Mainstream petite stores frequently carry garments with horizontal stripe patterns.  This always baffles me as one of the common rules of petite fashion is to draw the observer’s eye up and down in a continuous flow.  Horizontal stripes impede this by drawing attention side to side.

I avoid horizontal stripes as much as possible, but let’s face it – sometimes you just want to wear stripes, and vertical styles are few and far between.   Here are 6 tips to prevent horizontal stripes from making you look shorter: