Setting the Bar High with High-Waisted Fashions

The higher the better is what you should be thinking about shorts this summer. Shorts, skirts, and jeans are all adding inches to their waistline, but these inches will sinch in your silhouette - not add to it. Having a higher waistline can create the illusion of a small midsection and an hourglass figure.The 80's high-waisted trend is making a come around once again. The fashion trend goes much further back than the 1980s; it first appeared in the 1940s when almost all women's clothing was tailored for a natural waistline.

High-waisted pieces work for all body types. Here are the body benefits of high-waisted bottoms:

If you are SHORT: a higher waistline will elongate your legs
If you are CURVY: high-waisted bottoms create flattering and even proportions
If you are THIN: pairing a crop-top with your high-waisted bottoms will create definition in your narrow figure
If you are TALL: high-waisted bottoms will divide the length of your midsection.
For ANY body (because we don't all fit into a specific "type!"): high-waisted bottoms look great on all shapes and all sizes if you wear them confidently. Everyone's body has an asset he or she can work and flaunt. There are no rules of who can wear what! It is good to know what styles, cuts, and lines look best on your body, but those aren't hard and fast rules. Break the rules, bend them, or make your own.

One thing to pay attention to, especially with high-waisted shorts, is the proper fit. Because the higher waistline might be resting right on or just below your diaphragm, make sure they aren't too tight or making it difficult to breath. High-waisted shorts also have the tendency of riding up, so make sure the inseam is long enough to cover your behind! Shorts that are cuffed or rolled on the bottom stay in place better than frayed or cut-off shorts.

Take a look at how the high-waisted trend has evolved through the history of women's fashion starting from present day and moving back to the 1940's:

Singer Christina Perri wearing high-waisted shorts and a bra top in the music video for her new single "Humans" that debuted January 4, 2014.

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer's Guess campaign in 1989 featuring high-waisted jeans (pinterest.com)

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Movie star Audrey Hepburn wearing white high-waisted shorts in 1953 (picsaweb.google.com)

Popular film actress of the 40s, Vivien Leigh wearing high-waisted trousers with a flare leg. (flickr.com)