Tag Archives: Petite

Petite Clothing

If you are a petite woman it can sometimes be extremely difficult to purchase clothing that suits your frame, shape and height. So many stores accommodate for ‘leggy’ people. If you are 5’10 or above you will obviously not have a problem at all but for some sorter folk there is a huge issue. When falling in love with a pair of trouser you don’t want to be having to turn them up before you can wear them. Furthermore you cannot get a true indication of the fit and style of the product when they are so long! For some petite people who also have a tiny frame there is the option of children’s or teenagers clothing but that isn’t what you would choose. You would not find something classic and sophisticated by shopping in the children’s section.

Over the last couple of years companies have started to take notice of this dilemma and have introduced purely petite shops dedicated to small woman. Not only will the clothing accommodate your shape and be designed to flatter a small person but you will not have to turn up the trousers or sleeves!

Although petite clothing ranges seem to be more expensive than other clothing it’s worth the extra money for the fit of the clothing. The material tends to be of better quality as well.

By looking for voucher codes and cash back options online you will save money on your petite clothing. This will help as it can be quite expensive to buy petite clothing. I would advise signing up to email campaigns this will enable you to know as soon as there is a sale meaning you can save further money. I would also recommend purchasing all your clothes from one site as often companies will give free delivery on orders over a certain amount.

Joan Smith purchases her clothing from Precis Petite

January 22, 2011Permalink

A Style Consultant Offers Advice on How to Dress If You Have a Petite Figure

As a style consultant, I know that scale is a combination of height and bone structure and may be petite, average or large. Your body scale will determine the size of patterns, the weight of fabrics and how much texture you can wear, as well as the size of your accessories. Petite figures are generally under 1.6m with small facial features, fine fingers and often have a shoe size under 37.

In dressing a petite figure your three main aims are firstly to wear clothes that don’t swamp you, secondly to never to wear anything that cuts your body in half and thirdly to always try to draw attention away from your lower body and towards your face.

Neat fitting clothes with clean and uncluttered lines are ideal and a monochromatic head to toe look is excellent for creating the illusion of height. Everything you wear, from clothes to accessories like belts and handbags must be in proportion to your small frame or you will look overpowered. Accessories like scarves and earrings are a brilliant way to draw attention to your face and always having a neat hairstyle and fresh make-up will also draw the eye upwards.

Always look to buy fine to medium-weight fabrics with little texture since this can create too much bulk, particularly if you are layering. Go for shorter length fitted jackets and high-waisted trousers – again to lengthen the leg.  Vertical stripes help to give a longer line and a taller appearance.  Necklines shaped in a V are especially flattering on petites because the V-shape draws the eye up and gives the illusion of a longer neck.   The wrap dress is a good way to wear a V-neck.

With regard to shoes, it is a misconception that shorter people need to wear very high heels. Any heel over three inches will make a petite woman look like someone who is trying to be taller. Medium height heels work best since they are in better proportion to your frame as well as being more comfortable. Generally your shoes and hosiery should be a similar colour. If, for example, you are wearing a blue suit you should pair this with a nude shade of tights and fairly neutral shoes to create a long-legged illusion.  Another way to make your legs look longer is, within reason, to show as much leg as possible. Straight skirts and dresses that end at your knee or slightly above are the most flattering lengths for a petite frame.

Wherever possible, smaller framed people should avoid any large accessories and prints as well as oversized t-shirts, frills and horizontal stripes, all of which will create the wrong effect. Although colour blocking is good, if you wish to wear two colours try to ensure that the brighter colour is used on the top one third of your frame otherwise you will not look correctly balanced.

For more advice about your scale and how to dress to look your best, contact a style consultant.

Caroline Husbands is a senior style consultant with Colour Me Beautiful. Services include colour analysis and make-up lessons.

January 22, 2011Permalink

Picking Perfect Clothes For Petite Women

If you’re a shorter woman then you could struggle to find clothes that fit perfectly and suit you. This guide should help you identify what shapes suit shorter women and help you put together a perfectly petite capsule wardrobe.

Trousers

Trousers are known to be one of the trickier fashion issues for petite women, when in fact they can be a problem for women of all heights. Very few of us adhere to a standard leg length, and while some women find it fits them perfectly, many do not.

In terms of choosing the right length trousers it’s important to have at least 2 lengths you go for. One length should fit perfectly with heels and the other with flats. In order to measure your legs perfectly wear the shoes you’re most likely to wear with them and measure from your groin to around an inch off the floor in shoes. This is your ideal inner leg measurement.

You also need to ensure that your trousers fit perfectly everywhere else! Trousers that are too tight or too loose will make you look wider and shorter than you actually are! Low rise trousers and jeans are perfect for shorter women but high waisted ones will cut you in half!

Tops

Tops are a somewhat under discussed part of the petite woman’s wardrobe but everyone’s shape is different. Some petite women may have “standard” length legs but a shorter body and for others it could be the other way around.

Many places now stock shorter length tops made especially for petite women. These can be fantastic as longer tops can drown smaller frames! Like women of any other height you should choose styles that highlight your favourite bits. Go for tops that elongate your frame like V-necks, 3-quarter length sleeves and anything with vertical detailing.

Jackets

If you’re choosing a jacket then there are a couple of lengths that look great on petite women. Cropped jackets that end around your waist will elongate your body and make you appear taller. If you want a more substantial coat then opt for one that ends above the knee. Longer coats and jackets will just make you look shorter.

Again go for vertical detailing for extra length. Long lapels will always appear to add height. If you have a bigger bust then opt for a single-breasted jacket rather than double breasted.

Dresses

When it comes to dresses, length is the most important consideration. Go for dresses that end at or above the knee for a gorgeous, stylish look that makes your legs appear longer and leaner! Stay away from anything that ends at the calf, as this will make you appear much shorter.

Shoes

Most women won’t think of wearing particular shoes to suit your shape but you can enhance your outfit by wearing shoes that suit you. Avoid anything with an ankle strap as it will cut you off. Opt for a heeled shoe (they make you stand straighter as well as adding actual height) that’s open to the ankle or a pair of knee high boots to get maximum height and style!

Colours

Many petite women shy away from bright colours, as they know black makes you look slimmer and taller. However, the same effect can be achieved with just a few subtle changes to alternative colours.

1) Try to continue a theme right through – e.g. Wearing the same accent colour on both your top and bottom half

2) Wearing something in a darker shade and teaming it with a bright feature colour

3) Inject extra colour with funky, bright accessories.

This helpful article was written and distributed by Charlotte Bleasdale on behalf of Marisota – fashionable plus size women’s clothing designed with you in mind.

January 22, 2011Permalink

Searching For the Perfect Petite Women’s Clothing

Are you looking for petite women’s clothing because you have an occasion to attend? Is it a wedding or prom? Or is it a special event that requires a special dress but your being petite hinders you to land that “perfect” dress. If your height is only 5’4″ or below 162cm, finding perfect clothing should never be a problem because there are petite women’s clothing made especially for women of your height!

As the special occasion draws near, one obstacle you have to overcome is to find the ultimate petite women clothing that is suited for the occasion. There are times that the dresses we see in the fashion magazines or at the fashion shows aren’t suited for us. They look so sophisticated because of the person modeling them and we often think that this would not be the same if a petite woman is the one modeling those clothes. No need to feel bad about your height or yourself because there are clothing items that would certainly look good on you and you can find them at petite clothing stores.

People these days only know that petite women have a smaller body frame and are 5’4″ or below; however, what they do not know is that each person has a unique body shape. All of us are different in some kind of way. We have our own shape and distinct style. Thus, finding your exact body shape is not a walk in the park no matter what your size. Actually, there are five different body shapes suited for different types of dresses and petite suits.

The first kind is what we call the Rectangle type which usually has hips that are close to the width of the shoulders, with a small bust and usually no pronounced waistline. This kind of dress emphasizes your waist which creates an optical illusion that would drive the attention to the hips and the shoulders instead of the height of the person wearing it. The next is the diamond body shape. For this shape, the measurement of the waist is more than the shoulders. This kind of dresses usually drapes to the side and are not too wide or too fitted. The third is the Pear shape that displays a wider shoulder and bust. The body shape with shoulders much wider than the hips is called the Triangle shape. Last but not the least is the Hourglass. This shape displays equal size of shoulders and hips and this tends to have a well-defined waist. All these petite body shapes should be matched with the perfect style of clothing so as not to focus more attention on the height.

There are multiple ways and options that are available for petite women. Know your body shape and start your search from there. You can search the Internet or fashion magazines for great styles. Your height and body frame should not stop you from projecting your fashion style and uniqueness because there are petite women’s clothing items that will surely look good on you!

Gavin Cruise was born in New York, his mother encouraged him to write and read and his father was a wealthy business man in real estate. Gavin had the privilege of traveling extensively with his father learning about a wide variety of subjects. He attended Harvard where he majored in English and from the age of 26 Gavin supported himself by freelance writing through all the knowledge gained from traveling. If you would like to read more articles about Gavin Cruise, please visit http://www.women-petite-clothing.com/

January 22, 2011Permalink

Dressing For Your Body Shape – Petite

If you want to always look your best then being aware of your body shape and the types of clothes that suit you is absolutely essential. One of the most common reasons for making clothing mistakes stems from not being aware of what suits your figure or taking advice from someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart, for example, shop assistants.

No matter what your shape, there are some fundamental guidelines for enhancing and flattering your figure.

Petite women are a special category, and being classed as petite is more than simply being very short. As a petite you are most likely to have a balanced vertical body type, which means that at the hip line, you are almost perfectly divided in half. However, you are also a combination of the following features:

You are under 164cm (5’5″) in height
You are short in the mid-body (from the fullest part of the bust to the waist, and waist to hip)
You are under size 16
You have a small to medium bone structure

Petite women therefore have special requirements when it comes to fashion.

As a true petite, you will look your best in wear specialist petite clothing because these garments have been designed with your particular needs in mind. Petite clothing is cut narrower in the shoulders and shorter in the mid-section. The sleeves, pant legs and skirts are also shorter. This means that they will suit your proportions perfectly and are less likely to need expensive alterations.

As well, petite clothing includes smaller details to suit your smaller height and bone structure. This includes lapel widths, buttons and belts, as well as small scale patterns and jewellery. Anything large or chunky will overwhelm a petite woman.

You can also use vertical design lines to make you appear taller and slimmer. The most powerful vertical line runs down the centre of the body, effectively dividing it in half. Vertical lines like stripes have the most impact on height when they are narrow and placed close together. The wider the stripe and the further apart they are spaced, the less impact they have.

Some petite woman end up choosing clothing from the children’s section. While in terms of size these clothes may fit, it is important for all women that we also choose clothing that suits us as individuals. Petite women want be able to wear feminine, flattering clothing that suits their age, career and lifestyle. It is unlikely that children’s wear will be appropriate.

Simply choosing the smallest size in general women’s fashion and having the lengths altered may work sometimes but not always. The cuts, patterns and details may be too large on a petite woman, and attempting to alter these elements will be expensive, if not impossible.

Good department stores will have a specialist petite section. If you’ve never ventured in before you will be pleasantly surprised at the range and quality of petite clothing available.

Knowing your body shape is crucial. These simple guidelines will help the petite woman to always look and feel her best.

Susan Lockhart is a qualified Image Consultant in Brisbane, Australia and owner of Synergy Image Consulting. Learn how to make the most of your appearance and dress for success, no matter what size, age or shape you are. Discover the most comprehensive personal styling program available online! You could have your own personal style portfolio in just minutes by visiting http://www.synergy.your-estyle.com/

January 22, 2011Permalink