A More Petite Friendly Fashion Industry

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Many people can name at least one or two celebrity plus-sized models. On the other hand, how many truly petite celebrity models can one name (actresses and singers do not count. Truly petite means that she must be 5'4 or less). Over the past few years, plus sized women have gathered some attention in the fashion industry, resulting in a good number of lines creating stylish clothes for them. On the other hand, petite sizes (while "petite" is defined as 5'4 or under, taller people can have petite proportions--i.e. shorter torso or shorter legs) have achieved a regression in the industry, at least in department stores. While mid-range retailers have had relative success with petites, selling stylish petite clothes to women in their 20s and 30s, department stores continued to sell clothes aimed at more mature ladies. As a result, young petite women would rather buy stylish "misses" sized clothes and then alter them so that it would fit. Unfortunately, not only do these clothes not fit as well as petite sizes, it has also caused many petite sections to shutter (or at least cut back) in department stores all across North America. This cannot continue. Brands that sell or have sold petite sizes to department stores must realize that there are plenty of young petite women out there that would buy petite sizes if they exist. Brands that have not manufactured petites should do so. In other words, if you make it, we will buy. As for us petite women, this petition should be the genesis of our voice in the fashion industry. We need a voice, and so far, few have come up. Not even the entertainment industry, which is full of petite ladies, has said anything. If plus sized women have been successful in getting the fashion industry to open up, we, as petite women can too.

373 Signatures

  • Cynthia C.
    • Height
    • 5'2
    • City
    • Toronto
    • Website
    • <a href="http://www.shorty-stories.com" target="_new">Shorty Stories...Your Stories About Being Petite</a>
  • Carmen C
    • Height
    • 4'10"
  • Tara H
    • Height
    • 5'2
  • Aleta Kidd
    • Height
    • 4' 6"
  • Renee Mackey
    • Comments
    • I am against eliminating petite sizes in department stores.
    • Height
    • 5'2"
    • City
    • Hartford, CT
    • Website
    • В
  • Laura Nieurzyla
    • Height
    • 4 foot 10
  • Amanda
    • Height
    • 5'
  • Jennifer Bender
    • Height
    • 5'1''
  • luci kim
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 4'10.5"
    • City
    • newburgh
    • Website
    • В
  • Sarah
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 5'3"
    • City
    • В
    • Website
    • В
  • Kenysha Toney
    • Comments
    • I, at a whopping 4'11' tall, am so tired of going to the petite sections of Belk, JC Penny, and other major retailers where the petite section is full of granny clothes. I am 24 years old and nowhere near close to being anyone's granny. I am also more than tired of having to buy my clothes in the misses section and having them altered. I feel like I'm buying clothes twice. If you were to give us more petite options, we'd spend more of our petite dollars in your stores.
    • Height
    • 4'11''
    • City
    • Birmingham, AL
  • Amy Tiilikainen
    • Comments
    • Mail-order is not an acceptable alternative. Who has $20 to throw away on postage both ways every time the item ordered proves to be disappointing?
    • Height
    • 5' 2"
    • City
    • Falls Church,VA
  • Ginger Johnson
    • Comments
    • Not all women are the same size
    • Height
    • 4 foot 11 inches
  • Daphne Schecter
    • Height
    • 4 foot 9
  • Victoria Bell
    • Height
    • 5'4"
  • Lori
    • Comments
    • I am also tired of finding frumpy old lady clothes in the petite section. Hey we want to look great to. Give us some fashionable clothes to pick from and we'll buy from your departments.
    • Height
    • 5'1"
  • Amy Phillips
    • Height
    • 5'4
  • Vivian Cheng
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 4'10"
    • City
    • New York
    • Website
    • В
  • Lisa Green
    • Height
    • 5'3"
    • City
    • Gainesville
  • Roshan Reporter
    • Comments
    • Only Nordstrom seems to still have a petities dept. some of the clothes are dull, but they fit at least!
    • Height
    • 5-1"
    • City
    • Los Angeles
  • Samantha P
    • Comments
    • And please, keep stocking size zero. I can't help being small!
    • Height
    • five foot two
    • City
    • Minneapolis
  • Marissa Davis
    • Height
    • 5 feet 2 inches
    • City
    • Springfield
  • Frances Boudreaux
    • Height
    • 5'2"
    • City
    • Baton Rouge, LA
  • Mary Kay Carleton
    • Comments
    • I can only wear petite sizes
    • Height
    • 5'1"
    • City
    • Baton Rouge
  • Rebecca Sprang
    • Comments
    • It seems retailers have been laboring under the assumption that "petite" equals "sixty years old and works in a very conservative bank." And then they wonder why the clothes don't sell well.. hello?
    • Height
    • 5'0"
    • City
    • Shawnee Mission, KS
  • Sheila Luhn
    • Height
    • 5' 2"
    • City
    • Cary, NC
  • Jessi Turack
    • Height
    • 5'3
  • Maya Krishnan
    • Height
    • 5"1
    • City
    • Rockville
  • Anita Riviello
    • Comments
    • Tailoring regular sizes isn't the answer, as it takes time and a great deal of money. The difference between petites and regular sizes is more than length -- it's scale of lapels, depth of v-necks, pocket and waistline placement, etc. -- not cheap to alter. And even I, at 45, find many of the ever-dwindling styles available ultra-conservative, boring and just plain frumpy. Bring back the petite departments -- with stylish alternatives!
    • Height
    • 4'10"
  • Adrienne Cullen
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 5'
    • City
    • Brooklyn, NY
    • Website
    • В
  • Dienna Howard
    • Comments
    • I agree. I have a petite figure and would love to find more clothes that are BOTH stylish and fit me properly!
    • Height
    • 5'4''
  • Nancy
    • Comments
    • I'm a young-looking 39-year-old who works at a large state university, so I'm not required to look extremely conservative. Yet I don't want to wear what the 18-22 year-old students are wearing, either. I need clothes that are stylish without being frumpy or too young, and I need them to fit a woman's - not a girl's - body. The junior clothes are made for flat-chested teens, not a 39-year-old woman, and the frumpy conservative clothes say "grandma" to me. Can't you provide something in between?
    • Height
    • 5'1"
  • Beth
    • Comments
    • My legs and arms aren't going to get any longer. I will always need clothes that fit my 5-ft frame. Remember-the more we spend on tailoring, the LESS money we have to spend in your stores!
    • Height
    • 5.0
  • Jennifer Anderson
    • Height
    • 5'4"
    • City
    • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Judy Tso
    • Comments
    • I am not above 40 so appreciate fashionable clothes my size
    • Height
    • 5 feet 3 inches
  • Margaret Nahmias
    • Comments
    • I guess the culture is gearing small in weight not in height
    • Height
    • 5;'0"
  • Renee
    • Comments
    • Equal number of stylish shoes in size 5 as in size 8,9,10.
    • Height
    • 4'10"
  • Lucy Kwok
    • Comments
    • I thought it would be easier finding petite clothes in North America than it is in Britain seeing as there are some petite stores. However, I realised that these petite stores are only available in the really big cities miles away from me and I would spend more travelling to said city than buying actual clothes. It is ridiculous that clothes manufacturers believe thin women are all 5'10" and over like the models on the catwalk when only 5\% of North American women are the same build as these models. Heck, even the average height women are expected to have 33 inch legs; only 3 inches shorter than the legs of my 6'4" boyfriend!
    • Height
    • 5'2"
    • City
    • Somewhere in Ontario.
  • Marjorie R. Seldon
    • Comments
    • We petite gals have been flying below retail radar far too long. If shorter, slimmer women take a hit from department-store executives and fall, though no one notices, do we make a sound? We had better make a loud one, in protest, now!
    • Height
    • 5', 2 & 1/2"
    • City
    • Princeton, N.J.
  • Sterling Hargrove-Cook
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 5'2
    • City
    • Gainesville
    • Website
    • В
  • danielle manning
    • Height
    • 5 feet
    • City
    • Wayne
  • Yvonne
    • Height
    • 5'5"
  • Danielle Burnside
    • Comments
    • 40\% of all American women are 5'3" and under. Need I say more!
    • Height
    • 5'0"
  • anastacia
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 1.57cm
    • City
    • melbourne/australia
    • Website
    • В
  • Gail Samett
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 5'1.5"
    • City
    • Northbrook, IL
    • Website
    • В
  • Leslie
    • Comments
    • В
    • Height
    • 5'2"
    • City
    • В
    • Website
    • В
  • Melissa Whipple
    • Comments
    • It is impossible to find stylish petite clothes
    • Height
    • 5'3"
    • City
    • Atlanta
  • Elinor Fong
    • Comments
    • I will only patronize department stores that have a Petite section
    • Height
    • 5' 2"
    • City
    • Clarksville, MD
  • Donna Poutinen
    • Comments
    • I wear a size 2 petitie and I need petities!
    • Height
    • almost 5'
    • City
    • San Angelo
  • Heather Briggs
    • Height
    • 5'3''
    • City
    • Providence RI