The TRUTH About Petite Sizing:
4'11'' to 5'7'' You Could Still Be Petite
Many women believe that being petite means being a size 0. Many believe that petite just means being 5’3” or shorter. The truth is, petite is a proportion and not just a size. You could be 4’ll or you could be 5’7 and still be considered petite.
It’s a fact that a woman who is 5’7” could possibly need to wear petite tops or bottoms if she has a shorter torso or leg length. If you are taller than the “standard” petite height, don’t exclude yourself from these garments if your shirts or sleeves are too long, the length of your pants are too long, or if darts aren’t correctly laying on your body.
The problem with most retailers that supply “petite” garments are in the actual design process itself. Rather than correcting the proportions for a petite figure, they simply shrink down a regular size into an xxxs. Or they simply cut 2 inches off the hem and call it a day. This doesn’t solve the problem of the torso being too long, the sleeves being too long, the darts placed in the incorrect location, the waist not hitting correctly, the shoulders sitting too wide, there’s excess fabric everywhere, the issues go on and on.
There’s a reason brands do not offer garments in a petite tailored fit. It would be recreating the garment entirely from scratch in order to draft the patterns to the correct proportion in order to appropriately adjust the design and not destroy the aesthetic that unfortunately happens when you attempt to tailor a regular fit garment down for a petite frame.
This is why the petite “section” fails us. This is why tailoring isn’t an option.
This is why I decided to stop accepting things the way they were. Isn’t it time the industry started designing for us?
I thought so too.
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I liked this article because most stick to the 5’4″ and under rule. I’m 5’6″ and have almost always had to wear petite pants due to my shrimpy legs, or juniors. Regular pants drag on me and i’m not for that look. I’m also finding as I get older that I’m wearing petite shorts and skirts as well. With tops I can go either or, petite or regular. So thank you :)
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What a great guide! I’m 5’7 and I’m still able to find clothes in petite sizing. This article is really helpful for people who has trouble finding their correct size.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Come back soon!