Chie Mihara Mary Janes, Size 5



I got these Chie Mihara Mary Janes from Browns a few days ago.  I don't know if I've ever mentioned it in this blog, but I LOOOOOOVE her stuff.  They have that unique eclectic/artsy feel that many other shoe brands don't have.  In fact, the only other place where I've seen similar stuff is at Anthropologie (I also have a love-hate relationship with Mary Jane shoes - on one hand, they look really little girl-ish, but on the other, the straps help my feet stay in place!).  Her sizes start at a 5/35, and the size available at stores which carry her line.  They do fit slightly bigger, so insoles are necessary (though the straps on these Mary Janes seem to be keeping my feet in place so far).  The shoes can be quite pricey, but as most small-footed women know, it's often a grab it while you can situation.  This is exactly why I don't have that large a shoe collection compared to many other women. 

Do you have tiny feet?  Do you have shoe shopping issues? 

You Hate Vanity Sizing!

We aren't surprised here at Shorty Stories!  65% of you mentioned that you did not like vanity sizing because you have been sized out of clothing at most stores.  Another 25% of you don't know what vanity sizing is (REALLY?  Haven't you noticed that you're taking a smaller size, despite NOT losing weight?).  5% of you said you love it, because you now wear a smaller size without any effort and another 5% chose other.

November Small Feet Poll Results: Small Feet = Difficulty Shopping!

Last month, Shorty Stories asked whether you had small feet.

31% said that they wore size 5 or 5 1/2, and therefore had trouble finding shoes

31% said that their feet were smaller than a size 5 and cannot find shoes

17% said that their feet are on the small side, but not super-small

18% said that they do not have small feet at all

News for Short Guys

I don't normally write about short guys - after all, I'm female, but scanning Short Shrifted yesterday, I found a link to Short Men Style. This site provides a style guide for all men shorter than 5'8", including measuring, style tips, and of course, best places to shop (includes both regular stores as well as specialty shops). It's probably more difficult to be a short guy than a short woman - there are fewer places to help short guys, online or otherwise. If you search hard enough, you'll probably find twice as many (if not, more) designers and brands which cater to shorter women than for short guys (although I have to admit that men often have better choices when it comes to pants lengths, but being short isn't only about having short legs (something that many companies forget))! Anyway, I hope this site helps guys who are on the shorter side.

Bad shopping experience at BCBG

I was at BCBG a few days ago. A dress which I had my eye on for the past few months was finally reduced to a price which I was willing to pay for. And my size was available (very rarely happens)! So I took it to the dressing room. The dress looked great. However, something was bothering me. The part of the dress which was supposed to be right on they end of my ribcage was sitting on my stomach. Yes. The dress was not cut very well for a petite person. In fact, most of the dresses I tried on didn't fit someone my size all that well. Nor can the dress I tried on be altered without spending a lot of money. These dresses have sleeves, so it isn't just a simple snip on the strap to pull it up.

This hasn't really happened all that much in the past. Usually, BCBG dresses are just a little longer. I have sent an email to BCBG (though I doubt they'd ever get back to me, let alone read it), telling them my issue, and that they're pretty much ignoring a good 40%+ of the female population. This dress situation clearly explains the need for petite sizes. So many people, including fashion people believe that simple alterations do the trick. Not in this case.

VIDEO: Petite Availability at Malls in Canada

The lack of choice is very disappointing. I know that there's always cross-border shopping, but that isn't always convenient, especially on weekends. The wait at the border can take two hours!

Specialty Shops for Petites and Short Guys

I usually don't talk about clothes for short guys, since I'm female, but Bridget's reply to my Dorothy Perkins post is actually very interesting. Where do short men shop? How do they get things to fit (guys' clothes are vanity sized too, believe it or not, but vanity sizing is a whole other post)? In Toronto, short men can find reasonably decent clothes at a store called Brown's: A Short Man's World (although the commercial is silly at times...basically it goes on and on about how their clothes are cut to fit shorter men (they even have sizes for extra short guys...5'1" to 5'4") and ends with their slogan, "because it fits!). But why do they get their own store, while we women usually have to dig around in a regular women's store's petite section (usually hidden in the back or upstairs)? I know that most people would say that department stores usually don't have a short guys' section (what are short guys called, anyway?), while many have petites and pluses for women and there are stores like Petite Sophisticate (which exists only in American outlet malls) and Petite Alternative (438 Eglinton W, Toronto...from the review, it looks like the clothes are mostly for more mature women). Do you think it's a good idea to have a store that sells just petite clothes? What about having one that sells clothes for both short guys and petite women? If you had all the money in the world, would you set one up? Which brands would you include?

Lots of petite people, yet little choice...is it our fault?

Toronto is a diverse city. The Asian population (including all ethnic groups) is probably close to 20%. Since many Asians tend to be on the smaller, it's a whole lot of petite women when you include the rest of the population. Yet, other than granny clothes and classic numbers at Banana Republic (or catalog ordered from J.Crew), there's little out there in petite ranges (Americans are luckier, you guys also have Ann Taylor! And some of your Banana stores sell 00/00P....we still don't have that up here, and I *KNOW* that there are plenty of people in Toronto and Vancouver who could wear 00 or 00P!). I often wonder why that is. Is it because the stylish Hong Kong tai-tais (ladies who lunch) and their daughters aren't interested in exploring other brands (HK-Canadian women, for some reason have a preference for big/familiar names....my own mother included), brands that may have petites? Or, is it because they, like many others in the population, immigrant or not, don't quite understand "petite" (my aunt from Hong Kong once walked into Laura Petites with her slim, but non-petite daughter)? It's definitely not a price thing because Asians, especially those from Hong Kong, tend to be middle class and suburban. The reason why I address this is because I was at Muskat Brown not too long ago. Robbie had said that he's tried to advertise in the various Asian newspapers in town, but he wasn't seeing the Asian clientele that a petite shop *should* attract. I have also heard from petite designers who say that they have trouble getting their line into stores because the stores feel that it wouldn't sell well (are we back to the part where people are ignorant of what "petite" is again? Because from what I've heard petite lines at many mainstream stores like Banana and Ann Taylor do well). So what should be done? After all, with the exception of FASHION's annual size issue, mainstream magazines aren't really going to want to discuss petite lines (which IMHO is really ignorant of them...they wouldn't do the same for a plus size...think about it Lou Lou's forums has a 14+ board, but NO PETITE!!), no matter how hard we try (is there anyone in the media/fashion industry who reads this board and is willing to comment? Because I would *LOVE* to hear from you).

My new shoes!

As a size 5 (and sometimes 4 1/2), it's really hard for me to find shoes. I was lucky and found a pair today at Muskat Brown. The sandals are called Pending and are by Stuart Weitzman (I love, love, love his shoes...Stuart Weitzman is one of the few brands that actually go as small as a size 4! Yes, a 4!!! He makes a lot of petite women very, very, very happy!!)Because of my small feet, I don't buy shoes all that often, and certainly will never be an Imelda Marcos or Carrie Bradshaw! I can't. Most brands don't even make shoes in my size, or if they do, they run out. As for kids' shoes, they're great if you're getting casual or athletic stuff, but work/dress? IMPOSSIBLE. And if you've read Amy's blog, you would have read her entry about small feet and how small sizes are disappearing. Thus, it makes it impossible for those of us who are tiny to find things. And if we can't find shoes, how on earth can we look nice? We can't wear a nice grown-up suit (altered or petite sizes) and be expected to wear little girl Mary Janes! And think about how people would react to us at job interviews, at client meetings, at political campaigns, should we run for office (being short and female is already a disadvantage), etc? Anyway, back to the Pendings. They're really confortable, easy to walk in and great for the summer weather. They're a little casual for my office, at least on Monday-Thursday. But I'm okay with it. I'll wear then on weekends :) I just need that perfect pedicure so my toes wouldn't look so bare.