New York Times article on small boobs and bras

Check it out here

A bra from The Little Bra Company

One issue I have with petite-focused bra companies is that though many have smaller back sizes in 28s and 30s, most don't go over a B cup.  So where are all the women with small backs but larger cup sizes supposed to shop?  Though I've been fitted for a 30B from The Little Bra Company, the "girls" look like they're going to spill out of the cups in some styles (we're talking about lingerie ad boobs here), so I have a feeling that I might be a 30C in some styles (which would fit me better than their 32B).  Also, there are some petite bra brands which don't make anything smaller than a 32 (Triumph, I am looking at you).  If you're supposed to be "petite" shouldn't you be making smaller band sizes?  Just a thought.

November J.Crew Picks!

Over the past few weeks, J.Crew had a lot of publicity, with Michelle Obama wearing J.Crew for her Leno appearance. While Michelle's outfit is not available in petite sizes, Shorty Stories has found a few great looking pieces for this month! What's great about November 2008 is that J.Crew actually has a decent selection of petites. Pieces Shorty Stories likes include:

Petite Aubrey herringbone jacket

Petite Pembridge-dot Camilla dress (this is the dress version of the skirt Michelle Obama wore)

Petite super 120s blair dress

Please help Tammy!

Tammy recently sent me this:

Hi, I was wondering if you knew of any hosiery/tights/stockings that were a better fit for a petite girl. I've been looking for a nice pair of thigh highs and they're just too long but people only sell them one size fits all and having the lace top bunching at the top is not sexy or practical.

I would suggest looking at Atsui Tokyo, an online store based out of Seattle. The sizes are cut to fit women in the typical woman in Japan, so we're looking at between 4'11" and 5'5". Readers, do you have any other suggestions?

An INC dress I saw at the Bay

I was at The Bay at the Eaton Centre today where I tried on this dress from INC International Concepts in petite. INC International Concepts (and Nine West) is one of the few petite department store lines I would consider buying from as the brand isn't granny-ish. I haven't bought the dress yet - I'm going to think about it first. I have a high school reunion coming up. It's over two days. The Friday is a dinner at the school and Saturday is a cocktail event at a classmate's home, followed by another social back at the school. I may end up getting it later this week - if it's still there. What do you think? Should I buy it?

Petites now at Old Navy

Old Navy has joined its Gap Inc sisters by offering petite sizes. Unlike Banana Republic, Old Navy's petite line is available via web only, which means that Canadians and anyone outside of the US are out of luck should they want to make purchases. The line includes dresses, sweaters, t-shirts, skirts and pants. The pants have an inseam of 29 1/2" and come in sizes 0-20, a larger selection than Banana Republic (up to size 12) and Gap (up to size 16). In addition, marketing for their petite line isn't that great. Unlike plus, there isn't a separate tab for petites. Perhaps Old Navy isn't as interested in marketing their petite line as their big sisters Gap and Banana Republic (Banana is very good about marketing to petites. They've had a separate tab for us since the line launched!)

One down side of Old Navy petites, like other petite lines, is the lack of more vanity-esque pieces and less choice. For example, the main Old Navy line includes graphic t-shirts, not available in petites. There are three pages of dresses in missy sizes, while there are only two pages for petites. The pant length is also bothersome for many petites. While 29 1/2" seems to be industry standard, many petite women complain that 29 1/2" is still too long.

BREAKING NEWS: UK's Shortbred now available in North America!

Faye Clements' t-shirt line, Shortbred now delivers to the North American side of the Atlantic! These t-shirts, which have clever, quirky sayings about being petite, are a hit in the United Kingdom. These shirts now deliver to North America and retail at around $40-50 and come in a US 2-4 to 8-10. To order, please go to the Shortbred website by clicking the link or the image above.

New Petite Line: Balzac

I found Balzac through the Serafina site. Balzac, whose slogan is "petite wear with a genuine flair," was founded by Lynn Colclough of Irvine, California. Balzac's clothes are cut to fit all petite figures, not the skinny, size 00P woman. According to the website, the clothes are tailored to fit a missy petite body and ranges from 0P to 10P. The waist measurements are a little more generous than many other petite lines, so those of us who are really tiny may actually be too small for Balzac's line. 0P, for example, is cut to fit someone with a 27" natural waist and 30" low waist.

Balzac carries dresses, tops, dresses and pants. The pants have an inseam of 30" and are meant to be worn with a mid-height heel. The Spring 2008 collection is very vibrant, with light blue, pink and green. One of my favourites is the shorter version of the Vintage Joanny Dress ($189). The longer dress costs $225. In general, pieces range from $125 to $249. Not too bad.