Monday, August 29, 2011

Dressing wise for your pocket size!

I have a friend who is, for all intents and purposes, sample size. I’ve gone shopping with her for years, but to this day, it completely confounds me that she can waltz into a store, pick something up off-the-rack, and not even bother to try it on. “Oh, it looks like it’ll fit,” she’ll say, and buy it on the spot.

Being petite, this isn’t something I’ve ever been able to do. Clothes simply don’t fit off the rack, even if they’re from the petite section -- and on the rare occasion they do, I’m totally overjoyed. It’s a novel experience for me, to find something that fits perfectly with no alterations necessary.

But enough complaining! Because my real point is that there are perks to being pocket sized, too -- by virtue of the fact that you don’t fit into any and everything, you learn what does work for your body pretty darn fast. You’re forced to, really, when only 25% of the clothing out there (if that!) will fit. When your selection’s so small, you want to be sure you’re getting something good, am I right?

But all the same, I’m a firm believer in the fact that you can never really know enough -- and so I’d like to pass on a link to this really insightful post by Kelly of AlterationsNeeded about petite fashion and body proportions. Determining where you fall on this scale (whether your torso-to-leg ratio is weighted towards one or the other) can go a long way in helping you balance your proportions in a way that’s lengthening and flattering.

So although the wrong item can make you even shorter than you already are, the right item can do a ton of good! For example, I personally have a longer torso and shorter legs (and thus, as Kelly describes, I fall on the “appearing more petite than I am” end of the scale). Because of this, I’ve found that high-waisted items do a lot to balance between the two. Alternatively, my friend (who stands at 5’0) has a much shorter torso; for her, bottoms that hang lower on the waist (or are just lower-waisted in general!) are more flattering.

Of course, there are a whole host of other factors that come into play in determining how a skirt will lengthen/shorten your petite figure -- the shape, the hem line (for more on that, see Extra Petite’s great post), etc. But you tell me if you think I’m right! Here are two outfits, one with a high-waist, and one that hits me a little lower, near the hip. Which do you think does a better job of lengthening my proportions?

Venturing into the world of petite fashion.

Hi! This site, as I’m sure you can tell by the title, is a fashion blog targeted towards, and for, petite women.

After recently graduating from college, I’ve been noticing more and more just how difficult it is to find classy, appropriate clothes that actually fit – Abercrombie & Fitch Kids doesn’t work for the workplace, but alternatively, there aren’t many other stores that work at all. Although of course, if you’re here and reading this, chances are that you have first-hand experience with exactly this.

While petite women come in all shapes and sizes (“petite” really is such a broad term!) I stand on the smaller end of the spectrum. In other words, I'm 4’10 and 89 pounds. My measurements are 31, 23, 32. And it is downright impossible to find clothes in my size!

I used to think I was the only one, but the internet has informed me otherwise – there’s a ton of terrific petite fashion bloggers out there, such as AlterationsNeeded and ReallyPetite, who have managed to be amazingly fashionable despite their “pocket-sized” stature. Reading their blogs, I’ve been inspired to start one of my own in very much the same thread.

My job doesn’t offer much of an artistic outlet, and since two of my main loves are writing and shopping, this really does seem the perfect way to unleash my creative energy! So that’s that, really – ultimately, this blog is simply an endeavor in cataloging the petite-friendly clothing I find, attempting to make it work (just because we’re small doesn’t mean Tim Gunn’s immortal words don’t apply!), and the occasional fashion tip for petite women along the way.

I hope you’ll stick with me!

- JJ, Pocket Sized Fashion