I’m a 5ft, size 14 mum – I tried a £29.99 pair of ‘magic trousers’ from Zara to make my frumpy legs look longer
“MAGIC numbers” mean trousers can seem to alter your body proportions to give an illusion of long legs.
It works for celebs, would it work for Sarah Morton?
“AS I stare at my legs in the changing room mirror during yet another failed shopping trip, frustration washes over me.
Is it so impossible, as a 5ft woman, to find a pair of trousers to flatter my figure?
Any decent bottoms, no matter where they are from, make me look short and frumpy.
As a celebrity journalist I’m constantly seeing images of famous women looking impeccable — and even those on the shorter side dress in a way that suits their proportions.
Recently, I’ve noticed that many of the most stylish stars have been wearing extra-long trousers to elongate their legs.
Having your trouser hem dragging along the pavement sounds ridiculous, but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jennifer Aniston, Rochelle Humes and J-Lo are giving it a go.
It seems to transform their body proportions, giving the illusion of longer legs.
Even Jennifer Lopez, who is 5ft 4in, appears to have length to her legs.
What’s more, my stylist friends tell me that the look is slimming, too — nipping in the waist.
I’m a 41-year-old mum, still waiting on my growth spurt.
I’ve been the same height since I was 14, but sadly I have grown wider.
I’d love to say that running around after a toddler has kept me slim, but alas, since having my daughter, Sophie, in 2022, I’ve actually gone up two dress sizes, taking me to a 14.
Having a wobbly tum when you’re short isn’t great for the BMI either.
At nearly 10st, it’s coming in at 27.3, which is considered overweight.
When I look in the mirror I don’t see a “big” person and, in my head, I can still fit into all the old outfits I wore when I was size 8.
But the reality is, a lot of clothes — and especially trousers — don’t suit me any more.
Now my wardrobe consists of four pairs of black leggings on rotation, or — look away now, Gen Z — skinny jeans.
I simply don’t feel good
There’s nothing wrong with being a size 14, but I’m not comfortable with this new version of me, because I don’t feel good.
Fashion experts say this secret celeb styling trick can transform your proportions, extending the leg length.
The celebrities who wear extra-long trousers — including 5ft 4in Victoria Beckham and 5ft 3in Cheryl — look as though their torso is a third of heir overall height, and their legs are two thirds.
But when I look at myself in my skinny jeans, my torso is half of my body.
There is some science behind the trouser trick.
The perfect pins have long been dictated by the Golden Ratio, first devised by the Greeks around 2,000 years ago.
They worked out the most attractive proportions of the body, and said that the legs should be twice as long as your upper torso, so two thirds of overall height for lower body versus one third for the upper body.
Fabulous Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend tells me: “Styling is actually all numbers and shapes — even Coco Chanel famously said ‘fashion is architecture, it’s a matter of proportions’.
“The most flattering look we can achieve is when the top of the body is balanced by two-thirds below, and this trouser trick is a great way to style that.”
Luckily, there are loads of these extra-long high- waisted trousers on the high street.
I opt for a £29.99 pair from Zara.
The first thing I notice is how comfortable they are to wear.
What I often find with jeans designed for my height is that they tend to suit petite, size 6 women so my belly hangs over the top.
But with these trousers there is no more overhang, and the material doesn’t dig into me.
Light and fluid
Even though they are baggier than straight-leg or skinny styles, I’ve realised that, surprisingly, adding more material actually makes my legs look slimmer.
These pants are so light and fluid, it feels like I’m barely wearing anything.
And comfort aside, I immediately feel taller, slimmer and sexier.
I feel like they’ve covered up all the wobbly bits and accentuated the slim legs I remember from my youth.
Now my legs appear to be twice as long as my torso.
Even my partner Jamie, 43, saw a difference. “You look stunning,” he told me when I debuted the trousers on a rare date night.
I’m not sure if it was the bottoms themselves, or the new air of confidence I radiated, but there was definitely a shift.
Day to day, I’m in my trusty black leggings — these slacks are too good for the playground — but when the occasion calls for it, I’ll be rocking these miracle trousers