Sandiemac

I would love to have a few names to look for which cater for the vertically challenged women of a certain age - like me! I should also mention that I'm no sylph either.

If you helpful Fodorites could come up with some names it would save me time and my husband's boredom levels could be kept to a minimum!

Thanks in advance.

Dreamer2

Alfred Dunner coordinates, maybe. They are carried in Macy's and JCPenny's. They have "petites" in "larger" sizes like 12 or 14 (as opposed to a P-2).
I think Penny's also has a Petite's cataloge that caters to your size range. I use their Tall's catalogue with much success. Good Luck!

OldSouthernBelle

I'm puzzled by this post if you are a mature adult...haven't you always been this height? It's not something that suddenly jumps on a person.

That said, I like Liz Claiborne & Jones of NY, also Ann Loft. Occasionally I do Koret or Alfred Dunner. Infrequently find something at J.C. Penny. Parisian has a Studio line also. Most large department stores have a similar line.

janisj

MANY brands have a Petite line. Go into any department store and there is a Petite dept. At Macy's as an example they carry petites in everything from the house brands Charter Club and I.N.C. to the designers like Ralph Lauren/Ellen Tracey, etc.

Talbots, Ann Taylor, or Penneys, Sears, you name it - just about everybody . . .

Just how "un-sylph" are you. If an extra plus size - then the plus-size chains also have petite sections . . . .

mclaurie

Putting a few previous posts together and piecing out the puzzle, sounds like Sandiemac is coming from the UK to the US next month (Oct) and will stop in NYC, Phil, and Washington, DC and might like to do some shopping.

In NYC, all the bigger dept. stores have both petite and plus size depts. Depending on how unsylph-like you are, if you need plus and petite, it might be more of a challenge. Both Bloomingdales and Macy's offer visitors an 11% discount on most things IF you register at their customer service desks before you start shopping.

Lord & Taylor is a nice, somewhat less frenetic dept store (rumored to be closing) that might also be worth a stop.

Syms is a discount dept. store that tends to be good for hard to find sizes. They have 2 locations, one downtown near Wall St. (and there's Century 21 down there as well) and the other midtown on 54 st. b/w Madison & Park.

On sizing, the sizes in the US are 1 or 2 sizes down from the UK. So if you're a 16 in the UK, you're likely a 14 or possibly 12 here. Anything up to 12-14 is relatively easy to find.

sylvia3

Note that "petite" (i.e., short in some clothing lines, cut differently in others) can range up to sz 18 or so in some department stores. So, try "women" and "petite" depts., start with a size 12, and move on up if you need to! Note also that some sizing is now 0 (2-4), 1 (6-8), 2 (10-12) and 3(14 plus) AND some 1, 2, and 3 sizing indicates number of Xs (1 = extra large (or XL), 2 = extra extra large), etc. Good luck.

fairfax

Talbots has good petites and my favourite size: petite large! hahaha!!!

gail

Have no idea what clothing sizes are like in your country, but in US stores, women's clothing sizes vary a great deal - the same person could wear a 6 or a 10, dependingon style and manufacturer - it is maddening. In general, the more expensive clothing, the more generous the size (such as you might wear a 6 in a high price blazer and a 10 in a less expensive one).

When you are in US stores, there will be a section sometimes called "Women". Often this is plus-sized clothing, but sometimes it is regular sized women. "Junior" clothing is sized in odd numbers and is generally the style and cut for teenagers and young adults. Regular women's clothing and petities are sized in even numbers.

Confused yet? You might go to a mailorder website (like Lands End) and look at their size chart - they give actual measurements attributed to each size so you would have an idea what size you would be looking at here.

If you are shopping in a larger department store, sind your husband to the TV section to watch sports while you shop - he will find lots of other men there doing the same thing.

Sandiemac

Thank you all - have made a note of all you say and put it in my folder "to go". Looks like Macys is the place to be - especially as we are staying at the Hotel Metro which is just a cough and a spit away (as we say in Yorkshire where I come from!)

LLindaC

Check out Nygard petites. They are such great cuts and wonderful fabrics....some are wrinkle free and excellent travel clothes.

suze

I would definitely start at Macy's!! It has an excellent selection both in the "Woman's" (plus size) and in the "Petite". I like Liz Claiborne (called Elizabeth in plus) and Jones NY. but Macy's less expensive store brands like Style & Co. are sometimes good too.

suze

Depending how long you are staying Macy's offers alteration too, if you need pants hemmed (I know I always do).

sylvia3

Remember, be sure to take your measurements in inches, not centimeters! (And be sure to get a good night's sleep, eat breakfast, wear the undies that make your clothes fit best, and comfortable shoes--sounds like you're in for a marathon!)

HKP

Having been a "jumbo shrimp" (under 5'2" but never smaller than a size 12) all my life, I've made quite a study of this.

Be aware that designers often make assumptions about short women: that they have tiny waists, that they are children at heart and like to dress like little girls, or that they love big prints that dwarf them.

For that reason, some "petite" sections in stores don't do me much good.

However, you can count on Talbots and Ann Taylor for very tailored, classic (i.e. not particularly a la mode) looks. Penney's and Sears will give you inexpensive, everywoman mainstream (sometimes dowdy). You can count on Macy's for a mix, although sometimes they still seem to assume that short means under 30.

Also look into Coldwater Creek for more artsy-unusual (or even suburban kazh, as a friend says) styles. I don't see a store in Manhattan, but you can check the store locator if you're on the road.

Finally -- suggest you google some of these stores and look at their on-line selection to get a feel for their particular style sense. Most have online catalogues you can search under "petites."

Good luck!

crefloors

I was going to suggest Macy's. It seems that they have a pretty good selection of women's petites, Elizabeth and Jones New York. In the U.S. the larger size departments are called "Womens". If you go to Macy's web site you can usually see SOME of the offereings. Also, you can go to Elizabeth and see a lot more choices. You can see if it's anything you are interested in. Also, Elizabeth does have some "stand alone stores" so you might try the "store locator" on the website and see if there is one in NY. I know there is a couple in the Bay Area, so I'm sure there are others across the country.

Wednesday

ok, serious question...what height does petite typically end ? ..I am 5'6" and have to get pants with about 30-31 inseam...have I been petite all these years and never knew..hhmmm

nytraveler

Petite is usually 5'4" or less and tall is 5'9 or 5'10" and more - part of it depending on arm and leg length. (Wouldn;t it be nice if women's clothes came like mens - with arm and leg lengths?) I'm, 5'9" - but with long arms and legs so tall doesn;t fit (body is weird) - but many arms and legs are too short in regular.

You haven;t givven us any price points or style hints really.

Macy's is basically moderate - in both price and styles and has most of a floor of petites - as well as petites in women's (larger) sizes. Styles range from dowdy to semi-trendy.

Lord & Taylor is a little more expensive and slightly more styish.

Bloomies and Saks are more $, more stylish, but feaure less in larger sizes, but plenty in petities as long as you don;t wear bigger than a 12 (I think a 14 in the UK).

Suggest you look at the web sites before you go - it will give you an idea of their styles and price ranges - so you don;t waste time in places that won;t fit your needs.

And do realize that these are all LARGE stores - Macy's is the bigget in the world - so there should be a resonably good selection once you narrow down your choices.

janisj

Oh - wish I had realized you were Brits when I first posted. I lived in the UK for several years so now I know why you asked. I'm only about 5' (actually shrinking a bit now) and had a H**L of a time finding clothing when I lived there. At that time I was a UK size 4-6 / US 2-4. Those days are long gone

Went to Royal Ascot one year and ended up in the children's department at Harrods to find anything at all suitable.

You will be THRILLED w/ the petite departments and many US department stores. Most will carry petite up to size US16 (UK18). Then there are the "Women's" departments which carry sizes from around US 14 up to US 24 or larger (up to UK 26/28) and often have a petite section w/ shorter versions of the same styles.

MareW

Just an FYI: Saks has completely done away with its petite dept, and Bloomingdales has drastically cut back on theirs.

It could be a regional thing, but in my area, Lord and Taylor has a much wider selection of petite clothes than Macy's.

janisj

Actually - Saks put out a press release a month or so ago saying they had made a tactical error eliminating petites. They are going to reinstate a petite department