I'm just 5'2" and I find most pants are too long for me and I have to get them hemmed. I don't mind buying regular sized tops, I must have longer arms and torso but pants I find I need petite sizes. If you are buy petite clothing, where do you shop? What are your favourite stores for petite fashions?
I also have that problem most of the time because I'm also petite. With pants, I also have to have them modified because of the length. Sometimes I would look into the teens section of a department store to check on some of their clothes which could fit me and not look too weird for my age.
Another petite lady here I was really spoilt for choice in the UK, where my favourite stores for petite clothes included Next, River Island, TopShop, Dorothy Perkins and Republic (before it went belly up). They are always spot on for me! However, It's a lot harder in Botswana, because they don't really cater for the smaller lady That's why I sometimes order my clothes in from Asos. Thankfully, they're very reliable and ship worldwide for free Hehe @gracer....I sometimes used to do this too. But I found even clothes aimed at 15-16 year olds could be too long or even too big for me. There was always the small matter of the clothes looking too young too So I soon ditched that and stuck with clothes specifically designed for petite women. But once in while I don't mind looking in the teens section for basics like tank tops, vests and leggings.
For pants I always look for a 29 or 30 inseam. Not too many jeans come this length but there a few. If I can't find them with a shorter inseam then I end up hemming them which I find can change the way they look, especially if they are boot cut. I've bought Columbia teen snowpants before and Adidas teen track pants. A size 14 or 16 isn't bad but not great. I like Champion track pants as they offer different inseams. Once I find a brand that I like and fits well I stick with them. I like Levis for jeans. I find tops aren't as bad. I think I have longer arms and torso so I can wear regular tops.
I hem my pants myself when I can not find petite pants. When I can I will look for stores that have petite sizes like Sears and JCPenny's. I usually roll up my long sleeves anyway so it is not a problem when the length of the arms are too long. I can sew well enough to wear the basic styles, which I will do when I can not find clothes to fit me without taking in a lot of the material.
That's the thing though, the clothes' designs are specially made for teens and they would look weird on me if I wear them. lol Good thing there's also someone who does the same as me, at least I know I'm not the only one. Leggings are indeed a good find for me too when I look into the Teens section.
Same here, @purplepen88 .......My pants have to be petite, but I can make do with regular sized tops if I have to. With those there's not usually a big difference, anyway. If i'm able to try on the tops, depending on the style and cut of the item, I may need to go one size down. Overall, I don't have a real problem in that department, just the bottoms. The only other thing that annoys me is when regular sized clothes, mainly skirts and dresses, are meant to be short but then on me they are either normal length or even midi hehe I know I can alter them, but it really does get exhausting.
I pretty much wear capris year round these days, which for the most part solves this issue. When I was working in a professional capacity and needed to look the part, I would sometimes buy regular length pants and skirts, then have them taken up. Some of the higher end stores will offer this service for free, and if not, I would take them to a local dry cleaner and have them cut down. They don't always just cut the ends off. If there's a pattern, they will sometimes take the item up at the shoulder seam if it's a shirt or jacket, so the pattern/end design isn't affected. The cost is often negligible, and more than makes up for shopping in the regular section, rather than paying extra for petites. It always irritates me that they use less fabric for petite clothing, yet the prices are often higher. Larger sizes are often more expensive, but so are smaller/petite sizes. Either way, the consumer seems to lose.
