J.Crew Double-Cloth Lady Coat with Thinsulate

J.Crew Double Cloth Lady Day in 0P

Boots:  Size 5 (don't remember the brand - it's been worn off!)

Hat:  Boutique Jacob

Gloves: Bought several years ago (it's a little big for me!)

This coat is very comfortable and lady-like - a great piece for work as well as an evening out (especially for something semi-formal).  The good thing about this is that not only does it come in petite, regular as well as tall, there are plenty of colours to choose from as well.  Like Jean from Extra Petite, I bought mine in dark cypress.  Most of my coats have either been black or charcoal, so this is a good change for me.  It still looks great with my cream coloured hat and gloves.  Note, however, that since this is a petite coat, the sleeves would be a little shorter.  I highly recommend that one not wear really short gloves or mittens - I had a pair which was just before my wrist.  NOT. GOOD.  Also, despite Thinsulate, the coat is not going to keep one super-warm if it is too much below freezing.  Someone from Toronto who lives primarily downtown and commutes by subway OR a suburbanite who commutes by car should be able to wear this coat if the windchill doesn't get too crazy.  However, I wouldn't recommend this coat if you mostly walk. 

The cypress green coat is currently on sale at $179.99 for a coat without Thinsulate and $199.99 with Thinsulate.  Note that the coat is available in 00 Regular, but the smallest in petite is 0P.  The regular coat is, of course, proportionately longer (sleeves, lower waist as well as a longer length).  I believe that back in late October/early November, a petite blogger suggested the 00R for those who found that the waist was a little too high.

Petites from Anthropologie

Sure, Anthropologie doesn't have a big selection of petites - in fact many of their petite clothes aren't all that petite at all - the pants are generally 31" long, about an inch longer than pants at Banana Republic or Ann Taylor (though standard for denim). However, I've been around their website and have found a two interesting outfits.

The first is the Margery Meanwell Jumper. Normally, I'm not an advocate of schoolgirlesque outfits for petites - it makes us look even more child-like- but with the right shoes - knee-length boots in this case, and perhaps a long cardigan, you're on the go!

Another outfit I like is the Abbott Coat, great for the upcoming cooler season. The coat is also very versatile - can be worn for work with a suit or twinset and skirt/pants or with jeans on the weekend!

Petite vs Regular vs Tall coats, Part II

I e-mailed J. Crew about my issue with their petite pricing and here's what they said the first time around:

Typically petite sizes in the clothing industry are not priced lower than regular and talls. But very often, talls are priced higher due to more material being used.

Ummmm WHAT??? And petites and regulars use the same amount of material? (I'm not looking at it from a number size perspective, but a length POV...see my replies to Anonymous in the original post about coats.) So I wrote back to them, using my "Starbucks" Analogy, indicating to them that a Tall latte costs less than a Grande and a Venti costs more. Here's what they said the second time around:

We don't charge less for petites, because, technically, they cost more to make than our regular sizes...

Okay....go on...

While all we have to do to make a tall size is to add some extra material, petites require complete re-proportioning of all measurements, not just length, creating more work for our designers and manufacturers - work which of course, costs money...

I always thought that tall sizes were proportioned differently as well...you know, longer rise and stuff like that...I guess I'm wrong....

So while we could hypothetically charge more for petite sizes as well, we choose not to, probably because they do, as you stated, require less material.

Why thank you! I'm glad to hear that I'm not being ripped off!

I guess the replies weren't much of a surprise, considering what was discussed between Anonymous and me on Saturday's post, but what do you think? Do you agree with J.Crew? And why do YOU think they only up the tall prices for coats and not for any of their other products?

Petite & Regular vs Tall---Prices Differ!!!

It was chilly today....for September in Toronto, anyway, so I began thinking about fall and winter coats on the J.Crew site. There are a few that I like, but something about the prices caught my eye. Tall sizes cost $10 more than petite and regular! OK, so they use more material for tall sizes, but don't they use less for petites? Why do petite and regular sizes cost the same?

Price list for the Wool-cashmere Plaza coat:

Regular - $325.00
With Thinsulate - $345.00

Petite - $325.00

Petite with Thinsulate - $345.00

Tall - $335.00
Tall with Thinsulate - $355.00

Price list for the Classic Peacoat

Regular - $225.00
With Thinsulate - $245.00

Petite - $225.00
Petite with Thinsulate - $245.00

Tall - $235.00
Tall with Thinsulate - $255.00

And it's just J.Crew, and just for their coats (their Wool-cashmere Dani Coat also costs more in tall sizes), as far as I'm concerned. So what makes tall coats so "special" that it costs $10 more, while petite coats cost the same as reuglar sizes? What do you think about this? Do you think petite coats should cost less?