Banana Republic Spring/Summer 2008 Collection ...Not so petite friendly

It may only be December, but the podcast for Banana's Spring/Summer collection is now up. It is also available on iTunes. I know Banana Republic is trying to be more fashion forward, and I applaud them for doing so, but when one does that, one often sacrifices good fit for what is "in." And this isn't always good for petites. Many designers forget that women come in all shapes and sizes, not just very tall and thin. This season's collection is no different. There are plenty of long skirts and dresses, which while works for a thinner petite woman, would not work for ALL petite women. This is unusual for Banana Republic. In the past, Banana has always had decent, stylish pieces that fit most sizes. However, I would say that the worse offense has got to be the short poofy dresses. (Actually, anything poofy is an offense on petites there's a poofy top in the collection too. ) They make most women's hips, regardless of height, look wide. If they looked so-so on the models, they'd look awful on the rest of the world. Of course, there are some petite-friendly pieces too, but most are basic (e.g. trench, pencil skirt), items that you can find at Banana pretty much all year round. I don't know if the more "fashion foward" pieces are going to be available in petites, but usually they are. And sadly, if they don't sell, Banana will go the route of J.Crew, and only offer petites in the most basic office pieces.