Petite Clothing

If you are 5’ 4” or under, the petite range will generally fit you best regardless of your body shape or age.  However, not all stores will have petite clothing, or it may be hard for you to find clothes ‘off the rack’ that fits.  Here are some tips and ideas to help you find the right clothes for a perfect fit for you and save you trips to the tailor.

 

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Petite Clothing Stores

Here are the best clothing stores that specialize in petite fashion and where you can find the recommended clothes in the chart above.

1. Athletic Clothes: Athleta (athletic tops, bottoms, cargo pants, some swim suits)
2. Casual Clothes: GAP ; Old Navy (shirts, shorts, jeans, pajamas)
3. Classic & Sophisticated Clothes: Ann Taylor (suits for work, pants, capris, dresses, summer tops)
4. Any Occasion Clothes: Banana Republic
5. Most Selection: Nordstrom; Macy’s (swim suits, formal wear, jeans, capris)
6. Colors, Patterns & Interesting Fabrics: J Crew

 

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What is petite clothing?

Petite clothing is designed to fit women of shorter height, typically of 5’ 3” and under.  Proper petite clothing is more than simply scaled down versions of regular styles.  Well-designed petite clothing uses styles specifically chosen to flatter the petite figure, elongate the limbs and avoid drowning smaller frames by using techniques such as scaled down prints, smaller buttons and trims and skinny belts.

 

How to find your body shape

Regardless of height, every body is different and petite women come in all different shapes and sizes.  While your size may change during your lifetime, your frame is consistent and knowing the basics of your silhouette can help you understand how to accentuate your assets and flatter your shape.  Shape is used to describe your silhouette, which generally looks at your shoulder width in relevance to your hip width and your upper, mid and lower half are proportioned to each other.

Here are the several types of body shape:

• Shape A – Spoon or Pear: you have narrow shoulders, defined waist and curvy hips that give you a feminine silhouette.  You should be aiming to elongate and balance your figure by accentuating your upper body.
• Shape H – Rectangle: your hips and shoulders are proportionate.  Your small bust and generally slim frame is perfect for trying out contemporary trends.  Your clothes should highlight the thinnest part of your waist, creating curves and showing off your proportioned hips and shoulders.
• Shape O – Apple or Triangle: your arms and legs tend to be longer and leaner than the other body shapes.  Try to minimize your midsection by highlighting your shoulders and legs.
• Shape V – Inverted Triangle: you’ve got narrow hips and slim legs, so you can get away with almost anything on your bottom half.  V shapes also tend to have quite a big bust.  Draw attention away from your broad shoulders and draw attention to your slim body.
• Shape X – Hourglass: your defined hourglass waist and proportioned shoulders and hips mean you’ve got a feminine shape that’s easy to dress.  Highlight your curves instead of hiding them by emphasizing your waist.

 

How to measure to confirm your body shape

• Bust: measure at the fullest point of your bust with a soft measuring tape.  Make sure that the tape is not too tight by breathing in and out.
• Waist: your waist is the narrowest part of your torso.  The measuring tape you bring around your waist should sit tightly, but it shouldn’t dig into your skin.  Don’t suck in your stomach either.
• Hips: measure your hips at the widest point below your waist.  Remember to remove your clothing and to keep your heels together so that the measurement is as accurate as possible.
• High Hips: this is also a hip measurement but taken in a different place than the previous one.  It is taken at the top of the hip curve, not at the widest point.  You need to focus the upper swell of the hip over your pelvic bone.

You can use this Body Shape Calculator to enter your measurements in either inches or centimeters to confirm your body shape.

 

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Petite Sizing Guide

Here are the sizes and measurements for petite clothing you will find in clothing stores.

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