Anna Kendrick’s Number One Short-Girl Style Tip

Movie stars are often tinier than expected in person and pint-size Anna Kendrick is no exception. Standing at just 5’2″, she’s what sassy girls might call “vertically challenged”—not that her height’s ever caused her to rely strictly on heels or platforms.

“When I was younger I specifically wouldn’t wear heels because even in heels I’m still not tall. You know the way you get yourself worked up when you’re a kid? I had this crazy idea that if I wore them people would notice and say, ‘You’re not even tall in heels!’ I committed to flip-flops and sneakers because I was like, ‘I’m short and that’s just what it is, and I don’t want to try and correct something,'” she revealed to Glamour. As an adult, she’s stopped worrying about whether people look at her as tall or short (or as a short girl trying to look tall), though for herself, she still looks to get some extra help occasionally. “If I’m getting dressed up, I want to have legs.”

While she’s sure most of her styling tricks are ones fellow short girls are familiar with (think dressing in monochrome or vertical stripes to stretch the figure), she shared a quickie hack that involves exactly zero trips to the tailor.

“In a pinch I’ve definitely done the thing of bunching something up and putting a big belt on it. It has to be a dress that lends itself to a wide belt, but I’ve managed it a couple of times,” she explained. Per her expert instructions, you gather extra fabric right at the natural waist, folding and bunching as neatly as possibly, and then cinch a wide belt so it’s comfortably snug.

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Kendrick was on hand to partake in New York Fashion Week, and we caught up with her backstage at Kate Spade New York’s flower-filled spring presentation. Since she’s experienced both Fashion Week and huge Hollywood red carpets, we had to ask: Any similarities between the bustle and pace?

“It’s a whole different world. There are two places where I feel like a little kid in a candy store and a fly on the wall because it’s not my industry,” she said. “I’ve been to the Grammys twice and just felt like ‘I don’t know what’s happening or how I got invited, but this is amazing.’ I’ve never felt less famous in my life, and Fashion Week is kind of the same thing. I’m just a spectator and everyone’s really cool to me and that’s great but it’s not my world.”

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Kendrick’s latest short film with Kate Spade New York has just hit the web and is filled with the sort of adorably goofy chatter she’s so masterful at (think conversations with both her pup and gnome purse). Plus, there’s a surprise cameo from Gloria Steinem!