Reviews...Petite-Friendly Finds in the Zara Fitting Room

Yesterday, I took advantage of my downtime at work to head over to Zara and see what I could find. Their items, including those from their TRF "juniors" line, tend to run pretty big on me (as I've mentioned before) but I can occasionally get lucky and find an item or two that has a more petite-friendly fit.

I didn't end up purchasing anything, but I did find some really great items that I wanted to share with you all! Apologies in advance for the grainy quality of the photographs, however - these were all taken on my Blackberry, since my point-and-shoot was unfortunately out of battery at this point. I tried editing as much as I could to save detail, but...a Blackberry camera is no iPhone camera! I know what I'm putting on my wishlist for Christmas.

There were some amazing blazers on the racks - a few of which were actually on sale. This one in particular, the "Blazer with Zips" on sale now for 69.99, caught my eye. The one I tried on was an XS, and it actually fit pretty well:

FIT: The sleeves are, admittedly, a little long, but other than that, the fit of the jacket was decent overall. It didn't poof in the back, and the waist and shoulders were appropriately snug. However, even though the jacket was on sale, $69.99 struck me as kind of steep for the quality - the material was thin, and there's no button clasp in the front to close it - you're basically forced to let it hang open. Which is fine, but not for seventy dollars!

VERDICT: As I said, I didn't buy anything, but if this jacket gets marked down even 10 or 15 dollars, I would probably consider purchasing. I really love the tweed style and the fit - it's the price that I'm not digging.

I also tried on this "jacket with zip and edging" in XS which was not on sale, and retailed for 79.90. It also comes in red (although the red version is named differently on the website, as "wool cardigan with zips", I'm 99% sure they're identical - I tried them both on and the fit was the same, as is the price and style).

FIT: Although the price of this jacket is steeper, I would say that the quality is more worth it in the end - the fabric is sturdier and heavier, and I could see myself both wearing this as a standalone layer throughout fall/spring, and as a heavy layer in winter. And, of course, the zipper edging means it closes! The fit is near perfect, aside from some puffing at the top back - it's quite snug everywhere else. Although the sleeves are slightly long, they aren't as noticeably so as the tweed blazer.

VERDICT: If this goes on sale, I will probably purchase - eighty dollars is too steep for me, but at seventy or less, I would certainly consider it! 

The last blazer I tried on was also on sale - the "knitted blazer" in bottle green, size XS, which was down from 89.99 to 69.99: 

FIT: Unlike the other two, this blazer didn't fit at all. It was baggy all around, poofed outrageously in the back, and was loose at the waist. The sleeves, as you can see, were as long as (or possibly even longer) than the first 'blazer with zips.'

VERDICT: Not buying this one at any price! It's just not very petite friendly, which is a pity since it's such a pretty hunter green color. But you can't win every time!

Also on sale at the time were a bunch of knits - sweaters, cardigans, and the like. I took my chances with this red "cable stitch sweater" in size small that looked like it ran tiny and was selling for only $29.99.

FIT: If any of you are still looking for a cozy cableknit sweater, I highly recommend seeing if your local Zara still has this one! The fit is nearly perfect - it isn't too long, hitting right at the top of the hip, and the sleeves (which, stupid me, I rolled up in these photos) fall at the wrist. It's slightly baggy, but that's perfect in my opinion, because cableknit sweaters are made for layering! And you can't go wrong at thirty dollars.

VERDICT: I didn't buy, but I'm experiencing serious regret about that decision. I'm going to hop over there today and see if they still have it in stock. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Lastly, I tried on this bottlegreen "crossover back dress" in XS that looked like it ran small.

FIT: Boy, was I wrong! Okay, perhaps not entirely...the waist and hips of this dress did fit quite snugly, but other than that, this dress was just a mess all over. It was too long, hitting past the knee (when I'm pretty sure it was supposed to fall somewhere above it) and gapped ridiculously at the bust. The photos don't show this too well since I didn't want to give you all a gaping view of my bra, but trust me, unless you have a larger bust to fill this dress out, it probably won't work.

VERDICT: If you're a petite with a larger bust, maybe this would work for you! Otherwise, I'd steer clear. 

I also wanted to draw attention to this "sleeveless dress." The Zara website doesn't list size XS as an option, but the 5th Avenue store in NYC did have one. Unfortunately, the zipper was broken! However, from what I could tell, the hips/waist area fit snugly, and it seemed pretty petite-friendly. It's an amazing cobalt blue color and is only 50 dollars. A possible holiday party option? You tell me! 

Have any of you scored any particularly petite-friendly finds at Zara recently? I'd love to hear!