I'm 5'1"—Here Are All the Autumn Trends I'll Actually Wear

Oh, to be tall! Your outfit options must be endless, right? Well, I'm sure that the super-tall people would disagree with me, and I know there are fashion struggles on that end of the height spectrum too (don't even ask a 6-foot person about jumpsuits), but when you're petite, the available trends you can easily throw on and not be swamped by are limited. There are some petite-friendly autumn 2022 trends, and I'm here to share them with you, short person to short person. 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 and 12, depending on the brand, the day and how I feel. So not only is it tricky enough finding trends that work for an ultra-petite frame, but 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 in not only for this season but beyond. There are looks here that adhere to classic short-person 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.

1. TONAL SUITING

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. I'd opt in for a skirt suit rather than a trouser suit, as they're trending. Plus, I would undoubtedly have to take the trousers up.

2. TUBE DRESSING

Formfitting dresses are anyone's friend, but they are particularly good for those of us who don't want to be swamped in clothing. 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.

3. MAXI HEMLINES

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 suggest 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 person.

4. BIG BELTED COATS

You can still wear oversized pieces when you're short; it's 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 try a shorter style to be worn with slimmer bottoms. I'll go for the former, as I hate being cold! 

5. KNEE BOOTS

I find that ankle boots or chunky flat shoes can make my legs look even shorter when worn with dresses or skirts, so my trick is to rely on knee-high boots instead. It just so happens that they're a major shoe trend for the season, so your options are plentiful.