Small women: where do you shop?!?
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I am a big person (5'8" 190 lb) so just reading this for no good reason except that I have often wondered this. I have friends and family members who are very small and/or thin and I sometimes wonder where they shop, because other friends who are just average-thin and not really that small built, are sizes 4-6 and small or XS shirt!
Also curious about Victoria's Secret panties because I take a Medium in some styles, Large in others, and I wear size 14 jeans. Not sure what in the world very small ladies do for underwear...hehe0 -
I'm almost the same size and have the same problem. Most even-numbered sizing is huge. I am also too small for a J Crew/Banana Republic/Express 0 and it is super frustrating because I see tons of women every day much smaller than I am with business clothing that fits. I've resigned myself to tailors and carefully raiding juniors' stores for stuff that looks okay for an adult.
It's not hard for me to find casual clothes, as I'm still in my 20s and am happy to wear jeans and tees from stores for teens, but it is hard to find "grown-up" clothes and it drives me nuts.0 -
I am 49 yrs old, 5' and 103 lbs with the same problem. I find things at Charolotte Russe, H&M, Body Central, and on line Victoria's Secret. VC can be expensive, but shop the clearance area. Their 0 or XS fit me perfect and they have short length on pants. Their clothes are a bit more age appropriate, they have become my go to first. The mid rise jeans actually cover my backside. I also sew a lot so ...... The hard part of being petite is at most places if it fits it is teen clothes.0
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I'm almost the same size and have the same problem. Most even-numbered sizing is huge. I am also too small for a J Crew/Banana Republic/Express 0 and it is super frustrating because I see tons of women every day much smaller than I am with business clothing that fits. I've resigned myself to tailors and carefully raiding juniors' stores for stuff that looks okay for an adult.
It's not hard for me to find casual clothes, as I'm still in my 20s and am happy to wear jeans and tees from stores for teens, but it is hard to find "grown-up" clothes and it drives me nuts.
Office clothes are hardest for me. Juniors just don't have many office clothes that are appropriate for my (very conservative) office.0 -
I agree with you on the vanity sizing thing. So bloody irritating. In the UK I was always a 10, without any change in size, but after pregnancies when I was bigger and needed to buy new things, I was an 8. 10s were huge and 8s a bit slack. Now I've lost the weight, a lot of 8s are way too big for me. Really, 'size 6' here didn't exist a few years back, and I didn't see any naked small people. Now I'd be a 6 or a 4, sizes I've never even seen in normal stores.
They need to just put some sort of measurement on them, like men's clothes. X inches.
I read a lot of petite blogs, but a lot of them have tailors
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I'm almost the same size and have the same problem. Most even-numbered sizing is huge. I am also too small for a J Crew/Banana Republic/Express 0 and it is super frustrating because I see tons of women every day much smaller than I am with business clothing that fits. I've resigned myself to tailors and carefully raiding juniors' stores for stuff that looks okay for an adult.
It's not hard for me to find casual clothes, as I'm still in my 20s and am happy to wear jeans and tees from stores for teens, but it is hard to find "grown-up" clothes and it drives me nuts.
Office clothes are hardest for me. Juniors just don't have many office clothes that are appropriate for my (very conservative) office.
I know. Where are all the tiny stylish women in my office tower buying this stuff? They can't all be buying designer, can they? Someone must be buying stuff at the mall...0 -
I'm the same height as you, and 107ish. I pretty much only shop in the juniors dept.
I saw Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, etc. mentioned earlier, those are a couple of my favorites, also TJ Maxx and Marshalls (again, JUNIORS dept. lol) 0 -
I'm almost the same size and have the same problem. Most even-numbered sizing is huge. I am also too small for a J Crew/Banana Republic/Express 0 and it is super frustrating because I see tons of women every day much smaller than I am with business clothing that fits. I've resigned myself to tailors and carefully raiding juniors' stores for stuff that looks okay for an adult.
It's not hard for me to find casual clothes, as I'm still in my 20s and am happy to wear jeans and tees from stores for teens, but it is hard to find "grown-up" clothes and it drives me nuts.
Office clothes are hardest for me. Juniors just don't have many office clothes that are appropriate for my (very conservative) office.
I know. Where are all the tiny stylish women in my office tower buying this stuff? They can't all be buying designer, can they? Someone must be buying stuff at the mall...
The only person I know IRL who works in an office and wears my size does buy designer. :frown: If you find out, let me know!0 -
Forgot to mention, I've gotten some suits, jackets and dress pants/skirts for work at Burlington (I work in a law firm). (In the Junions section..again..lol) They're not great quality, but they look nice and last well if you take proper care of them. Kohl's as well.0
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I'm almost the same size and have the same problem. Most even-numbered sizing is huge. I am also too small for a J Crew/Banana Republic/Express 0 and it is super frustrating because I see tons of women every day much smaller than I am with business clothing that fits. I've resigned myself to tailors and carefully raiding juniors' stores for stuff that looks okay for an adult.
It's not hard for me to find casual clothes, as I'm still in my 20s and am happy to wear jeans and tees from stores for teens, but it is hard to find "grown-up" clothes and it drives me nuts.
Office clothes are hardest for me. Juniors just don't have many office clothes that are appropriate for my (very conservative) office.
I know. Where are all the tiny stylish women in my office tower buying this stuff? They can't all be buying designer, can they? Someone must be buying stuff at the mall...
Anthropologie has some things that will work - you just have to be careful about the construction and make sure you get a petite. Some of the manufacturers they carry do a good job. Others I can guarantee will just barely last a season before falling apart/looking like it's been through the war. Usually you can tell if you do an inspection of stitching quality, etc.
You might also try Talbots petites for bottoms - we're the same height and weight and I managed to find pants that fit nicely in a petite 2. All of their tops were too big. You sound like you're proportioned smaller than I am in the lower body, so maybe a petite 0 will work for you.
FYI - I usually end up buying designer for 'real' office clothes. I buy on sale and at outlets. My workplace is academia/casual so I don't need much - business trips and formal presentations are about it. Tahari makes nice things that usually fit me in an XS or S, 2 or 4, and they're relatively inexpensive *for designer clothing*. Their styles are also proportioned differently, so I'll wear a 4 in one dress and a 0 in another. So, something should work - hopefully the something you like
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Athleta and Title 9, both mostly athletic clothing brands, also often have very nice dresses and casualish workwear. Athleta sizes go down pretty far (I think to 00/XXS, sometimes smaller), and while Title 9 sizing seems to vary depending on what the garments are made for, they also carry pretty small sizes.
Also, Garnet Hill and Boden, higher-end ready-to-wear catalogs, carry very nice clothing. ETA: I just went and looked at Garnet Hill's stuff and apparently I, with (currently) 26.5" waist and 36.5" hips, would be in between a size 2 and 4 and the sizing only goes down to 0. . . for regular and tall clothes. Their petite sizing goes down further. Boden, on the other hand, does not seem to have succumbed to vanity sizing, so you might have good luck with them-- their clothes sure are interesting and beautiful! I think price- and quality-wise they are similar to Banana Republic. I remember trying on a silk Garnet Hill dress I randomly came upon in a second-hand shop, in a size 6 (when I was closer to a size 8) and found it a lot smaller than other size 6 things I've tried.
I'm another person for ModCloth-- though their sizes sometimes stop at Small.
Second-hand clothing stores-- nice ones with high standards and good turnover, as one sometimes finds on busy streets in larger towns or cities-- are great and often do have pretty small clothing but it does take time to shop in them as everything is one-of-a-kind.0 -
Also curious about Victoria's Secret panties because I take a Medium in some styles, Large in others, and I wear size 14 jeans. Not sure what in the world very small ladies do for underwear...hehe
Aerie XS undies are great and cheap.
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Karen Millan and Ted Baker come up pretty small. Nice predicament u have found urself in!0
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I'm freaking out a little bit bc I have several events to attend this spring/summer and I cannot find a dress that fits and is affordable. Vanity sizing has royally screwed me. I have dresses that are size 2 from 8+ years ago that fit like a glove and when I go in the same stores (Ann Taylor, JCrew, etc) now the size 0s are too big! I'm 32 years old, 5'3 and 119 lbs. I'm certainly not the skinniest woman around, so where are you finding clothes that fit you?! I'm finding that expensive designer clothes use the traditional sizes , but I can't afford them. Please help!
I'm 26, 5'4", and bounce around 125 lbs. I'm usually a size 4 or 6. But just so you know, Ann Taylor's sizes run HUGE. I'm a 0 at Ann Taylor. Which is ridiculous because with my 37" hips....I should NOT be a size 0 ANYWHERE! :laugh:
Someone suggested checking out the stores that cater to younger women. I think that would be a good idea for you. You're still young yourself, so you can totally get away with shopping at the stores that target women in their 20s. I can tell you that H&M's sizes definitely run a little smaller, for instance.0 -
I'm about your size, and I wear size 0 pants at Gap and Banan Republic, sometimes ON; and XS tops. I got a great fitting pair of jeans at JCPenney, junior size 3 Angels brand. The only dress I own is from Target. It is so cute, with a little Peter Pan collar and flared skirt. Its a junior size small, but all the other dresses that fit were junior XS.0
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At 120 lbs, I find it difficult to even know my size anymore. Women's sizes seem to vary WAY too much. I have a shirt that is a small and too big on me! Yet, another shirt I have is a medium and a perfect fit. Still, the x-small I have fits snugly, too. Pants? At one store, I'm an 8. At another, I'm a 5. I gave up trying to guess my size. I just shop where I can, and buy whatever looks like it MIGHT fit. Have you tried looking around at stores like Ross? They have a variety of brands, so naturally, a variety of sizes. One pair of size 0 jeans may fit you, another may not. At Ross, you never know. I find it easier to shop there, as you have the variety in one store. You don't have to bounce around from Forever 21 to JC Penny just to find that 'perfect fit'.
Also, sometimes, I shop in the teen sections. I'm about a medium to an X large in teen clothes. Easier to find fits for me there.
If it's any consolation, it's hard to find women's clothes that fit at many sizes. Because of how much they vary. Men's clothes have always been far easier for me to find. I am an x-small in men's shirts. I say that with confidence, because no matter where I shop... x-small in men's will fit me.0 -
It really depends on your personal style and what you are looking for. I'm 5'3 and 123 at the moment and usually shop the petites section at Ann Taylor Loft (I can wear non-petite sizes there too, but petite dresses fit me a LOT better). I also like New York and Company!0
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I can tell you from personal experience that White House Black Market runs on the smaller side. I don't remember if they sell petite but I understand the trouble. While I am not exactly thin, I still need petite sizes since I'm only 5'1".0
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I'm only 5'2" and it is definitely easier to find things now that I am heavier than when I was skinny. Sticking to junior sizes (odd sizes) helps. I frequently find clothes at Ann Taylor loft. Also, you can actually find Ann Taylor and other name brand clothing at thrift stores for a steal and then put your money into tailoring them. I have several Ann Taylor pieces that still had tags on them that I bought at second hand stores for around $6.0
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I hear that. I still shop juniors! I'm 32 but I just can't wear women's sizes especially jeans and dresses. They don't fit right. I'm 5'2 120 lbs so it's not like I'm even that skinny but the smallest size women's clothes are still too big most of the time. I do feel a little weird going in stores like forever 21 but who cares? The clothes fit and they're CHEAP!0
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When you find some stores let me know! Lol I am 5'1 and I have a hard time find petite shirts that are my style, but the jeans...I have super long lets so that poses a problem for me as well. Normally I'll find some from the juniors section or go online to inexpensive boutiques like Sexymodest.com, whiteplum etc and hem them myself.0
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I hear that. I still shop juniors! I'm 32 but I just can't wear women's sizes especially jeans and dresses. They don't fit right. I'm 5'2 120 lbs so it's not like I'm even that skinny but the smallest size women's clothes are still too big most of the time. I do feel a little weird going in stores like forever 21 but who cares? The clothes fit and they're CHEAP!
Your idea of skinny and mine are are obviously different! LOL I'd love to have your body, keep up the great work fellow shorty!0 -
i am 5'8" and 113 lbs
thank god i live in Asia, everyone is skinny here so there are smaller numbers. when i am in Europe or one time i went to US it was so hard for me to find the right size of anything. Jeans that fit my hips are usually made for shorter women and they turned out too short 0 -
I'm 31years old, 5'2" and 122-125lbs and I always shop at Maurices or they also have online at maurices.com Their size 0 has gotten too big for me so I have started purchasing small/xtra short pants. They fit perfect to my body and the length is perfect for how short I am. My tops have gone from an XL to M in 2 years, thankfully I didnt loose all of my girls when I lost my weight. LOL. I did find a dress the other day at Target in a Medium that fit pretty nice but usually don't end up with that kind of luck from Target.
Thankfully I can still shop in juniors and not end up dressing/looking like a 14 year old when I make my purchases. I can find some pretty decent things and the prices are so much cheaper.0 -
Modcloth.com has some really cute and affordable dresses. Just check the sizing measurements before you order. They also will put if it runs true to size or if the sizing runs larger or smaller. It is really easy to order and do returns with, if you need to.
Never tried it. Great idea! I shop @ banana republic size 00 for pants mainly with alterations, sizes are so freakn weird and most of the time they don't make sense. HM sizes are smaller, size 2 fit but tight. I am 5'1 and 109.8 but my bottom and thighs are bigger. Hoping to nail the last 10 pounds I gained.0 -
thank you!!!!!!0
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I'm freaking out a little bit bc I have several events to attend this spring/summer and I cannot find a dress that fits and is affordable. Vanity sizing has royally screwed me. I have dresses that are size 2 from 8+ years ago that fit like a glove and when I go in the same stores (Ann Taylor, JCrew, etc) now the size 0s are too big! I'm 32 years old, 5'3 and 119 lbs. I'm certainly not the skinniest woman around, so where are you finding clothes that fit you?! I'm finding that expensive designer clothes use the traditional sizes , but I can't afford them. Please help!
At 5'3" and 119 you should have no problem. At 5'5" and 123 I could fit into lots of clothing. Where are you shopping? I wear a 4 at Ann Taylor loft and most other brands.
I'm 5'5" and 118 and I have a problem finding clothes. Even Hollister pants are getting a bit big. Always too baggy in weird areas. But I don't think I'm short enough to fit into petites.0 -
poor you!0
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You could try Dynamite.0
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poor you!
Do you care to explain yourself?0
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