Lee, my 86-year-old mother has almost identical issues: Parkinson's, weight loss, square shoulders, small hips, loss of stature (She used to be 5'3", but is now closer to 5'.) And like Suz's mum, mine also has hands severely crippled by arthritis, so clothes must be super easy--no zippers or buttons. At the same time, she is someone with an absolutely spot-on sense of her personal style (sharply tailored,) and she wants to look good, especially on the rare occasions that she goes out. I have often wondered why no enterprising designer has addressed the problems of the physically disabled who still want to be chic! An easy-to-put-on-&-off clothing line would be a real boon. As it is, we have to hunt and peck for items here and there. The last time I visited her, I took my mother shopping. We were lucky to find some good knit polo shirts & a cardigan in a Talbot Petites department, but our best results came from enlisting the help of the clever and compassionate owner of a small boutique. This sort of shop and service is hard to find these days, so it was wonderful that, with my mother comfortably seated in the dressing room, we could bring in things that looked great and worked for her: a cropped jacket without fastenings; a stretchy sleeveless shell with pleating in the front that added a bit of drape and volume; 2 pairs of cleverly designed narrow pants in a stretch fabric, with stitched creases and flat elastic waistbands, that looked like tailored trousers. (I'll try to find the name of the brand if I can.) Because of her sturdy bone structure, medium petites work better than extra-small regulars, which tend to be too long and too narrow in the shoulders. She likes cashmere cardigans, worn open over pull-on tops, for their light weight, beauty and warmth, and prefers pants to skirts outdoors because they cover her spindly legs and don't draw attention to her shoes (another difficult item) but at home she will often wear loose t-shirt dresses in thicker knits. I have seen some similar dresses recently made of sweatshirt material that might work if they are not too heavy. I wish I could simply direct you to a website, but unfortunately, you may need to seek out versatile pieces your mother likes. Definitely check out petites (Talbots, Ann Taylor, and Banana Republic all have provided some nice dressier things, and Lands End petites are good for pull-on pants and fleece jackets) and concentrate on flattering colors--so important against aging skin. I wish you and your mother the best of luck.
