Chicago-based Christine Petric (27) is a Senior Analyst at Groupon. She is a petite who has fully embraced her small frame, and uses her blog, The View From 5 ft. 2, as a creative outlet where she can share her fabulous fashion finds with the world. She is a trendy, polished and glamorous casual gal who loves skinny jeans, statement necklaces, high heels and smiling as much as possible.
“My style has changed a lot — I think I experiment more than I used to, but I also have found a better balance in investing in pieces and styles that are more timeless and I know I’ll love and wear long term. I think I would define my style as downtown casual with a little bit of edge.”
Skinny jeans in every colour are an integral part of Christine’s casual wear uniform. They’re easily tuckable, so perfect for the rainiest and snowiest day. Here she’s paired them with very cute white Burberry wellies. In fact, the whites in this outfit make this look for me because it feels so fresh for Spring. The light colour and short sleeves on the sweater provide a girly contrast against the untucked boyish plaid shirt, which in itself has a softer visual effect because of the ivory tartan pattern. The playful pom beanie and semi-chunky knit sweater add plenty of textural interest. While the red label on the boots, echoing the red in the shirt, shows that our blogger has a good eye for details.
Now this is proper 1940s movie star elegance! And proof once again that petites can wear wide-legged trousers with the best of them. So chic and my personal favourite. The monochrome head-to-toe black with lots of outfit depth (I initially thought it was ink blue) further amps up the sophisticated air. Voluminous trousers like these usually do look better with a heel — Christine is sporting 4 inch heel pointy toe pumps, but a 2 inch heel will work too — because it creates a flattering break line on the front of the trousers. Also note that the trousers don’t have visible cuffs, which helps to elongate the leg line as well. The beautiful quilted peplum top has an almost architectural feel to it. It defines the waist and adds structure on top. The necklace with art deco vibe is a statement piece for sure, and looks as if it was made for this elegantly sculpted outfit.
This colour combination makes me smile. I wouldn’t immediately think of pairing olive green with fun bright purple, but I really like how the light blue chambray ties it all together. The quilted Barbour-style jacket and buttoned-up-all-the-way shirt give this casual Winter look a polished preppy feel. The jacket hits Christine at the hip, which is a flattering length for a petite frame. The contrast colour zipper also creates a vertical line, plus I love how the cognac accents mirror the cognac of the cosy Sorel snow boots. The colours in the eye-catching glass necklace complement the outfit. The nonchalant side braid and oversized sunnies finish off the look.
It will come as no surprise that Christine had me with the stripes. The crispness of the bold black and white appeals to my love of all things graphic. This is a fab example of Angie’s cropped sweater over longer shirt formula. Our blogger didn’t own a cropped pullover, so the clever lass folded up a regular sweater to recreate the look. The shirt colours are high contrast, but the black is fairly low contrast against the army green skinnies, and the rounded hem creates a more gentle horizontally cutting line than a straight hem. The fine gauge knit also helps to keep the silhouette sleek. The round-toe moto booties are a good length, and tomboyishly Robin Hood-esque. The textured leather satchel with gold studs — the shape is repeated in her shark tooth necklace — adds a bit of urban toughness. It adds textural interest, together with the oversized collar on the shearling coat and Christine’s lovely dark locks.
Can you believe Christine snapped up her cheeky peds in the children’s section at Zara. Shopping for a smaller frame and size 5 feet isn’t always easy, so Christine was kind enough to share some of her go-to stores:
“I love Nordstrom for shoes. They carry more smaller sizes than any other retailer I’ve found. I also love that Anthropologie, ASOS, J.Crew, Ann Taylor and LOFT, and Gap carry petite lines. There are other brands such as Madewell, Free People and Dolce Vita that fit smaller body types as well. I tend to look at other petite framed women whose style I particularly like and see what they are able to pull off for inspiration!”
Stripes, gingham, bright colours and over-the-knee boots, there’s a lot going on in this happy, maximal Fall outfit, and Christine pulls it off with pizzazz. I love the equestrian, slightly edgy vibe of the high-heeled boots. Notice how they are fitted throughout and come up about 2 inches over the kneecap, a length that can work well for petites. The tonal effect with the light brown corduroy skinnies also helps to elongate the leg line, as do the fairly short sweater and rounded hem shirt. There’s a colour and pattern mixing party going on up top, and I adore it. The cool-toned green, blue and hot pink work great with the warmer-toned browns, and the whimsical squirrel pattern suits our blogger’s outgoing personality. The mini crossbody is such a fun touch too, but in my book Christine’s beautiful smile is the best accessory that amps up her already high style quotient even more.
This Zara skort was a big hit in the blogosphere, and I have to admit I got a bit tired of seeing it after a while. However, I applaud Christine for making it her own here. And petite women sure do rock a shorter hemline like nobody’s business. It feels fresh again with the sporty high-top wedge sneakers and utility style vest. This is partly due to the colour combo too. The olive-brown, khakis and matte gold accessories look great with the crisp white. The beautiful striped sweater is actually a cardigan worn backwards. To conceal the pockets, Christine popped over the vest that adds effortless casual edge. It’s about the same length as the skort, which makes for a flattering silhouette. The delicate necklace adds a splash of Summery turquoise and contrasts cleverly with the tougher looking Alexander Wang bag
Visit The View From 5 ft. 2 to browse the rest of Christine’s outfits, or check out her pinboards to find out what inspires our fab petite blogger. But first let us know in the comments section what you think of her impactful polished casual style.
