Trust Me, I've Tried Them All—This Is Where You'll Find the Chicest Petite Dresses

It's not easy being petite. For all the money you spend on clothes, often you then have to fork out even more for alterations. Hemlines drag on the floor, billowing sleeves have too much excess fabric, and don't even get me started on waistlines that couldn't sit any further from your actual waist. Fashion that is specifically made for petites is surprisingly hard to come by. So, as a 5'2" fashion editor I thought I'd do all my short girls a favour this summer and try on as many petite dresses as I could get my hands on, and then report back in earnest on the best pieces and places to shop. The results are in, and I've found a handful of brands that do really, really good dresses for petite people. You can thank me later!

From Rixo to Abercrombie, M&S to Nobody's Child, there's something across all budgets here to make getting dressed a little easier for those of us under 5'3". I've focused on dresses in particular as I usually find them to be one of the hardest items to shop for as a petite person since there are several different elements that can end up looking too oversized—the hem length, the waistline, the arm length or drop of the arm holes and the amount of fabric. They all require tailoring from your average fit if they're going to sit perfectly.

So, as we enjoy the last hazy days of summer and head into autumn, I've tracked down your new go-to brands for petite dresses and shared some of my favourite styles from them that can be worn now and into the new season. From minis that actually sit above the knee to midis that won't be confused for maxis, keep scrolling to see the brands and styles I can genuinely recommend.

1. Rixo

Look, the high street is pretty good at providing petite collections. ASOS, River Island, M&S... they all have lines tailored to shorter figures. But since we're supporters of the buy less and buy better mantra, sometimes you just need a really beautiful, great quality dress that will see you through all events and seasons. Enter: Rixo. The British brand has long been one of the go-tos for fashion insiders, and as of quite recently loads of their dresses now come in petite sizes as well—hooray!

From wedding-guest outfits to everyday cotton styles, in Rixo's own words their petite styles aren't "just cropped every seam and stitch has been refined so the proportions are exactly right." Music to my ears. I usually find when proportions have been altered all over I need to size up in petite collections, but the wonderful Rixo seamstresses have stayed true to size (thank you!), in case it's helpful to keep in mind when you're ordering.

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2. Abercrombie Fitch

I've always been impressed with Abercrombie's petite offering, mainly in the denim section (round up of the best petite jeans anyone?) but I was pleased to see so many of their chic dresses also have a petite length option this summer. They've currently got such a great selection of transitional everyday styles (hello, denim midis) and holiday- and heatwave-ready buys. Plus, the quality was really impressive when I tried these few pieces on. I'll be keeping a keen eye out for their autumn pieces dropping soon, too.

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3. Marks Spencer

M&S, you continue to amaze me. The high street giant's clothing is really going from strength to strength at the moment (or am I just getting older and older?) Anyway, I've been telling every petite person I know about M&S's short trousers and jeans for a while now, but it's only recently that I've noticed they've started introducing it for loads of their great dresses too. From workwear options to affordable event-ready pieces, what would we do without you M&S?!

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4. Nobody's Child

The only problem with Nobody's Child petite dresses is that they sell out so quickly. That's just how popular they are. My advice is to keep a close eye on their new-in section and act fast if you see something you love. The brand just nail easy, throw-on dresses that you'll wear on repeat. The sizing usually errs on the bigger end of the scale, and this applies to the petite styles too, so keep that in mind when ordering.

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5. DÔEN 

Okay, so Dôen doesn't technically have a petite range or sizing option, but I thought it deserved a spot in this line up purely because I've found some of my very best dresses here in the past, without any alterations needed. It does require a bit of trial and error as some of the styles are longer than others, but in general the lengths hit nicely on the leg and the fitted bodices and adjustable necklines that feature on most of the brand's dress designs balance out the proportions of us short girls really nicely, whatever size you are. They might stretch the budget a little more, but these dresses are totally timeless so you can pull them out year after year, and the quality is impeccable.

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