Are you short but not ‘petite’?

Is petite meant for 5’2 and under?

I found no solution except to wear separates. (My favourite shape is the classic shirt.)

Weird Fish seem to do the right length for me. Like you, I’m not tall but Petite stuff is too tight.

On length, a lot of the dresses this year are midaxi length, so are designed to be just above your ankle if you are average height, rather than mid calf length. If you look at M&S or Next online (and probably others) they provide the neck to hem measurement, so you could look for the length you prefer online?

I”m short, with a generous embonpoint. I find Weird Fish dresses are a good fit in the standard size. Seasalt tunics are Ok, but I check the actual measurements as I have a few I wear as dresses, their leggings fit me in the petite size. I also like FatFace, their midaxis in the standard size fit me as maxis, but I do check the neck to hem length before ordering.

My Mum tells me that when her Mum, my Nan, was alive, normal length dresses were almost ankle length on her as Nan was barely 4 ft 11 ins tall. Nan died in 1963 in her 70's, so skirts were worn longer then anyway.
Damart mail order catalogue seems to cater for the shorter woman - 5 ft 3 ins and under - but I find the length of their skirts ir ideal for me, 5 ft 5 ins and fuller figure.

I'm 5' 2" and find the same. Midi dresses fall just above my ankles. I am actually okay with this length as I don't like my veiny legs.
Have you looked at swing dresses?
Sorry, I'm no help!

Thanks everyone I'm 5'3" and I really struggle and I suppose I go by pics rather than measurements if its long on models i figure it'll be too long on me. I'll keep looking but thanks.

twiglet77

Is petite meant for 5’2 and under?

Yes, that's correct. Petite sizing is nothing to do with 'smaller' sizes other than body length and back neck to waist length.

Have a look at these?

www.curvewow.com/collections/petite

I generally go up a size when buying petite fitting. Usually works for me.

Astitchintime

twiglet77

Is petite meant for 5’2 and under?

Yes, that's correct. Petite sizing is nothing to do with 'smaller' sizes other than body length and back neck to waist length.

I beg to differ Astitchintime but petite ranges adjust fitting for a smaller torso and frame including arm length and shoulders.

Those Curve dresses start at size 16 which are usually too big for me sadly.
I hadn’t thought of going up a size in petite I will give that a try.

Lots more retailers have Petite range now e.g.Roman, Live Unlimited. White Stuff.
You could search on websites such as Next, Debenhams or Tu and filter by Petite. All sell various brands.
Popsy clothing do free alterations and you can request a certain length from the waistband or shoulder.

I am short but not particularly short waisted so despite being under 5’2’’ sometimes prefer to buy a regular dress or top and take up the hem. Trousers- petite fit usually works for me if I can get the shape correct for me. We are all different shapes. I’ve got bigger in the bust but not on the hips as I have got older and often petite sizes assume small busts ( with little shaping) so i have particular trouble with dresses. I too sometimes buy Whitestuff longer tunics as dresses.

I have similar issues but found that regular Seasalt dresses are a good fit and not too long. I have bought their petite waterproof coat which fits well. Last summer l bought a dress from Cotton Traders which is slightly longer, luckily l could try this on in store. I also buy from Hobbs, petite, but the dresses tend to be more fitted in style. Their tops are a good length for me but vary in fit according to style.

QVC do a fab Danni Minogue petite range of clothing and they are excellent if you are 5ft 3in and under.

I find the biggest problem is the ridiculous proportional sizing system that works on the basis that the bigger your boobs, the wider your shoulders and the longer your arms! In order to buy tops that fit upfront, I have to buy ones that are 3 sizes up from my jeans size and so are far too wide and long. And just generally, since women are living so much longer these days, you’d think someone would have the good sense to cater for the fact that they/we shrink in size but at the same time are likely to put on weight as we become less active.

Why not just buy the midi length if the dress fits everywhere else and shorten it?

I like ankle lenght dresses and skirts but always have to shorten jeans.

tanith

Astitchintime

twiglet77

Is petite meant for 5’2 and under?

Yes, that's correct. Petite sizing is nothing to do with 'smaller' sizes other than body length and back neck to waist length.

I beg to differ Astitchintime but petite ranges adjust fitting for a smaller torso and frame including arm length and shoulders.

Those Curve dresses start at size 16 which are usually too big for me sadly.
I hadn’t thought of going up a size in petite I will give that a try.

Agree Tanith.

Irritating though it is any petite size will be smaller overall than it's standard size counterpart. I also find that many petite brands rarely go above a size 16, or 18 if you are lucky. Coupled with the overall 'petiteness' of the garment a size 18 petite is often the equivalent of a size 16 standard. So if you are a standard size 18 or larger it's a struggle for us shorties.

Brands I have worn in the past have either now ceased to exist or have gone online (Richard Shops, Principles, Mantaray) which makes it doubly difficult to work out what fits.

Like others I often wear tunic lengths as dresses but the style has to be right or the proportions will look wrong (you don't want patch pockets at your knees for instance ).

I learnt at a young age to alter my clothes and often look for dresses styles that can be taken up without losing the proportions. Those with a frill or border pattern are a no no. In seam pockets are better than patch pockets.

I find I'm at a stage now where I will buy something if I see it and know it will fit, rather than looking for something specific when I need it.

I bought a lovely Hobbs dress recently. I neither really needed it or barely afford it but it drew me in because it looked like a length that would work for me. The assistant saw me and pointed out she was wearing the same dress in the same size and it was as good as sold in that moment!!.

I have just shortened a dress which was trailing on the ground. I had to cut off a chunk of material at the bottom which was stressy, but once I did that it wasn’t too difficult to sew as it’s cotton. However there are many other dress materials much more difficult to shorten and adding another £15 or £20 to have it done makes it v expensive.

I’m 5’2” and can cope with extra length as I can generally take them up ok, my main problem last and this year is that V necks go past the centre gore of my bra line which at best looks weird

I’m 5 ft , size 14 and find that “White stuff” petite dresses fit me perfectly.
The rua dress is fabulous , so I bought 7 in various patterns.

I thought that petite range was 5’ 4” and under . I’m 5’4and a half inches and have never thought to buy petite clothes but I recently realised, at 71, that I have a longer torso and shorter legs . Not by a lot but I’ve found that trousers and jeans in petite are the right length for me and that Midaxi dresses are fine on me but maxi dresses can trip me up .

Depends on the style a lot . I’m 5’3” but only size 8/10 and I am short waisted so usually dresses are ok for me in petite but not trousers. I can’t do skirts and shirts . I find Next petite ok but I think going up a size would help you . Also if you can get into a shop try a few different dresses in the same size … amazing how fit varies ! Monsoon and Seasalt have some good styles