Fashion Q&A with Naomi Alderman

Hi Naomi! Please introduce yourself…

My name is Naomi Alderman, I am 35 years old from Northern Ireland living in England. I have a type of dwarfism which I believe is Cartlidge Hair Hypoplasia. My height is 4 foot 2 and I have short torso and limbs. I had leg lengthening surgery when I was around 12 years old.

Ah, lovely to meet you Naomi, we’d love to know: what is your favourite piece of clothing and why?

My favourite piece of clothing is jeggings. I find them so comfortable around the waist and can squeeze into children’s sizes which means I do not have to have the legs shortened.

Children’s sizes are a God-send for short statured people - and where do you usually shop?

Zara kids, H&M and Mango.

Ah Zara Kids is another staple for LP! We’d love to know, what do you look for in a garment and why?

I look for something that is comfortable and that will suit my body shape. Because my torso is shorter than average, I have to be careful with the length of tops and t shirts. I also need to be careful with low cut tops as they can hang too low.

Great, thank you for that insight! Is there anything you’d love to wear but feel you cant?

I would love to be able to wear heels, my feet are size 1 and wide and so I cannot find a nice pair of high heels that suit my feet.

Heels are such a pain for people with feet smaller than a size 3, hopefully that will change in the not too far future. How much do you know about sustainability and how does this influence your buying decisions?

I understand the importance of sustainable fashion for the environment and I usually try to make the choice to buy sustainable clothing. We are fortunate that many clothing company’s are now becoming sustainable.

Yes! it is great that sustainability is becoming more mainstream and understood, the big companies are the ones who have the most power over change so their difference is everything! So, If you could send one message to today’s fashion designers, what would it be?

To understand that there are many different body shapes that are over looked: It would be wonderful if they could be more inclusive.

Yes! We couldn’t agree more, there are more than just a couple of ‘standard’ body types, heights, shapes and sizes: we’re here to be part of that change! And Where do you look for style inspiration?

I usually find my inspiration on Instagram, I like to see what influencers are wearing and I try to incorporate this into own my fashion style.

Instagram is such a great place to look for style inspiration! And lastly, what is your top styling tip for women with a similar Dwarfism condition to yourself?

Look through the kids sections of shops such as Zara and H&M: there are loads of beautiful clothes that are just like the adult versions and will fit our body shape better.

Ah thank you! Yes, the children’s section has some gems and now that their collections are being designed to look more ‘adult-like’ it means you can find some great pieces that look just the same as the ‘adult’ versions.

Thank you so much for joining us, it was great to hear from someone with a little-known condition such as CHH and gain your fashion insight. If you’d like to find Naomi via Instagram her handle is @naomi_m_alderman.