The 6 Best Petite Shopping Tips If You're 5'4 and Under

Straight from fashion editors, designers, and experts.

The 6 Best Petite Shopping Tips If You're 5'4 and Under

You probably can’t tell by this photo, but I’m only 4'11". And like many petite women, I know that being short comes with its fashion woes: searching endlessly for options in stores, because they either don’t exist or are hidden in a department in the back; having to shell out again and again for a tailor (sometimes even for “petite” clothes that have been made without adjustments for shorter inseams, narrower shoulders, or smaller arm holes); hearing maddeningly outdated advice on how to “elongate my figure”; and my favorite, being told to shop in the kids’ section—I’m a grown-ass woman who deserves grown-ass clothes!

To state the obvious: I’m not alone. The average height of women in America is 5'3". So I asked a few fellow fashion influencers how they tackle these issues. Behold our solutions.

First, know where to go for what. There are reliable mass-market companies doing petite sizing (technically defined as 5'4" and under) right. My favorite denim is from Gap; Loft and Lou & Grey have great dresses; and Topshop has the best selection of pants. “I have cigarette, paper-bag, and so many black trousers from Topshop, all totally on trend,” says Glamour’s associate accessories editor Jaclyn Palermo, who stands proud at 4'9".

Sniff out indie brands. There’s a new wave of online labels started by petite women to answer their own fashion frustrations. Petite Studio is one that perfected its sizing, which runs from extra-extra small to small, by testing it on a range of petite fit models. Stature fills its racks with the smallest sizes (usually XXS) from its curated brands. It also works with designers like Rachel Comey and Wray to alter the fit of some styles before they are even produced.

Try vintage. Jenny Walton (5'4"), fashion director at the blog The Sartorialist, says she’s narrow on top and at the waist but slightly curvier in her bottom half; she’s had success with fitted dresses from the fifties, and the shift dresses and baby-doll styles of the sixties and seventies. Your local vintage shop could be a gold mine.

Don’t give up on department stores. Good news for Nordstrom fans: The denim section of the L.A. flagship will now include all sizes in one place. “No one wants to go to another floor to find their size,” says Mary Beth Gaffney, the retailer’s petites buyer. If all goes well, Nordstrom will roll out the new merchandising strategy in more locations. In the meantime, you can shop the company’s petite offerings online. And speaking of websites…

Keep your measurements in a note on your phone. The first thing Stature’s Camille Moroz (5'0") does when shopping online is compare her inseam and waist measurements with the ones listed for a style. Her cofounder, Avani Agarwal (also 5'0"), recommends noting the circumference of the armhole and the shoulder width as well, which might be too wide in straight sizes. “I don’t want to wear a bandeau under something as a default to make it work,” she says.

Pay extra attention to adjustability. Drawstring waists are a great hack if you’re buying straight-size pants, skirts, and jumpsuits. “If I can pull the waist up higher, then I can get away with wearing something that might be a little long for me,” says 5'4" blogger Jessica Torres. Moroz likes adjustable straps, since they let you fit a silhouette to your body.

Oh, and one common thread that unites all of my petite friends? They’ll spend more on fashion when there are more options in their size. Wake up, retailers—our money is green!

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This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:CelebDailyPosts