Small/Petite Women's Clothes--where to shop?

oh, and, this is online, but have you tried jcrew's petites? they're having a big sale right now, which is why I mention it. the petite sizes appear to have been un-vanity sized - like a petite size 8 fits more like a size 6, etc.

OpossumQueen wrote: H&M is either not small enough or if it is, it's the flashy juniors stuff.

The only time I've gone into a Macy's I was so overwhelmed--I'm terrible at shopping in big stores anyway and I could not navigate that place enough to find anything in my price range. Suggestions on a specific Macys locations departments might help.

So frustrating--I know there are lots of women smaller than me. Where do they shop? I've asked a few people who looked to be my size and had clothes I liked where they got them and all said they had spent tons on tailoring

I'm much for clothes shopping so don't assume I know anything about which store carry European sizes, petites, etc.

well, go to a jcrew and try on their sizes. then order online from their sale. I think banana republic also has petites, and I believe the location in rock ctr, at least, has the petite department on site.

in macy's I'd go directly to their petite floor (I'd go to the main macy's at 34th - once you get off their main floor you'll feel a little less overwhelmed). then I'd go to their in-house brands for the cheapest stuff. I think one of their in-house brands is called style & co.

also, I think ann taylor and ann taylor loft both carry petites and are more 'adult' in a lot of ways than the euro stores.

the euro store I'd recommend, but it might be out of your price range and would require hemming, is zara.

i don't know how small u are but i'm a 2p and ann taylor's great for work clothes, zara, express (sometimes), banana republic, jcrew.

I feel your pain in finding good petites, especially in pants... Then I started going to Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor Loft. Loft always has some sort of sale, and their petites work for my short little legs!

OpossumQueen, I am also searching for nice petite pants, so I'm glad you started this thread!

I love Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft for petite stuff. I've never actually bought pants there, but now I will check them out.

I recently got a nice gray pair from the Gap (ankle length) for $70. And I was in jcrew yesterday (though I didn't try anything on) and saw their corderoys on sale for $60. Great colors, too!

Today I tried on a pair of petite pants at the Rock Center Banana Republic, and I thought they fit pretty well. They were $100, though, which is well above your range. But FWIW, I think it's worth spending a little more for things that fit well, because they're so hard to find.

I agree Macy's is a little overwhelming, but I love it because I can always find something there, and the quality is generally pretty good. I recently bought a cute Style & Co. top for $35, so you can find reasonably priced stuff. (However, said top was actually for misses - I could not find it in the petite section. But for that price, I can have it shortened. )

I was recently in the Fulton St. Macy's on a Sunday, and it didn't seem nearly as crowded as the 34th St. branch. Their shoe selection isn't as broad, so I imagine the petites section isn't either, but it may be worth checking out if you find 34th St. to be too much.

a few suggestions:

New York and Co.

American Eagle maybe?

The Gap maybe?

Old Navy

My petite gal shops at Bebe. Macy's and J Crew are frump city.

Dumb Opossum, Opossums don't wear pants.

My gf loves to drag me with her to Anthropologie and Forever 21. She's 5'4", size 4 or 6 depending on the brand, but is wlays mentioning how the sizes at those places run small.

Also, there are some good deals on designer stuff to be found at Loehman's!

OpossumQueen wrote: 2. J. Crew I found a few pair of pants I liked that were a little big in the 0short and am considering trying the online petite versions. Anyone know how much smaller their petites are?

my info is a few years old on this, but my understanding is that the petites run 1 to 2 sizes smaller. if I were you, I'd order a couple of sizes - I think you can return to the stores.

I second Uniqlo. Relatively inexpensive, most of the stuff I've found is well made, and it's the only place I've found where the petite-sized pant legs aren't too long. The trouble is actually finding xs sizes since they're usually cleaned out.

i buy most of my clothes at the salvation army, but a lot of the stuff i see there looks SUPER tiny. (for me, i'm an 8. ok, lately i'm a ten.) i think that aside fromn out-of-style stuff, people tend to give away clothes when they've lost of gained weight, so there's lots of smaller and bigger.

i don't know how you feel about pre-owned, for me there's the thrill of the hunt.

I prefer Gap jeans in ankle-length; they're sturdy, comfortable, affordable (around $70), and they look good. Granted, I'm not as svelte as you but I'm in the mid-range of sizes, so you may find a good fit in the smaller sizes.

If you want really cheap jeans, try Old Navy. I needed a black pair for a Halloween costume, and got them there for $30. They're not as good quality as Gap jeans though.

I keep hearing good things about Century 21. Where is it?

zara, fcuk, uniqlo would be my pick. The only downside is that uniqlo's xs sizes gets snapped up really fast. gap's decent..i have one pair, but have yet to find another. old navy was the worst for me, everything was huge with extra cloth - felt like i was in a burlap sack. Oh and forever 21 has good skinny jeans, the rest of their clothes are a bit kiddy, but the basics work just fine.