This autumn and winter there are many fabulous trends emerging from the catwalk into high street shops. Not only does this make them more accessible and affordable for you, but inevitably styles will have been adapted to make them easier to wear for the normal woman.

Here are a few tips for making the most of those gorgeous new autumn and winter trends for the petite woman. Generally petite sizes fit women of 5'3" or smaller and of any dress size, but the most important thing to bear in mind is that petite garments have been designed to flatter your size and make the most of your best bits.

Tip number one: only ever wear something that makes you feel confident and fabulous. Dressing well is all about feeling comfortable in your own skin, so don't be a slave to fashion, get to know what suits you and you will look a million dollars.

Now for the practical stuff. If you are a smaller lady, you need to focus on elongating your body. The key to dressing well is to wearing clothes that will give you a good sense of proportion, so always keep this at the front of your mind when shopping for clothes.

A great way to elongate your figure is to go for vertical stripes. Geometric dresses are hot news this season, so make sure the shapes are longer rather than wider and you're good to go.

Now let's talk about pattern. This is a tricky one for the shorter lady, since large, bright patterns can overwhelm a smaller frame. Pattern is a top trend this season though, so the best tip is to go for smaller, subtle patterns in a dress, or even better only wear pattern on one half of your body. For example, patterned top with plain trousers, or vice versa. This is working with the old proportion rule.

Neutral colours are perfect for the petite frame, since they won't drown you in colour, rather they appear sophisticated and classy. Use detail to draw attention to your best areas. For example, a waist belt draws the eye to a lovely hourglass figure, whilst an embellished neckline draws attention to your feminine neck, or a shift dress really shows off slender arms.

A great tip for elongating legs is to wear similar coloured shoes to your tights. So if you are going to wear natural tan tights, wear some neutral beige shoes, for the appearance of legs that go on forever. The same applies for black tights with black shoes.

Have a look around online for a great selection of petite clothing and celebrate the fact that the best things always come in small packages.

writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.