Short but not shortsighted...why are all petite ranges so foul?!

[Cinderariel]

I have just browsed the John Lewis Online petite "fashion" pages and, no word of a lie, I am almost weeping in anguish.. WTF?! Honestly, go and have a look..Its like a Per Una reject sale!
Why oh why oh why are all petite ranges so fecking awful? I am 5ft tall, size 8, 34 but I cannot find a simple scoop neck T shirt that covers my tats for love nor money! Don't even get me started on jackets/shirts/dresses arrrgh. I just want to go and buy something and not have to fiddle with hemming/nipping/tucking it.
Fashion Insiders of S&B, which shops cut for shorter ladies? I like Reiss/Cos/Whistles (but they don't like me ).... Are there any Japanese brands or shops which tend to cut for the less willowy end of the market?

I'm a shorty and have had some nice things from Monsoon petite. Mainly trousers though, haven't tried petite dresses there

I am a petite size 6 . Clothing sometimes tricky to find. A few years ago, miss selfridge did a huge range of petite maxis. I bought myself 3 of them and kept them well, still in fashion now. You can find some bnwt sometimes on ebay if lucky.

Suprised next not mentioned on this thread, by far the biggest petite range which many maxi dresses to choose from. They do vanity size though and their petite size 6 is still a bit baggy for me in trousers, which they did a size 4. Otherwise cant fault the range and i get workwear from there.

wallis petite- huge range of maxis, always have online offers. love their tunics.
petite ben de lisis/principles on debenhams website- clothing fits perfectly.

Topshop is perfect for skinny jeans and the odd quirkly item.

boden overpriced and not my thing. (sorry). like their kids clothing but petite stuff looks frumpy. wouldnt touch m&s /precis/john lewiswith a bargepole. dp is limited and i think fit and quality are inconsistent.

so would highly recommend: next, wallis, petite principles. wallis have really upped their game recently.

Great thread title! I feel your pain. I am 5'1", size 6/8 (8 on top, 6 on bottom) but curvy as bra size of 28E. A lot of the petite ranges assume that as a 6/8 you are straight up and down, so I always feel I have to shop very carefully to find flattering clothes. A couple of years ago, I discovered Fenn Wright Manson Petite and got 2/3 really nice bits but this year their stuff is rubbish. I will check out some of the recommendations on this thread though. Thanks!

As an aside, I have been pregnant twice over the last four years. Decent maternity petite stuff? ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!

J Crew is your friend for investments in nice trouser's ! I am 5' 0" and a size 10/12 ( Norks have increased since DS) on top but 6 on bottom.
I purchased quite a few things there when I was in New York and am planning a trip later in the year!
The other shops I use regularly is Next. I got gorgeous palazzo pants there recently.
I also managed to pick up a pair of jeans in tesco - ankle grazers on anyone else but perfect for 5 footers will a small turn up.
www.clothingattesco.com/page/search/?termtextkeywordsearch=ankle+grazer
they are skinny fit and best of all only 8 pounds ! And start at size 6 !

Hello there! //waves tiny arms frantically! You're on my boat!

5ft nuthin', size 6 (barely), 34 - and a thwarted shopper to be sure. Jane Norman's got some xs sizes that work - but you have to wade through a lot of tat clothes to find something remotely wearable. Next usually has one or two pieces in their petite section, but they're usually boring as hell (though I snagged a pair of red linen trousers that I'm loving). Republic sometimes offers up a gem. I hear Reiss does a perfect little size 6, but I can't afford it :(

fabulousathome your shopping experiences in Sing and NY sound like a recurring fantasy I've had for years!

Actually, some of you may find this site helpful. The woman who put it together collected the official size data published by many different stores and built a data visualisation thingie to help women find their best sizes at different shops. sizes.darkgreener.com/ (that's how I figured out that Reiss would fit...but alas!)

I bought some fabulous petite cropped black trousers last week in Wallis, they have a few different colours and have a sale on at the moment, cant link as on phone! Some of the petite stuff modelled by Louise Redknapp for Wallis is lovely!

I have been shopping around lately for petite dresses before I go back to work, M and S www.marksandspencer.com/Petite-Womens/b/43053030 do a good range of clothes but if you want something a bit more professional have a look at Jeetly petite www.jeetly.com/. Casual petite work clothes are mainly from ASOS www.asos.com/Women/Petite/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=4177

5ft and size 6-8 here. The high street really is missing a trick with a decent petite range.
I shop most of the petite ranges mentioned and think you just have to look hard to find the good things.
M&S petite - good for jeans, pencil skirts and rain coats.
Topshop petite - good for skinnys, shirts and tops and dresses.
Next petite - good for dresses, trousers, coats and tops.
Boden petite good for trousers and dresses and jackets
Banana Republic petite is good for trench coats, tops and knits.
Benetton doesn't have a petite range but their XS knitwear fits me well.
Warehouse also comes up small.

Next kids department age 10 - 11 skinny jeans are a perfect fit for 5 footers and size 6-8

I am short and shortsighted. :(

I tend to just get stuff altered. French and Italian brands come up smaller.

You really shouldn't go down the kids clothes route too much as their bodies are different shapes to women's.

I wouldn't step inside next or m&s for clothes, leaving that excitement til I'm 50 ;)

Banana republic is very conservative ok for work wear and the odd thing, the petite section is much smaller than the regular size.

My dream is to open a petite shop with nice clothes I'd call it "short and stumpy"!!! :)