Alterations Needed is a twenty-something city girl who dumped her college-age closet with a vow to build a respectable adult wardrobe. However, at a towering 4’11″ tall, she found herself too small for conventional garment sizing, and constantly pointed towards the children’s department by well meaning “average-sizers”. Refusing such injustices, she started a blog documenting her adventures in XXS Petite fashion and building a wardrobe, as well as a community for like-sized women to share their shopping experiences.
I am the human equivalent of a teacup chihuahua. I conveniently fit in most overhead storage compartments. I never complain about inadequate leg room. I have been lifted, without permission, off the ground by complete strangers, but I’m usually quite nice about it if you ask beforehand. At 4’11″ tall, and 85 pounds, as a full grown adult I am the size most people were at age 12.
J. Crew suiting pants – Size 0 Petite!
But that is not all I am. I am also a thoughtful dresser, lover of style, and appreciator of good fit. I believe in clothing’s ability to completely transform a person and how we feel about ourselves. The day I began to think deeply about how I wanted to dress myself, and how I wanted to present myself to the world, was the day I began to truly feel self confident. I love a well dressed woman, but want even more to be one.
So, I’m on a quest to build a stylish, respectable wardrobe, free of children’s clothing thank-you-very-much. Give me cashmere… give me tweed… give me silk…
But how do you do build a wardrobe when fashion is not made for someone of your…*ahem*…stature? Fashion is made for the tall and thin, not the short, and, well… I’m very short. I paw through racks of clothing, looking for something – anything – that runs small. I stand in dressing rooms, tugging and pulling on extra fabric, wondering if it can be taken in, up, or chopped. I woefully return beautiful garments because my tailor tells me it can’t be altered… proportions are all wrong… simply can’t be fixed…
When you’re this small, shopping becomes an interesting adventure. Necklines end rather immodestly below the bust; shoulder seams hang down the arm; waist details end up somewhere near the belly button. Arm holes droop down by the waist. Bust details are never in the right place. Pant rises hover dangerously near Steve Urkel heights. Fabrics can swamp me. Prints can swamp me. Length can swamp me. Basically, imagine a little girl playing dress-up in her mother’s closet. That’s me trying to dress myself in standard sized clothing. It’s cute when you’re 7… Not when you’re 27.
But I press on. My perseverance is unyielding. I will find those elfin-sized designer shoes, because I will call the customer service to every retail store known to man, and have them shipped from across the globe if need be. I have become so aware of how poorly garments fit on me, it’s exhausting, but oh so rewarding when I hear those magic words, “that fits you perfectly”. You bet your average-sized ass it does… I spent months hunting it down, and a week getting it tailored.
Finding yourself on the extremes of what is considered “standard” is insanely difficult. After beginning my wardrobe building adventures, I’ve never felt more connected or sympathetic towards the styling plights of my plus-size and tall counterparts. I chat with tall women about the unreasonable limits of fabric hems, and lament with plus-size girls about the prevalence of polyester (what? no silk?) in anything larger than a size 14, or labeled with a giant “P”. And don’t get me started on the injustices of the “in store only” coupon (um…but you only carry special sizes online…how am I supposed to use this?).
So… to all the special sized ladies out there… press on! And to all the tall skinny girls out there… back away from that 00… you don’t want to make me angry. I bite ankles.
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I think every woman has this to some extent, though not quite this rough. For me, my chest is HUGE and my waist is small, so it’s really hard to find shirts that fit (no button-downs, no baby-doll cuts, etc) because even the stretchy ones are either tight on my chest or huge on my waist.
I have a coworker who is 4’11″ and always dresses fabulously though… but she is heavy.
Could you learn to sew? It’s fun and satisfying, though time-consuming, and you know it would fit.
Vintage shops might be another option, so people used to make smaller clothes when we were all smaller.
I do wish you the best of luck.
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Posted by Jaimee | March 11, 2010, 10:47 amRT @TheDemoiselles Out Of The Nest: Alterations Needed http://bit.ly/dbaEGK (Want to do an Out of the Nest? Email us!)
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Posted by Jennifer Nicole | March 11, 2010, 3:34 pmHow come people don't talk about these issues? http://thedemoiselles.com/archives/out-of-the-nest-alterations-needed #petite #bodyimage
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Posted by Cynthia C | March 12, 2010, 12:34 amI’m on the petite side, although not THAT petite and I’ve heard tales that Nordstrom stores in areas with many Asian women stock smaller clothes.
You’re really small so it’s hard to know, but finding the right neighborhood to shop in might help. I’d certainly avoid areas with lots of Black women, who may be slim but are often quite tall.
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Posted by GingerR | March 12, 2010, 7:32 pmHi ladies!
Thank you for the kind words and advice!
Jaimee – I’ve entertained the idea of learning to sew, mostly for basic alteration purposes (petite women can spend a small fortune just on hemming alone!). I even received a little sewing machine for my birthday one year, but my little sewing machine sits collecting dust. Lack of time, and the fear of the mangled, mutant clothing items I would produce is a big factor. =)
GingerR – So true! Tip of the day…locations with high volumes of tourists from Asia (like Hawaii) is a mecca of small clothing and shoe sizes.
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Posted by Alterations Needed | March 12, 2010, 8:24 pmAs the American woman has gotten bigger and bigger, those of us who haven’t increasingly have a hard time finding clothes. The apparel industry has increased their base fit along with those changes so if you’re like me (whose weight hasn’t changed since I was 16), and used to be able to wear a size 2, then a 0, now most of those are too big, we’re left with very limited shopping choices. There is such a broad range of shapes and sizes for women today it’s impossible to fit everyone. Not to mention that every label defines their sizing differently. That sounds bad but in reality it’s not, because once you find a label or two that works, you should be able to buy consistently. Full disclosure, I am a designer and have dealt with lots of fit research over the years so I know the issues at all ends of the spectrum.
At 4’11″ and 85 lbs, you are at the small end of the range, no doubt. Not trying to be spammie here, I feel your pain, but you may want to find an independent designer who will do custom fit for you. I’ve done a lot of that kind of work for customers with all types of fit issues. It does cost a bit more but you can’t exactly walk around in those pants can you? Good luck!
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Posted by Dana | March 29, 2010, 4:21 pm