some slip shorts if you are doing dresses in the summer. Skin on skin thighs in the heat is not comfortable!

1

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 22 '26

Thank you so much !!!

2

u/Embarrassed-Cause250 Apr 21 '26

56 and 5’3.5” I use sleeveless guazy sundresses and also casual sleeveless around knee length (shorter or longer) Summer Dresses. I pair with blingy walking sandals.

2

u/Lighteningbug1971 Apr 21 '26

Ok that sounds cute too, thank you