Extra Petite

[IceniSky]

Anyone find petite clothing is sometimes too big?

Where do you shop? I would love a midi dress or skirt but always too long, and the body doesnt sit right. Or too much material in the back or around the neck line.

I do now have a sewing machine to start having a go at tailoring.

I'm under 5 foot and BMI 22. Sometimes a size 6 top drowns me too e.g Mint Velvert but I really like the bat wing styles.

Have a look at the small town threads, she's tiny and in her older blog posts there's info about where to find clothes that fit and how she's adjusted things.

I'm 5 foot and 7 stone. I wear a lot of childrens clothes (usually from charity shops) - a lot of them are very 'grown up' nowadays - however, I tend to dress very 'casually'.

I'm sadly only that petite in height, not so much width! But yes, most petite ranges are still too long. I've a longish torso but short legs so trousers always still too long.

I feel your pain. I'm size 4 and it's a nightmare. Especially for smart workwear. Following for ideas!

Yes work wear is such a pain. I get so fed up. I'm thinking upskilling in sewing is the way to go! I have a midi dress from next. It needs the hen doing but also the skirt line is too low. Debating whether to practise with it!

Plus I always feel I need to wear heels, whether boots or shoes, as I work in a middle aged man tech industry. But size 3 shoes often slightly too big.

Hem!

I thought office workwear was bad enough until I started working in a warehouse and needed those cargo style work trousers! Hard to find for women, even harder to find in a short length! Luckily my steelies are quite chunky otherwise my pants would be trailing the floor.

Sometimes I have to wear operational site clothing and I look like I am playing dress up! Gender data gap. They have sizes for tall men!

I know the feeling i am 4ft 11 .5 and have terrible trouble finnding trousers especially, M&S are usually the easiest to get trousers from, but even theirs are not as short as they used to be,

I think that if you are short and very slim, then certain UK brands are just out of the question because their smallest sizes are are not actually that small.

I have the exact same problem, I'm 5"0 and BMI of 20.5.

I love midi skirts and midi dresses but I can never find one that fits properly. It's even harder to find smart work trousers but I find that buying crop style tapered trousers works well for me. I've also taken up sewing to try and do soft tailoring myself!

I'll be following this thread for any advice.

Try Mango size XS or 6 (Spanish brands tend to be smaller). A lot of my workwear (office appropriate dresses, tailored trousers, blouses) come from there.

Reiss do a 4 in some of their clothes (eg tailored trousers) and as a brand can be more formal/less casual.

Boden petite is hit and miss but have recently found work dresses and jumpsuits that fit well without alteration (size 6).

Other than that its hit and miss - H&M have started doing a size 4 in some clothes. Their XS in their 'teen' range is v small.
Similarly New Look have a 'teen' range. All fine for casual but not workwear.

And find a good seamstress!

Yes, mango is definitely a good call for shirts and dresses (office wear) and it's one of the few places were a size XS fits me well in the shoulders and waist.

Unfortunately, when it comes to their dresses, the waist always sits too low. But I'm 5"0 so maybe it works better for someone around 5"3, since that's still considered petite?