As mentioned in this post, I ordered some tops, a bag, and white jeans to add to my “summer social events” capsule. This turned into a tutorial (for me more of a refresher) on why regular sizes so often do not work on petites. Everything but the white jeans are going back. I wrote these reviews to help try to cement these concepts in my brain, and share them here in case they are helpful to others. The hunt continues….

JEANS

• I didn’t try the 7 for all mankind jeans because the rise measurement is too long, but the levis were a slam dunk. This is the 4th pair in this style I’ve bought this year, the fit is just right as I’m slowly losing some weight. The need to be shortened exactly the same amount as the other three, which will take me about 20 minutes!

BAG

• I have been looking for a black/white bag for quite a while, and thought I might like a bit of metal on it, but there is a lot of metal on this bag and I don’t like it. Back it goes. NEXT.

TOPS: All were good quality with nice fabrics

• Photo 1:Yellow Motherchic sleeveless top. Cons: armholes too low and overall too long and wide. It was sold out in petite sizes that would have worked better. Pros: neckline not as tight
  as shown which in my view is a plus esp. for summer, and I liked the color and print.
• Photo 2: Floreat print top. Cons: armholes too low, hem too long, overall too big. A slightly smaller size (all sold out) might have been better but probably not good enough. Pros: stunning print and fabric. I briefly considered taking it apart and remaking it but it would be quite risky and the top is very pricey. Since I do most of my own alterations, I don’t know a good tailor who I could ask to do a make-over. Not meant to be.
• Photo 3: Red crepe wrap top – Cons: neckline too low and would require a cami which would make it pretty hot for summer; also it’s a cool red and I prefer warmer reds. Pros: reasonable hem length, armholes ok, and a nice long wrap sash so very versatile. Comes in a lot of colors
• Photo 4: ¾ sleeve Lush blouse –
  Cons: neckline just a hair too low although ok if I stand and don’t move. Very wrinkly fabric, would require lots of ironing. Sleeve style too unstructured for my tastes in a fabric this thin. Pros: Fit is ok overall, and is a DELICIOUS cinnamon color that I adore. Must remember to keep looking for this color starting at NAS and later
  when fall shopping begins.
• (no photo) Long sleeve joie gold
  blouse – Cons: sleeves too tight to get my arms into. NEXT.

Conclusions: for woven tops, I need to stick to petite sizes when ordering online, unless I’m ok with returning almost everything. For knits my chances are better because the fits are more flexible. Trying on regular sizes when in stores is fine, I can easily eliminate the ones that don’t fit and not take them home with me. Same rules apply to jackets, and sometimes to dresses and coats.

All this talk about getting the right fit makes me think about making a few things from scratch. I used to make clothes when I was in my 20’s and 30’s but gave it up because it was so time consuming. Hmmm…. compared to how time consuming it is to order/return and/or do alterations, perhaps not so bad !