Petite Sophisticate, which closed down a couple of years ago, and returned as an outlet shop after being acquired by Charming Shoppes, has recently opened regular stores in Dallas/Fortworth and Washington D.C. areas. More are set to open in the near future. This is a great alternative to Banana Republic and Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor Loft when if you're looking for work clothes. There is a good selection of pants, skirts, suit dresses, jackets, etc, and do not necessarily give off the granny look. The pants come in two different lengths, short (27") and average (29"), which is good news for petites. So many petite brands only make pants in the 29" or 30" range.
Don't expect it to be like Ann Taylor or Banana Republic, where there is a decent selection of weekend wear. Sure, Petite Sophisticate has denim, but the selection looks very plain compared to those stores. They also have a good selection of special occasion dresses, though they tend to be on the shorter side and therefore not necessarily the best choice for something very formal (I don't believe that petite women have to stick to knee length dresses. The only length that is truly awful on shorter women is something that falls mid-calf. Very long dresses, those that go down to the ankles is not bad. After all, petite brides shouldn't have to stick to a knee length dress, should they? It's not a bridal gown unless it's long!) Of course, they aren't a bad choice for more formal office holiday party. Petite Sophisticate also as a limited collection of active wear.
Now for the bad news: Petite Sophisticate only accepts orders from the United States at this time. In other words, not only do they NOT deliver outside of the US, but they aren't going to accept non-US billing addresses either. Too bad.
