Showing posts with label affordable petite shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label affordable petite shopping. Show all posts

Spring is all about orange...but what about the rest of winter?


More Banana Republic...
Banana Republic at ShopStyle

I was at Banana Republic this weekend and their spring clothes were already out.  There is quite a bit of pretty spring colours, including orange/salmon to be seen (I was not surprised by this, since I saw quite a bit of that colour at LG Fashion Week in October).  It's a good change from the drabby dark colours of winter, though it would be a while before I can wear any of it, since the weather has been very cold as of late.


More Banana Republic...
Banana Republic at ShopStyle

Of course, you can bring some spring in to your winter wardrobe by spicing up your mostly dark-coloured winter wardrobe (like the dress above) with something colourful (which reminds me:  If you haven't signed up for Petite Fashion Challenge #5, click here!)...


Suggested items:


More Banana Republic...
Banana Republic at ShopStyle


More Ann Taylor...
Ann Taylor at ShopStyle


And if you want to be a little more sophisticated.....


More Hermes...
Hermes at ShopStyle

Ahhhhh....scarves.  So few young women wear them these days!  Personally, I like long flowy scarves in bold colours as they really do pop when paired with dark colours!

More Bebe...
Bebe at ShopStyle

Something like this gold Bebe belt can also bring some shine into basic black or navy.

And who can forget shoes?  If you're a conservative shoe-wearer, why not be a little more daring and wear something other than black, charcoal or dark brown in the winter?


More Aldo...
Aldo at ShopStyle

I think these shoes can look AMAZING with a darker-coloured dress and dark tights and maybe some sort of flowy scarf!  By the way, I suggest that these shoes stay in the office or indoors if you live in a snowy part of the world.  They are not meant to be worn in the snow!

Marshalls Coming to Canada

MOUNT PROSPECT - MAY 19:  The front facade of a Marshalls store is seen May 19, 2004 in Mount Prospect, Illinois. T.J. Maxx' and Marshalls' parent company TJX Cos. posted a 48 percent first-quarter rise in profit. Sales alone from the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores rose 12.6 percent from last year.  (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
A Marshalls store in Illinois

According to this Toronto Star article, the US discount retailer will be opening its doors in Canada in 2011.  The first location will be at what used to be Circa, a downtown nightclub which shut its doors after just three years of operation.  Marshalls is the sister store to Winner's (TJ Maxx in the US), owned by TJX Cos. The store is not meant to compete with Winners, but to "compliment it" - similar to Chapters and Indigo.  Interesting, since I have heard from some people that Marshalls is supposed to be slightly lower end than TJ Maxx/Winners - in other words, you are more likely to find designer labels in the latter chain (not that the prices are all that discounted). 

What do you think of this?  Do you prefer Marshalls or Winners/TJ Maxx?  Is there really a difference?

Banana Purchase - Petite Sloan fit velvet flared pant (00P) and Petite Lettuce Edge V-Neck (XSP)



After seeing skinny after skinny at Toronto's LG Fashion Week, I told myself that I wasn't going to purchase any more skinny pants.  So far, I've kept to that rule and a few days ago, bought a pair of flared pants from Banana Republic.  Now, as we petites all know, Banana sizing can be inconsistent, and a 00P can fit really big at times.  This time, the pants - a velvet flared pant in the Sloan fit - were only a little too big - they are sitting right above the hips on me, when they're supposed to be "below the waist" (which I take as being slightly above where they're now).   However, they still fit quite nicely otherwise.  And though I am wearing heels in the pictures, someone who is around 5'2" can probably get away with wearing flats with these pants as well.  As for the sweater, I'm wearing an XSP . I could fit into an XXSP, but it would be a tighter fit, and probably won't look good with these pants.



Sweater:  Lettuce V-Neck (Banana Republic, size XSP in Emerald Green)
Camisole: Smartset, XS
Pants:  Petite Sloan fit velvet flared pants (Banana Republic, 00P)
Shoes:  Chie Mihara, size 5


October Shorty Stories Poll Results - Shopping in the Kids' Section



Results from last month's poll, which asked: As a petite, do you often shop in the kids' section?

25% of you said that you'd purchase from the kids' section as they're more affordable and cute
22% said that you try not to, since it's embarassing
10% want to, but aren't small framed enough
37% definintely won't as it's embarassing (and too small)
5% said other.

At the H&M Fitting Room



Tried on a few outfits.  The first, an animal print dress made me look extremely boxy.  Not a good thing.  It also made me look fat!  And I never look fat.





I also tried on the same skirt that Kelly from Alterations Needed, which looked better.  Though I was able to zip up the 2, it was very tight, so I opted for a 4.  The 4 would definitely accomodate me if I decide to eat too much!  The skirt is definitely a MUST WEAR for Toronto's LG Fashion Week, which I will be attending starting tomorrow (watch DelectablyChic! for pictures. There may be a Petites at Fashion Week post here, too...it just depends on whether I can find enough petites to get pics of!)

I will also have a better picture of me in the skirt later this week...

A Bit of Shopping....



Or maybe not really.  On my first day in London, I decided to explore the stores on Oxford Street.  These places are, for the most part, affordable, and filled with familiar names like Marks and Spencer, H&M, Gap and of course, TopShop.  But before I get to TopShop (which will be another day), let me tell you about Next.  On the website, the store's clothing looked good.  There was a reasonable selection of petite sizes, which weren't that bad looking. Imagine my disappointment when I got to the store, which is a flagship, to my understanding.  The petite section consisted of a tiny corner on the women's floor (ground/street level) and most of the selection was denim or ugly floral tops.  The regular sizes were much better, though I've decided that it's a place I may revisit at another time.  There are several stores across the city and the country.  In addition to women's and men's fashions, they also sell kidswear and some stores, also home.  Maybe we can say that it's J.Crew crossed with Crate and Barrel? 

Other stores nearby (i.e. within a 15-20 minute walk) include an Apple store (a huge flagship) as well as Zara Home, which is a Zara-branded Pottery Barn type store.  These stores don't exist outside of Europe. 

Next time:  More on the TopShop flagship!

Poll: Most people don't understand the real need of petites





Last month's question was: Do you think people who encourage alterations over petite sizes just don't understand the real need?

77.4% said: People who say this are usually not petite or don't care about good fit! It's about proportion, people!

19.4% said: Sometimes - there ARE regular sized clothes which work well on shorter women

Luckily, 0% said: Don't alterations already work? I didn't think people were that out of it (though I'm sure many are!!!)

3.2% chose "other"

What do you guys think of this?

I found this really old post from 2006 while surfing the net for topics. She thinks we should print out cards saying something along the lines of "You'd be looking at a credit card instead of this card if your store carried anything in my size." There isn't need to spend a lot of money printing them - there are plenty of tear-away business cards you can get from places like Staples you can purchase and then print them out on your home computer.

December Poll Results


In December 2008, Shorty Stories asked: How high are your most of your heels?
15.4% Less than two inches
23.1% Two or three inches
15.4% More than three inches
15.4% A mix of different heights
30.8% I don't wear heels!


Bebe petites aren't all that petite

I was at the Eaton Centre the other day and stopped by Bebe, a store that I don't normally go to. While I was pleasantly surprised to see petite length pants, their petite pants really aren't all that petite. According to their website, the inseam is 31". Of course, Bebe is for a younger crowd, so the longer length doesn't surprise me - the shoes they had at the store had heels that were probably around the 4" mark. While the pants worked for me if I wore a 2" heel, they won't for everyone, especially if they don't wear heels all the time. I have found that these days, most pants don't work well with flats (even on average heighted people - the in look is that pants must touch the heel - high heels). I think what some people forget that some women do quite a bit of walking to get to work - 4" heels aren't what they'd be wearing! They won't be wearing that when they're driving, either.

BREAKING NEWS: Wal-Mart launches Petite Line, Black Koi - UPDATED INFO

Black Koi is the newest line available at Wal-Mart Canada with clothing specifically designed to fit women 5'3" or shorter and cut to fit "Asian body types." The price point is between $14.97 and $36.97. No info on the inseam length of their pants, but I would imagine that it's the standard 29" or 30". The line is available at selected Wal-Mart stores in Ontario, BC and Alberta, where there is a significant Asian population. The clothing is also manufactured in Canada.


Update: They sent me a size chart. An XS has a 31" bust, 24" waist and 33" hips. It isn't too much different from a "0P" at Banana Republic (measurements 31 1/2" bust, 24 waist, 33 1/2" hips). The pant inseam is a standard 30"

Here are a couple of pics:








Images courtesy of Wal-Mart Canada.


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