Petite personal stylist

[OrrAppleCheeks]

Has anyone found a good personal stylist for petite clothing? I’m thinking that John Lewis would be the best bet as they have a lot of petite clothing on their website, but I’m really not sure how much they have in store. It would probably be either Exeter or Bristol.

I’m five foot tall (when I stand up straight) and a size 6 bottom half/8 top half, and not very good at imagining/visualising, so I really would need to be trying on petite clothing. I really struggle to visualise what something would look like scaled down when I’m standing there feeling swamped with the waistline, arm length and hem all over the place.

I tend to resort to buying online from JL, Boden, Seasalt, Hobbs etc but always end up with the same style and colours etc so it’s all really dull.

For info, I’m 59 and in the exceptionally fortunate position of not needing work clothes and also being able to buy higher end high street. I prefer to avoid synthetics and like to buy staples that will last.

Also - another request - any idea where I could hire petite evening wear?

Thank you!

I can really recommend Clare Watkins. She’s based in Manchester but does appointments in London too in addition to online styling. She is so warm and approachable but really knows her stuff. I started as a client of hers three years ago and she’s absolutely brilliant. She’s petite (short) herself so knows the struggle! People comment positively regularly on what I wear now, I feel so much better put together, it makes getting dressed a doddle and a joy. https://www.clarewatkins.com/

Thank you - how does the online thing work? I think to be honest I need someone actually somehow to make me put things on there and then, otherwise I have a tendency to procrastinate in a bookshop!

@OrrAppleCheeks it sounds like you'd be better doing a face-to-face appointment then and, to be honest, they are more enjoyable. The first time I booked Clare I was supposed to do a face-to-face but it was in the middle of the first lockdown so we changed it to online (I've since done the rest as face-to-face). Clare sent me a detailed questionnaire to fill in about my wardrobe, my budget, what sort of style I'd like, what outcome I'd like to achieve etc. I then sent her photos in fitted clothes so she could get an idea of body shape. We then had a Zoom call follow-up. She then put together a 'rail' for me on Pinterest with links to where to buy the clothes she'd chosen. At first I was a little nervous as some of the things were very different from what I usually wore but we had another Zoom call and she talked me through the choices. I then ordered in everything (it was like Christmas). After that we did another Zoom call and I tried everything on as she watched and we went through what suited me and what didn't. Then I sent back anything I didn't want - there was very little I sent back.

In-person appointments are different. About a month beforehand Clare asks for guidance on what I'm looking to add to my wardrobe (she keeps a photographic record of what I already have). She then chooses the clothes and when I go to Manchester (I go to Selfridges) she has a private room there and all the clothes she's chosen for me are set up on a rail. I try everything on and we go through what suits me etc. For me, the help with putting on and taking off the clothes and getting different sizes if necessary etc is amazing because I have ME and I find all that very tiring.

Clare is an absolute expert on colour and body shape and it is amazing how much that helps. She will pick out clothes that I wouldn't give a second glance if I saw them hanging on a rail myself and they will somehow look amazing on me. I have learnt so much about clothes and styling since I've been a client of hers.

I can't recommend her enough. My husband even goes to her now!

@WarmBeerAndSandwiches Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed reply! She certainly sounds as though she offers a great service so I’ll have a good think about it.

I'm a similar size to you OP and realistically, a personal stylist can only work with the clothes that are available.

Lots of brands that sell lovely clothes (Arket, Whistles, Maxmara, Other Stories etc) are mostly made for a larger frame. Having said that I've had more luck with OS - their size XS is properly small, albeit still long in the leg.

I've tried a John Lewis PS and she was lovely but simply couldn't find clothes that fit me.

Invest in a good seamstress for alterations - lengths, sleeves , taking in etc.

Yes, I think that’s what the problem for me is - there’s not much petite clothing in department stores to be able to get a good selection. Added to the fact that I just feel swamped in normal clothes - everything seems so big and unshaped at the moment! High necklines, long sleeves, no waistline and low hems. I really struggle to imagine what it looks like sized-down.

I think I might try to befriend a random petite woman who dresses really well and persuade her to come shopping with me!

You're very welcome @OrrAppleCheeks. I agree that you really need to find a good local seamstress or alterations expert, it was a revelation when I did. I put off doing it for years as I resented the extra expense of altering things on top of buying clothes but it really isn't that expensive and is so worth it.

A personal stylist can't find petite clothes when they don't exist, I agree. BUT, Clare showed me how to look for cropped items for non-petite people which will actually fit me full length, so it's more about the leg length than what the description is of the trousers, if that makes sense. The same goes for dresses, what's listed as mini on a normal person will be normal length for me, or a midi dress will be a maxi dress on me and a lot of them actually suit me. That opened up a lot more clothes for me. She also introduced me to quite a few more brands that have petite sizes.

Yes I used www.capsuleclosetstylist.com. Unlike many others I looked into she has over 20 years of experience online and in person. So many I looked at had done a two week course worked for a couple of years then set themselves up. I wanted someone who had worked with a wide range of people. There is even a post on her blog about petite dressing. You can book a free consultation with her and she is very honest about how she can help you. I did the personal styling online service and it has been a game changer. She has worked with Emma Thompson and Katy Perry amongst others so that was good enough for me haha!