Short ladies, where do you buy clothes?

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barefoot76
barefoot76 Posts: 314 Member
in Chit-Chat
I don't buy clothes very often, and I'm finally in a position to need some new duds. I was at REI last night to get a new pair of shoes and I saw some cute shirts and dresses, but it was all slightly too tall/long for me. I'm looking for a good place to get petite clothes since I am a diminutive 4'9". Any suggestions?

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  • phatphd
    phatphd Posts: 45
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    I'm just under 4'8" and honestly my best advice would be to invest in either a sewing machine or a great tailor. I have to alter pretty much EVERYTHING I buy.
  • cmeade20
    cmeade20 Posts: 1,238 Member
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    Shop in the petitie department of stores like Kohls or Macy's
  • barefoot76
    barefoot76 Posts: 314 Member
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    I'm just under 4'8" and honestly my best advice would be to invest in either a sewing machine or a great tailor. I have to alter pretty much EVERYTHING I buy.

    I keep meaning to learn how to sew! How much does it cost to tailor something? I've always just dealt with the bagginess of most clothes, but it sure would be nice to have things that fit properly...
  • phatphd
    phatphd Posts: 45
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    I've been sewing from a young age. I come from a family of little people and my mom would sew most of our clothes when we were growing up; she taught me. The cost of tailoring varies, I think, from city to city and tailor to tailor (and of course, depending on what you're having tailored). I have a great tailor here who I use for more complicated pieces (wedding dress, suits, etc) who's fairly reasonable. I would definitely recommend learning to sew, though! Being able to hem your own trousers, sleeves, and skirts can be invaluable when you don't quite fit into clothes made for "average-size" people.
  • cushygal
    cushygal Posts: 586 Member
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    I am just shy of 5' and I shop at Ann Taylor Loft Petite section - I try to buy the cropped pants that way they are the right length for me,

    As for sewing - I hate it so I go to a taylor and here(MA) the average price is 8-14 dollars for a hemming - so buying things on sale and paying for the alterations basically means paying full price.

    Good luck
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
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    AHHHHHH!!! Fellow short ladies! :-) I love to shop but it's so stinkin hard to find clothes that fit me perfectly! I hear ya sistah!

    We can't very well shop in the girls or Junior's department because, well, we're women and we're shaped like women. Though, I do admit I can still wear stuff in the Junior's department, but I'm a grown *kitten* 35 year old woman. I'm already small enough, I don't want to look like a kid!

    It sucks because some petite sections in department stores target more of the conservative, matronly looking consumer (think senior citizen in her 60's... no offense if you are 60+, but I'm just sayin...)

    But there are some places. e.g. Macy's sells INC petite, and I get most of my clothes there. You just have to find it in the more high end shopping centers. I have very short legs and I hate hemming pants because it takes from the style. But I always manage to find the perfect fit with INC clothes. It's the only place I've been able to wear jeans off the rack. They have my perfect size, a 2PS (2 petite SHORT, LOL... the inseam is considerably shorter). Look them up if you can. And I usually get my tops in the plain "petite" size because the sleeves, torso, and shoulders fit me perfectly.

    I also like Ann Taylor petites. I second what others have said about investing in a good sewing machine or paying the extra money to have your clothes custom made. makeyourownjeans.com is supposed to be a very good place... and the prices are reasonable. I almost submitted an order for jeans there til I found the INC jeans at Macy's.

    Good luck :-)

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