Aibu petite means shorter. Not smaller

[monkeysox]

Bought trousers in my usual size but from ebay. Buy this size all the time from dorothy perkins so was pretty confident of fit.
They've arrived and have a very old label on. Old branding of dp. They are much smaller than expected.
I know, vanity sizing....
I queried with the seller and apparently petite means smaller.
Er no.

I always though petite was small in frame and height. I would describe someone such as Kylie Minogue as petite.

Surely it should mean for people who are short. Why would a size 16 short person be smaller than a size 16 5ft 6 person in anything but height and maybe arm length? Otherwise they aren't a 16.

I'm 5ft 3 and a size 18 but the petite section doesn't do trousers for my leg length and the regular ones are way too long so I have to take them all up.

Smaller all over so small proportions. I'm 5 ft 1 and a size 8 and get swamped by normal sized trousers. Plus tops are usually too long in the arms and too long between chest and neck if low necked. I need the smaller size overall. Petite is not short and fat, that's just short.

I thought petite meant smaller and shorter!

I'm 5ft 2, size 8-10.

The top will be the same width for size 8-10, but the petite will have the armpits and bust up in the right place, not halfway down to my navel and flashing my bra.

Comparing my Next shirts I bought years ago, the petites are better shaped for my proportions as I'm consistently short through most of my body. A standard size 8-10 is often an inch or two too deep around the decollatage/ shoulders/ bust.

However I need a deep crotch for my glutemus maximus and high waist for CS mum tum despite the short legs

Petite means shorter and smaller frame.

You can be short and not have a particularly small frame. I am 5ft 2 and find petite rarely correctly proportioned for me. Petite trousers are always too short.

I was having a discussion about something connected to this earlier. If a short man buys a pair of trousers from say M&S he will buy 30" leg. If I as a short woman buy a pair of trousers I buy petite. So the women's clothing has a value/opinion/implication added to it. Not the mans. I would like to buy clothes with measurements not opinions thanks.

Tbf, no man wants to be called petite . Lots of women would be only too delighted (I would!)

Petite does mean small in French, yes. But clothing ranges labelled as petite just mean shorter. The sizing is the cut. Petite at topshop was the first to introduce a size four for truly petite people. But the petite range caters for all builds hence doing a size 18. If you wanted a narrower smaller size 18 you’d buy a 16!
It’s only called Petite because it sounds better than short.

Yes, you probably are petite Snuggy - even if you’re carrying a bit of excess weight.

Your underlying frame will still be narrower, and with shorter waist/hip/shoulder ratios than a taller person.

Smaller frame so therefore narrower shoulders/hips, which could mean a size 10 regular would be too tight around the arms or hips of a size 10 petite

I've won a petite dress size 8 and it fit fine from 'miss Selfridges'. I bought size 8 petite dungarees from 'new look' as I wanted them to be ankle length but struggled to fit them past my hips and got a cameltoe once fitted.

I'd expect the main sizing measurements- bust, waist and hips - to be consistent with their non petite counterparts but for others like length, distance between waist and hip/bust, crotch length, etc they would be different.

I've occasionally bought petite items in a charity shop even though I am 5 ft 7 and quite muscular. I'm a size 8 and find that most of the measurements are too short e.g. distance from armpit to shoulder or from crotch to waist as well as the leg length. But I have very slim arms and legs so don't have a problem with fitting around my limbs or across my back.

My hips are most definitely broad 😁