Any tips on where to find them? Right now, I get most of my tops from Target (I buy one style of shirt in different colors and sleeve lengths) and my pants from Liz Claiborne. I used to be able to wear one style of jeans from Tommy Hilfiger Woman, but they apparently don't make them any more. I am short enough (5'3") that it is difficult to find pants that are both in a style that is at least semi-flattering and short enough. A lot of plus-size shops, like Lane Bryant, don't carry much (if any) of either.:help:

Most stores apparently think that as you get wider, you also get taller. At Lane Bryant, for example, even the petites are several inches too long. And if they are short enough, they are either super-baggy in the butt and thighs or a really unattractive style for short folks (you know, the boot-cut that either makes your legs look like short hour-glasses or look like bell-bottoms).

Shirts are not much easier to find. I can't wear anything with 3/4 sleeves, because they look like long-sleeved shirts that are too short for me. I can rarely wear long-sleeved shirts because the sleeves are too long and the cuffs are around my knuckles. :angry

So, does anyone know where to find half-way attractive clothing in women's petite sizes? Or should I just wait to look for anything until I have had surgery and am a smaller size?

Can't really say I am feeling your pain!!! I am 5'9" and I have the opposite problems!!! To get things long enough in the leg, the hips and thighs are 3-4 times too big!!!

What I have been told as far as the big box stores..Walmart, Target etc. is that what they sell they restock. As an item is scanned, it affects their order. So if you live in an area as I do, where the predominant size is different than yours....then try another outlet. If Target has a brand you like, you just have problems getting your size, you may have better luck in another Target, or using the online option. Where I live, we border the Navajo Nation Reservation. As a rule the female Navajo's are much shorter...having very short legs, and large body trunks. so when an item fitting them is in, it sells quickly, thereby restocking similarly. I can drive up to another store, which is closer to a college, and I find easily 10 X the number of "tall" items available. So if you know what you like, try another outlet, or try on line.

Good Luck!

Kat

laurend.....same here! I'm 5'2" and need 26" inseam. I have paid a fortune having pants/skirts cut and hemmed but they never look or hang just right. And, yes, sleeves is another issue. I haven't been in a store in 6 years to try on clothes.....too frustrating and usually pointless (it makes me cry). However, my closet is getting empty as the larger sizes go out the back door and I'm getting pacicky!

Hope someone can give us some good suggestions for brands that have sizes that are both short and wide!!

I am 5ft even, so yep, been there, do that.. quite often.

My work wardrobe consists of black slacks and sweater twin sets or jackets and shells. I travel, so it makes it easy to have slacks that don't wrinkle too much. I buy from the stores that have the several styles of the same pant type. Honestly, my favorite pair came from Avenue. I also have a pair of Worthington, which I believe is JC Penney brand?

I also have a pair of Innovations brand which is great quality and length is perfect. I think I may have gotten those in St Louis from a place called Famous Barr?

Not sure if you have a Belk store nearby, but they also have a great Petites selection.

www.petitesophisticate.com This is my new favorite store but I think the largest size they carry is 14. The clothes are generously sized though and made to fit a woman not a no hips teen like body. For instance, I went shopping this weekend and everything was waaayyyy too low and I could barely get anything over my butt even in as large as a size 14. However, I am a perfect size 8 at Petite Sophisticate. If you have one near you it's worth checking out.

I too am a short woman and everything is way to long on me. I buy my jeans at Khols, they are the gloria vanderbult. They come in a short, which fits pretty well and I am 5'3 but I always have to try them on even if they are the same size in a different color because it seems like they must cut a hundred pairs at the same time and I always pick out the pair that was on the botton and they don't ever fit the same. lOl So try them all on EVERY TIME. As for other pants, I have found dress slacks at Fashion Bug in a short that fit's nicely too. Good luck because your right clothing maker's do think if your a size 24-26 YOU must be at least 6 foot tall! If you find any place else that sales short clothing let me know.

If you have any outlet stores near you, I would try there. I usually have good luck at my local Liz Claiborne outlet. Sometimes, anyway. Either I can find several items that fit, or no items that fit. They do make some good petite-length pants, though, and you can get them in a variety of styles. Shirts depend on the season and the style, though. Sometimes they have some good ones, sometimes they don't. I can occasionally find something that will fit at the Vanity Fair outlet store, also.

My mother is really short. She was 5'2" years ago but she shrank as she aged. I think she's under 5 feet now. Anyway, I find that capri pants are the perfect length for her. So I get those and they fit. Koret, Sag Harbor and Leslie Fay also have petite sizes. I am 5'6" and I can't wear Leslie Fay long-sleeved petites because the sleeves come about 2 inches above my wrists. So I only get Leslie Fay petites in summer.

By the way, I read today that some women are so skinny that they have had to come up with a size 00 which is smaller than a size 0. Most of the skinny women I know wear a size 8 though I knew one who wore a size 4. I wore a size 5 in the old days before they made the sizes bigger. Man, I must have been thin! I'm sure glad they made the sizes bigger because my goal is to get to a size 16. I'm at an 18 now, so assuming I ever lose anymore weight, maybe I'll make the goal. My real dream is size 14. If it's good enough for Marilyn Monroe, it's good enough for me.:biggrin1:

The Avenue has Petities. There sizes start at a 14 though so if your getting smaller than that you might be SOL LOL > I bought a pair of there petitite jeans and im 5'4" the Average jeans were too long and the P's were just an inch or so too short . But look ok with shoes on .

So you might try there. HTH

http://www.avenue.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Home?storeId=326&langId=-1

Mindy

Koret, Sag Harbor and Leslie Fay also have petite sizes. .:biggrin1:

I really like the Leslie Fay and Positive Attitude pantsuits.

I'm 5' 4" and usually have pretty good luck at JC Penney. You might have to order online to get a better selection because the 'brick and mortar' stores seem to cater to the young kids that want their boobs to hang out of the shirts and their butts busting out of the pants LOL.

I have often said that in my next life, I am going to design beautiful clothing in a full range of sizes. The fact that a lady is larger in size doesn't mean that she should have to wear clothes from two ton tony the tent maker! Beautiful comes in all sizes and colors!!!

Well most of my clothes are from "Omar, the Tent Maker". I haven't tried Two Ton Tony the Tent Maker brand yet.

However if you're looking for something REALLY nice Dillard's carries Ralph Lauren Petites and I can always find pants and tops there that fit really well. I'm 5' 1.5". But if you're wanting middle of the road things that are reasonable, Dillard's has a humongous Plus Size area (at least at our mall). They carry everything from very inexpensive to very expensive clothes and many of them come in Petites. However I have to ask where the rounders are for petites because they're always moving them. Sometimes they have the petites in with regular plus size clothes sorted by brand. Sometimes they have the petites by themselves. Don't know why they try to trick me like that.

I too used to have fantastic luck with Tommy Hillfiger clothes fitting. Especially jeans and casual tops. But lately everything they make looks yukee on me.

August Max has petites too, but they are also usually buried in with the other sizes. When they have a sale, you can really clean up!! I've bought things on sale at August max that were less expensive than Wal-Mart and Target and Kohls.

Any other sources out there?

I often order from Chadwicks or Jessica London as well. I love 3/4 length twin sets and sweaters. Long sleeves, I just have to roll up. Sears also has a decent Petite section. I'm still looking for that perfect mecca of Petites that fit this short roundish body...sigh.

What size did you say you are looking for?

I'm 5'1" and I pretty much buy all my clothes at Catherines. They have reasonably priced clothing and carry a wide selection of Petite sizes from 16WP up to 24WP and higher. I've bought a lot of clothes from their website as well as a store and have never been unhappy with what I've purchased.

I've never been to a Catherine's. I'll give it a try. I am familiar with Chadwicks catalogue. Anybody else out there have a favorite?