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Plight of a Petite

Posted on July 16, 2010November 4, 2014 by Elaine

The two bloggers that inspired me to start a blog of my own are Alterations Needed and Petite Asian Girl .  I am petite myself standing at a whopping 5’1 and 3/4″ (yes…I ALWAYS include the 3/4″) and I have always found it difficult to find clothes that fit.  I honestly just accepted it.  Clothes looked decent on, or as long as they weren’t falling off I thought they were ok.  Being in my 30’s (but still sometimes looking like a little kid – just ask the lady at the convenience store who asked for my ID when I wanted to buy a lottery ticket!) I think it’s about time I felt good in ALL my clothes.  When I found out there was an entire community of fellow petites out there my outlooked changed!  I shouldn’t HAVE to settle for ill fitting clothes.  I should be able to look just as chic and fashionable as my average height friends right?

And so I’ve been inspired.  Unfortunately living in Canada it seems there are even LESS options for petites here – on my budget at least.  Since I’ve been pickier with what I spend my money I’ve only been able to find a few tops at select stores in the city however on trips I’ve taken to Florida I have been lucky to find great fitting items from the Banana Republic Outlet in the petites section.

Here is one of the dresses I picked up on one of my trips:

Dress:  Banana Republic 00P
Necklace:  mark. by Avon
I really love the fit of this dress.  It fits well at the bust and under the arms and is very comfortable to wear.  It might be slightly shorter than I’m usually comfortable with for work, but I think petites can pull it off without looking too sexy or inappropriate.
Here is a close up so you can see the light blue line in the pattern:
It’s really hard to pick up in the photo but you can see the subtle blue along with the charcoal.
Since the A/C is always blasting at work I paired with an old cardigan I have:
Cardigan: Old Navy XP
This would probably be one of my first real “grown up” work outfits 😛

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7 thoughts on “Plight of a Petite”

  1. curls-and-pearls says:
    July 19, 2010 at 6:44 pm

    @CynthiaC – that’s really interesting that finding small shoes is easier here! I (un)fortunately do not have tiny fit. I wear a size 7 which I think is quite big for someone my size LOL!

    Reply
  2. CynthiaC says:
    July 19, 2010 at 4:56 pm

    I don’t know if you have uber-tiny feet or not, but I think it’s easier to find size 5 shoes in Canada. At the Bloor Street Holt Renfrew store in Toronto, size 5 is usually available. Ditto with Browns Shoes, Ron White and Town Shoes. However, I can’t always say the same about New York. In fact, if I DO see size 5, they’re like “huh? These come in 5?” Even if that’s not the case, I think the Toronto (and Vancouver, I guess) shoe salespeople KNOW their size 5 buyers better than in Manhattan.

    Reply
  3. curls-and-pearls says:
    July 17, 2010 at 9:28 am

    @AN LOL definitely, every 1/4 inch is VERY IMPORTANT!

    Oh Yay! I hope this is true! And I hope the prices will be decent for shipping too. This is one of the main reasons I have never shopped online – crazy shipping and duty prices.

    Reply
  4. Alterations Needed says:
    July 16, 2010 at 10:45 pm

    Thanks for the shout-out!

    Someone once said to me, “You know you’re short when you’re counting every quarter inch!” =P

    That dress fits great and the pinstripe is a really fun detail. I like it a lot!

    The Canadian BR website says online shopping is coming in August! That means XXSP items will finally be available, not to mention a way better selection of petite items. It’s about time!

    Reply
  5. curls-and-pearls says:
    July 16, 2010 at 9:45 pm

    @PetiteXXS Thank you for the warm welcome 🙂 yes, the pinstripe is what drew me to the dress other. The shape is very simple but the pinstrips add some interest.

    @PAG I’m noticing that a lot of stores are doing that now! The petite selection at the BR stores here are very limited and the last time I tried on the smallest size there I was still swimming in it and I’m bigger than a lot of the other petites on the AN forum! It makes no sense to me.

    Reply
  6. PetiteAsianGirl says:
    July 16, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    I keep on hearing about how hard it is to find stuff in Canada compared to the US. I’m glad that you had some finds during your Florida trips though! I used to like the BR outlet a lot but recently they have moved all their merchandise to “factory only” meaning everything is designed and made just for the factory. It’s almost like a new line for the BR company, lying somewhere in between the lower end Gap and the real BR. But hey, at least they carry 00P and xxsP in stores!

    I really like the fit of this dress on you, and up close the fabric is very pretty yet professional. I agree it’s on the short side for a work dress, but us being petite can really push the limit without anyone ever batting an eye : )

    Reply
  7. PetiteXXS says:
    July 16, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    Welcome to the blogging world! I was also inspired by AN and PAG to start blogging too… they were the original petite duo!

    I like the pinstripe fabric, it gives the dress that extra bit of style and is still very work-appropriate. Good find! 🙂

    Reply

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