Great reading, this thread! At 5ft2, I guess I know I'm short, but never shop petite due to my weight. It's been fascinating reading how many other shorties there are around. I always assume most of you are taller than me!

As you all know, I love drape and maxi clothing and I can't let my height, or lack thereof get the better of me.

Deal, from this 5'1" petite!

I'd like to hear about how to wear pants with flare or wider hems. I always loved them, but always had to hem the bottom up. I know that changes the proportions, and wonder how petites can get a look like that.

Of course lately I am in heaven wearing skinnies and straight legs! I did not think, at first, that I could ever "go back" to liking this look, ironically.

And I agree with Diana, it isn't that I "can't wear" some of the trends, but that finding them in stores or without mortgaging the house to get them altered/tailored, is more than I'm willing to spend on fashion trends. I do sew, but am not in love with doing alterations nor do I think I have the right skills in tailoring.

I am a petite and am not frustrated by style choices so much as style limitations. In stores with petities sections, they seem to only have a fraction of the stuff they do in the regular women's departments, and unfortunately seem to stock the safer (less fashion forward) items.
When I do try to buy regular I swim in the items, or end up having to do too many alterations (esp with jeans that have any fading, whiskering, etc- those end up shifted down the leg and look odd).
*whining*/ Also- it may just be me, but finding clothes to fit has been a lifelong battle and everything I got when I was was younger had to be "taken up a bit and taken in a bit" and never looked quite right- leaving me with a real aversion to getting anything that does not fit me right off the rack. /*whining off*

I never worry about height, I'm 5 4.5", but my torso needs smaller/shorter armholes and sleeves in shirts and jackets. Repeatedly I find junior mediums to fit so much better than misses petite S or XS. And so I don't mind raiding Forever 21 or Alloy or whatnot for a better fit, so long as the quality is there.

Pam, it's OK to whine a little bit. :^) It gets old when you have so many obstacles to overcome to get something to fit like it's supposed to. And you're so right that the petites' section only has a fraction of the stuff of misses'. I always feel like I'm missing out!

Hil, I wear maxi skirts too! I have one on today, in fact. I think this is probably what you were talking about, Angie, as far as not limiting yourself because of your height. I love maxi skirts and don't let the fact that I'm short stop me from wearing them. I get them hemmed so that they hit right at the tops of my shoes, and then I try to find a top that I can wear untucked to lengthen the appearance of my torso so as to get better proportions. I know that conventional wisdom says to wear high heels, but I have such a short torso that when I wear maxis, I find that flats or very low heels work better so as not to lengthen my bottom half, which is already long enough. So I have found ways to make a look work when I really want to!

Angie, I did try on some of the brands you mentioned, since I was at Nordie's today. I tried Theory, Maje, and Sandro. The bottoms look like they will work fine in these brands except for the length, which just needs hemming. I tried on a few Theory tops, and they still seem a *bit* big in the armholes and shoulders--but close enough that it is worth trying the more closely fitted pieces on a case-by-case basis. I tried a dress in the Sandro brand, and the waist placement is still too low, unfortunately. And I actually came home with a tunic sweater from Express! It fit very well in the shoulder area. :^)

I plan to try the various stores you mentioned bit by bit over the next several weeks, just stopping in and trying on whatever is in my size, to get an idea of the sizing. I will probably not make purchases yet. I view it as up-front homework. :^)

Ahem. No more whining.

Gigi, good job. Get yourself to Club Monaco to try the 00. I came back and mentioned them in a later comment because I failed to do so first time round.

Thanks for the kick, Angie! I'm 5' 1" with very short arms and legs, so I pretty much have to stick to the Petite Department, especially if I want fluid fit or oversized items that don't look ridiculous or like I've given up, an all too easy conclusion if you're 60 like me. I've learned, however, to try both Misses and Petite sizes in 3/4 sleeve cropped jackets, peplum tops/jackets, and crop tops. Last fall, I bought a regular midi full skirt because the rather long length hit my sweet spot; any shorter and it would have made me look fat and frumpy. I rather prefer cropped jackets to raise the eyes, and I suppose I would wear wide pant legs if the waist were high so that they don't look so blocky.

The good part about being short is that crop tops aren't indecent on us, and we still have full length pant options if we buy regular lengths!

This thread is therapy for petites I'm 5' .6", adore clothes, and nodding in recognition at all the petite complications in retail shops and sizing issues. I shopped vintage for decades because of better fits, more sophisticated fabrics, femme details ... and really only embraced modern classics after finding Angie's blog and learning important details about styling them.

Currently I've resolved to concentrate on fab accessories for a couple months. Fewer size issues and more color choices for inspiration and delight.

Petite and plump at 4'10" checking in to say you might have to gently rein me in from time to time, while I pursue my wilful affair with maxis and midis, fluid and oversized and waist surrender, volume on volume and wide legs... As for flats, I have a couple of heels and a wedge--1.5 inches high. Just gave up my sole surviving 2-inch wedges.

Another petite at 5'1" here. But as some others have also expressed, it's not just about height, it's about limb length and even barrel girth...it's an allover scaling issue. (I myself then have extra complications with fitting the bust, the short waist, and the square shoulders that aren't particularly narrow [oh, and the round booty...], so I turn any stones necessary in any department that has things that appeal!)

When I say no to wearing something, though, it's simply because I don't care for the look on me. For example, most midis I've tried end up just too frumpy, but I do have a few that I really like. I just won't pursue that particular silhouette that often. Yet, as Manidipa has also discovered, maxis can be fab on petites even though we have all heard the rule that we shouldn't wear them, and I think the ones I have work well. So I do try things I like the idea of, no matter what the rules say, and decide from there.

Then I'm in for ankle straps for Spring! I had struggled with finding the right proportion in tall boots for two years until a helpful salesperson at a favorite shoe boutique told me any shank that measured higher than 15 inches was too tall for me. That was all I needed to know and I found several to buy!

As so many of you said the actual petite clothing selection in many places is less-than-inspired. I just count on needing tailoring in all trousers and many skirts that come from across the aisle.

I have you beat Angie because I am petite in the French sense (dainty frame) AND I am a shortie (5'3").

I stopped thinking of myself as a petite because it's not helpful in shopping, as so many have mentioned. I would never bother to attempt trying on regular sized coats, they never work, but I always buy regular sized pants because whatever height I have is in my legs.

I like to think of myself as small but mighty and dress accordingly!

BTW, for what it's worth, the Limited has announced that they're adding a petites section soon. I haven't shopped there in quite a while, so I don't know what they're like these days.