I came across this post from Petite Fashionista a few days ago. The inventor of petite sizes, Hannah Troy, died almost 15 years ago at the age of 93. Mrs. Troy thought up the petite size when she noticed that many women were pulling on shoulders and waists, making them fit their figures properly. And yes, like many of us petites who know from experience, Mrs. Troy knew that alterations can "spoil the design."
While Mrs. Troy did get a big obituary in the New York Times, she is little mentioned in the fashion industry today. Now why do you think this is? Bad PR? Sexism? Agism? Mrs. Troy was well into her 40s when she invented petite sizes. Perhaps it's because she wasn't petite herself (Mrs. Troy was a former model). Maybe based on her age, she really invented the "Granny Petite," inventing a size for her peers (after all, women in their 40s post-WWII were much "older" than women the same age two generations later.) Or, more likely, it just wasn't the right time. Even today, the fashion industry seems to have an unwritten book of "rules." While some of these rules can change, such as a model's shape (robust, yet skinny look of the 1980s Supermodel to today's too-skinny, sickly look), height isn't something that the industry is willing to accept, at least not in the mainstream. It's the belief that clothes hang better on a taller body. Clothes hang better on such figures because we're conditioned into believing so. Because of this, many so-called fashion experts on message boards don't understand that shorter models might be required if the designer makes clothes specifically for the shorter woman. They continue to repeat the typical "shorter people just don't look as good" line. Well, if you put a 6' tall model in a suit meant for someone who is 5'2", how could it look good? Would it even fit the 6' tall model properly, or would she look like a kid who has outgrown her clothes? Maybe some people in the fashion industry just needs to use their heads a little.
But back to Mrs. Troy. Without her, it's unlikely that I would be blogging about these issues today. I'm not sure if anyone else could have thought of something like this, especially someone who was a designer (Mrs. Troy also invented the tent dress, which many women use to hide certain flaws they believe they have.) Maybe if big powered PR machines existed in the 1940s or if the fashion industry is just a little more accepting of non-standard sizes, then Mrs. Troy would be better-recognized today.