One Jacket, Three Outfits - Featuring the Textured Collarless Jacket from Banana Republic

Chinese New Year is about purchasing new clothes, so I splurged and bought the Textured Collarless Jacket from Banana Republic about two weeks ago.  Below are three pictures of the jacket worn in different ways.  Which one looks best?

The Black Dress:

Dress:  Very old Banana Republic, XSP

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman, size 5

The Ankle Pant:

Pants: Theory (OLD), size 00

Cowl Neck Top: LOFT (OLD), XXSP

Camisole: Smart Set , XS

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman, size 5

Denim:

Jeans: Banana Republic, size 24P (from Fall 2010 collection)

Scarf:  Banana Republic (from Fall 2010 collection)

Boots: Donald J. Pliner



J.Crew Petite Price Discrepancy CORRECTED!



They've changed the price down to $108 now, which is the same as regular sizes.  However, they still need to add the skirt as well as a few other items into the petite category link.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

J.Crew Petite Skirt $10 more than Regular?

UPDATE: J.Crew emailed me back to say that both the petite and regular skirt should be $108.  Correction is pending

Take a look at this:

A closer look:

And not to mention this when "petite" is selected for the bright orange version:

Clearly, a second pair of eyes was needed before this went live.  Also, it seems that more than a few new arrivals (including the above skirt) need to be added to the petite link.  Notice that the above skirt, while available in petite sizes, does not show up when the petite link (skirts) is clicked.

J.Crew's Stretch Twill Minnie on Shorty Stories

REMINDER:  Don't forget to enter the House of Hsueh clutch giveaway! More info here!

Several petite bloggers have reviewed one of the two Minnie pants available in petite sizes, and many have found that it didn't fit them very well.  For me, I think it's really about finding the right shoe to go with it.  From reading all the other sites, I knew that wearing flats just wouldn't work, even for those who're over 5' tall, so I only took pictures of me in heels or wedges. 



Since the Minnie is skinny, I knew that it would work best with a slightly looser top, so for the first picture, I wore a blue cardigan from Jacob.  The outfit probably needs a little more dressing up, since the cardigan is not too bright and therefore not making the outfit "pop." 



I also have the same cardigan in a bright green, so this time around, I don't need additional accessories.  But do you think this outfit looks too "Peter Pan" with heels? Oh and yeah, the belt probably needs to be centred more.



For those who like the Minnie, yet feel that the length just isn't quite right, there's always this solution - tucking it under boots.  Because the pant is capri length, it makes tucking so much easier - there's no bulkiness like what you'd find in regular length skinnies!

BTW, apologies for the uneveness of the pics.  I think my camera wasn't fastened tightly enough on my tripod, thus creating a slight tilt.  My apartment is actually even!

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

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!

Anthropologie and its petite issues

So it looks like petites are disappearing and reappearing on the Canadian Anthro site.  Though the petite link is still there, several petite items no longer list that petite sizes are available once you click on the petite tab!  I have sent Anthropologie an email about this and will update you once I hear back.

UPDATE:  Here's the note from Anthroplogie/fiftyone.com (their international delivery service):

Please be advised that not all items that we may offer in a petite size are going to available for international shipment. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Then why bother listing an item as being available in petites???  Totally WTF to me. 

Anthropologie Faves!

I've been looking at the Anthropologie website and am IN LOVE with the following outfits.  Some of them, especially the non-denim outfits which are available in petites are going to be an uber-splurge (thanks so much taxes and duty charges), though...

In The Trees Skirt

$188 CAD

(Available in petite sizes 0P to 14P)

Frill Force Jacket

$228 CAD

Sizes 0-14 (regular and petite sizes)

Soft Scallop cardigan

$138 CAD

XS-XL (regular sizes only; 2 colours)

Puckered Hydrangea Blouse

$88 CAD

Sizes 0-14 (regular only)

Tweedy Leaves Dress

$188 CAD

Sizes 0-14 (regular only)

From-the-Poles Jacket

$148 CAD

Sizes XS-XL (regular sizes only; in four colours)

There are many more that I like, but there are too many to list!  Stay tuned for more for more!!

Petite Anthropologie No More?

Went to the site today and the link to their petite sizes seems to have disappeared! I realize that their selection was small (and online only) compared to some other stores with petite offerings, but at least they offered something...What do you think about this?


UPDATE: It turns out that the US site still has petites.  International sites, however no longer have them (except for denim.  But petite denim is available in stores!).  The Canadian site also has a petite tab for some of their dresses, but no sizes are available.  This is really, really strange.  I have sent Anthropologie an email about this, but have not heard back yet.  Stay tuned for more!



EDIT: I've added images comparing the Canadian and US sites. As you can see, petites is CLEARLY MISSING on the Canadian site!

Canadian site:

US Site (I circled the petite link myself):

Petite Ultimate Dark Wash Skinny Jeans from Banana Republic

This skinny jean an amazing fit on people with smaller frames.  The denim is very light weight, which means that it can be wear it in the summer.  It's also a smaller fit than other Banana Republic jeans I've tried- a 24P actually fits like 24Ps in other brands - I have another pair of Banana skinnies which seem to slip down a lot - it was slightly big.  Another good thing about these pants is that it's ankle length - great for those of us who are super-dooper petite or want to wear flats.  It is $89.50 US or $110 in Canada.

J.Crew Dress

Embossed basket weave beach dress from J.Crew in size 0P.  I don't think it's available anymore.

Note:  I really need to figure out how to take good pictures without having someone else at the camera!  Any suggestions?

Banana Republic Size 00P Solid V-Neck Tie Dress

Recently bought from the store...I read in various reviews that the dress fit small, and was prepared to go up to 0P.  However, the 00P fit quite nicely!

I am wearing a Smartset camisole underneath and the shoes are from Aerosoles.

Not ALL understand 'petite'

Last month, we asked: Can a person just be short, and not "petite"?


Though I'm happy that 44% know that true petite is 5'4" and below (regardless of size), over a quarter of you (27%) believe that "petite" only refers to those who're short AND skinny (c'mon people, get with it! That is NOT the case! Actress Nikki Blonsky is PETITE!! She's under 5 feet tall!) 22% noted that, however, people with short necks but average torsos and legs might aren't "petite" in the clothing sense. 5% of you chose other.

Let's Chill!!!

I try to wear petite sizes even when I'm chilling at home. Above is a typical outfit that I'd wear while blogging, watching TV, listening to music or reading. The hoodie sweater, which I will also wear when I run errands, is from Banana Republic (size XSP - I also own the hoodie in green) and the yoga pants (XS) are from Sweet Petites. I am looking to order another pair from them, but they seem to be completely out of my size in practically every design!

Many Would Enter Petite Model Search

Last month, we asked you: Bella Petite Magazine is looking for models 5'5" or shorter for their publication. Will you enter?

42% said that they'd enter, since it would give some attention to non-celeb petites

7% said that they might, but would need to think about it first

14% said that they wouldn't, since they aren't "modelling" types

7% wondered what kind of clothing these ladies would model (ummm, PETITE SIZED CLOTHING, SILLY!!!! What else would they be modelling?)

21% had no idea what Bella Petite magazine was.

Petite (and Plus) sizes Explained

From the Nordstrom Youtube channel

Gap Inc. Stores and Online Shopping

People in Canada and the UK who are frustrated in the fact that none of the GAP stores deliver to these countries are going to be happy to know that this will be happening some time in 2010. This means that Gap and Old Navy petites, which aren't available in stores, can be bought online. Stay tuned for more info!!!

New Petite Store

Over at Alterations Needed, there's a post about Kim Dahlman's new online-only petite store, For Petite Sake. Kim is the writer of a book called The Petite Handbook, a guide helping petites look their best. Kim's store is rather simple when it comes to choices, mostly classics - not too different from what most petite lines offer. But what do you think? Are the clothes plain? What would you want Kim to add?

C

Project Runway Canada, February 24 Episode

On Project Runway Canada last night, they ditched their "regular" models. The challenge was to re-do a woman's wedding dress, turning into something completely different. The models they used were the owners of the dresses, and were all different shapes and sizes (including one petite woman). Because designers are trained to design at a certain size (for the most part), at least one commented on how they had to re-think how to fit a non-size zero. Sad, IMHO.


Some of the designers fared well, though many did not. The designer who created a recycled dress for the most petite woman did an amazing job and the dress was absolutely adorable with the red and black added to the waist. I just wished that the judges mentioned her petiteness. One of the ugliest dresses was the one created was Kim's. I just can't describe it. It was a complete mess. She basically added meshy material to the sleeve and hem - something that just didn't "go" with the outfit. Another ugly dress was created from a sari. The designer, Baylor, could have done so much with it, but he did not. Not only was the dress nasty, but it was lopsided, with the back shorter than the front. At the end, Kim was given one more chance, while Baylor was eliminated.

Anthropologie coming to Toronto

Hey Torontonians!

Mark your calendars for April 22, 2009, because that's when Don Mills Centre reopens. According to their store listings at Don Mills Centre, Anthroplogie is going to be moving in to the mall Another store will be opening in Yorkville. Anthropologie carries petite sizes (though not necessarily in their B&M stores...in fact, I'm not even sure if I've ever seen petites outside of their web store), including Joe's Jeans in the Provocateur (petite) style. Unlike other petite sizes, the Provocateur IS available in their stores (at least at the Las Vegas store I went to a few days ago). We will, of course, see whether the Toronto stores will carry them. I can't wait to find out.


C