Oh, to be tall! Your outfit options must be endless, right? Well, I’m sure that the super-tall girls would disagree with me, and I know there are fashion struggles on that end of the height spectrum too (don’t even ask a 6ft woman about jumpsuits), but when you’re petite the available trends you can easily throw on and onto be swamped by are limited. There are some petite-friendly autumn 2022 trends and I’m here to share them with you, short woman to short woman. I stand at 5’1” and have a more curvaceous, hourglass figure than a straight-up-and-down or pear-shaped body. I am normally between a size 10 or 12, depending on the brand, the day and how I feel. So, not only is it tricky enough finding short-girl trends that work for ultra petite frames, it’s even harder finding the looks that don’t instantly fight against my boobs or cling to my thighs and gape around my waist at the same time…
I spend a lot of time at my local tailor’s (or begging my mum for sewing assistance—she understands being even smaller than me!) but this season I’d like to circumnavigate some of those trips and the additional cost, and just get straight down to the good stuff. So I looked again at the runways, this time with a filter of “will I be able to easily throw this on without worrying it doesn’t suit me?” and “is this going to have to be altered?” which led me to the following five petite-friendly autumn trends that I believe you can invest into not only for this season but beyond. There are looks here that adhere to classic short-girl dressing principles such as finding ways to elongate your look—think of knee boots under midi dresses rather than ankle boots that can “cut” up your leg line. From tube dresses to belted coats, these are the fresh ideas you can rely upon.
There are probably rules around wearing one color head-to-toe in order to appear taller, but I believe the same can be done with a carefully selected range of tones from the same family like in this chic Jil Sander look. As they’re trending, I’d opt in for a skirt suit rather than a trouser suit as I will undoubtedly have to take the trousers up…
It’s oversized, so you could probably afford to go down a size if you don’t want that silhouette to be exaggerated.
A fitted shirt is a great way to keep things looking neat under layers.
A skirt suit isn’t for everyone, but it is for me!
I’ll be trying to swap out black boots for lighter options this winter, just for a change.
Form-fitting dresses are anyone’s friend, but they are particularly good for those of us who don’t want to be swamped in clothing like an Olsen. You can currently find great tube dresses, skirts and body con tops that all do the job nicely. This Loewe style has been particularly popular.
As if by magic—the dress is available!
Zara has a lot of this kind of dress style right now.
As far as iconic bodycon dresses go, the Diana is really up there.
Most midi skirts and dresses that I put on are far longer than they’re supposed to be, so this season—as maxi hemlines are back in fashion—I’m going to make the most of this mishap! I’d suggesting slimmer-line silhouettes like this Altuzarra skirt as the fuller-skirted maxi options are a lot of fabric and quite hard to style as a shorter woman.
This simple style can be transitioned into winter with boots and a chunky knit.
The amount of wear you’d get out of a classic black maxi skirt is something to consider when investing—go for a more premium style that can withstand the use!
I love the fact that this is quite adventurous yet still wearable thanks to its monochrome colourway.
You can still wear oversized pieces when you’re short, it’s just all about balance! If you want a dramatically big coat then you can either look for something that hits the knee and belts in at the waist, or you can try an outside shorter style to be worn with slimmer bottoms. I’ll go for the former as I hate being cold!
I’m not just talking about winter coats—the same rule applies for an autumnal trench.
This oversized herringbone number is so luxe.
I can’t stop daydreaming about this one…
I find that ankle boots or chunky flat shoes can make my legs look even short when worn with dresses or skirts, so my trick is to always rely upon knee-high boots instead. It just so happens that they’re a major shoe trend for the season, so your options are plentiful.
These come in black (of course), but I just adore the olive green. So chic.
I just keep gravitating towards suede finishes for some reason…
I used to own a pair of red knee-high boots and they went with a surprising amount of outfits! Up next, the best petite midi dresses. Opening Image: @thestylestalkercom
