Michelle Obama showed her accessible fashion style by wearing a dress she's worn before (on the cover of Essence) as she left the White House with her husband on July 5. The floral dress from Talbot's embodies the spirit of the romantic side of Michelle Obama's fashion personality.

The rose print dress in lagoon blue is available from Talbot's (Vendor's Site), and it's on sale now for $89.99, marked down from the original retail price of $169.

For petites, the good news is that this dress comes in petites sizes 0P-16P, as well as regular sizes, so you don't have to be 5'11" tall like Michelle Obama to wear this floral silk dress.

Photo Credits: Barack and Michelle Obama--Getty Images
Floral Dress--Image Courtesy of Talbot's

Several petite-friendly trends appeared on the runway during Fashion Week when designers showed their collections for fall 2009.

My favorite? It's a practical one: investment dressing, which means that although we might pay more upfront for a garment or accessory, our cost per each time we wear that particular fashion item will end up being low because we wear it so much.

For example, a $100 blouse worn twice=$50 per wear, but a $100 blouse worn 100 times=$1 per wear, and that's investment dressing.

Pictured: Suit from Oscar de la Renta for Fall 2009
Photo Credit: Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images

What's the only figure type that actually is flattered by tapered jeans? If you guessed the inverted triangle figure shape, you're right.

Although the inverted triangle figure shape is the least common figure type, it's the envy of many women who have other figure shapes. Typically petites who have inverted figure shapes are able to wear styles of clothing that don't especially flatter the majority of women who have triangle shaped figures. That's the good news.

The bad news is that petite women who have inverted triangle shaped figures have their own challenges when it comes to clothing. They may need to buy a larger size for tops and smaller size for pants and skirts. Jackets can be difficult to fit because they frequently have more shoulder padding than a woman with broad shoulders needs, and if jackets fit in the bust, they often don't fit well in the midriff.

Find out how to dress to flatter a short inverted triangle shaped figure.

According to the Eileen Fisher company Web site, organic fibers are "grown without harmful pesticides and fertilizers," so wearing a garment made from organic cotton is "better for your skin, better for the earth." Organic cotton has pretty much been missing from petite clothing lines, so I'm happy to see that at least one designer is offering some eco-friendly clothing.

Now petites can find several garments from the Eileen Fisher line that are made of organic cotton, and Nordstrom offers eleven organic cotton garments for petites, some of which are currently on sale. The organic cotton dress pictured (Buy Direct) is a new addition, which comes in five different colors, and is available in petites sizes petite petite (that's extra-small) through large petite. It's also available in regular sizes small through extra-large.

Image Courtesy of Nordstrom