Shopping Resources for the Petite Woman
Hello my fashionable friends,
A common complaint I hear from women is their inability to find clothing that goes beyond the “typical” range of sizes commonly available in stores. Every woman has her own style challenges, and I will periodically publish pieces that provide resources and tips to address these areas.
This post will focus on petite women who can struggle with finding clothing that is not only the perfect length, but has the proper proportions.
WHAT IS CONSIDERED PETITE?
A woman is considered petite if she is 5’4” or shorter. Clothing that is designed for petite women will include details such as shorter lengths and proportions, smaller buttons and hardware, and more subtle patterns to accommodate their more compact frames.
Petite clothing also includes plus sizes for women who are 5’4” and shorter who wear sizes 16 and up.
RETAILERS THAT CARRY PETITE CLOTHING
I have rounded up a list of retailers that carry clothing for petite women.
Abercrombie & Fitch: Check out Abercrombie and Fitch’s collection of clean, understated, and functional pieces.
Ann Taylor: Ann Taylor is a great place to shop for classic cuts with clean lines, particularly for the office.
ASOS: A great place to shop for trendy pieces with a huge selection of brands and price points.
Banana Republic: A nice selection of clean and classic styles.
Boden: An extensive collection of classic pieces, including fun prints and vibrant colors.
Express: You’ll find a nice variety of classic and trendy petite styles at Express.
Macy’s: Choose from brands like Michael Kors, INC, Charter Club and more.
Neiman Marcus: Brands like Eileen Fisher, Caroline Rose, and Joan Vass are included in the Neiman Marcus petite offering.
Nordstrom: Nordstrom carries numerous brands with a petite offering, including their private label brand Halogen, TopShop, NIC +ZOE, and more.
Stitch Fix: Online personal styling service Stitch Fix not only carries petite clothing, but their data technology coupled with expert stylists hand selects items based on your fashion preferences.
PLUS SIZE PETITE CLOTHING
Retailers who carry plus size petite clothing include the following:
Avenue: A clothing retailer dedicated to plus size women with cute tops and jeans in petite sizes.
Boden: Classic pieces, including fun prints and vibrant colors in sizes 16/18 and 20/22.
JC Penney: JC Penney carries a nice selection of plus size petite jeans and pants.
Land’s End: Land’s End includes a range of petite plus size options including pants, coats, and tees. A couple of the more fashion forward pieces include this hooded down coat, animal print puffer jacket, and houndstooth pants.
Lane Bryant: Fashionable plus size petite clothing including dresses, jumpsuits, jeans, jean jackets, and more.
Macy’s: The Macy’s plus size petite selection includes jeans and pants—some with tummy control features, and dresses.
ENLIST THE SERVICES OF A TAILOR
In addition to shopping at retailers who carry petite clothing, getting custom made clothing is a great option. Having clothes designed for your exact specifications will ensure the perfect fit. If you need a recommendation for a good tailor, ask around. Your fashionable friends or colleagues may have a good referral. Yelp may also be a good resource.
Getting items altered for a custom fit may also be an option. However, if clothing is not designed specifically for petite proportions—in some cases, the required alterations may be significant, impacting the integrity of the garment and becoming quite costly.
The key to looking great in your clothing is finding pieces that fit well. Retailers seem to be making more of an attempt to provide a range of style options for women of all shapes and sizes, and that’s a great thing.
Thank you for reading and if you haven’t signed up for the mailing list, join now, so you can be among the first to receive updates, style tips, and access to fashion insiders. You’ll also receive a free download from my book, Find Your Fabulous: The Fearless Fashionista Approach to Developing and Owning Your Style.
