Why dont stores realize there are petite fat woman out here?

[stczt]

I went shopping trying to buy clothes and couldnt. Capri's are long pants on me, including petites.

 

[dcgrumpy]

Lord and Taylor has a pretty good petite dress section. I think I bought all of my dressy dresses there.

 

[cybrkitn]

I totally agree with you. It's very hard to find Women's Petite. JCPenney's carries them through their catalog and in the store (albeit mixed in with the rest of the Womens Plus section ).

Petite sizes in most stores only go up to size 14. Some can go up to 16 or even an 18, the latter is extremely hard to find. I just went from a 16P to an 18P recently .

One day I went into Petite Sophisticate in one of our malls and the sales associate was completely surprised when I asked if they had size 16P. She didn't even know that Petite sizes went that high . I told her yes, they can go up to size 18 and 20. What to these places think? That there aren't any petite size women who are on the heavy side ? That women are all small and skinny? I don't think so.

There are two affiliated mail order catalog companies that do carry petite sizes up to 20P as well as some Women's Petite sizes as well. Bedford Fair (www.bedfordfair.com) and Willow Ridge (www.willowridgecatalog.com) are the two I shop from. Especially for my shoes, since I like a certain style that are no longer in the stores.

 

[mommaU4]

BTW this is the dress I did get in the petite section, Sunday night evening wedding ceremony outside, reception inside.

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=236243&CategoryID=19265

That's nice. Simple, but still can be elegant looking especially with certain accessories, make-up and hairstyle. I think it'll look fine for the wedding.

I hate shopping as well. I'm 5'9" and things are usually too short for me! I hate short tops, but it's hard to find longer styles that are actually long on me.

At least if you are petite, although it's expensive and a hassle, you can have things hemmed. If something is too short for me, well then, I am out of luck.

And even though some stores carry Tall lengths, those are too long since they are for 5'11" and up!

So I'm not Average and I'm not Tall. What the heck am I then??

 

[froglady]

Lightweight shawls and jackets are your friend. I have a couple of sheer wraps, along with beaded or lace jackets that are just enough to cover those flabby arms without adding extra weight.

My upper arms have ALWAYS been disproportionately "heavy" compared to the rest of my body. Even at a size 3, they weren't thin. I also hate to have a tan that ends halway down my arms, so I go sleeveless part of the time, regardless of how out of shape my arms may be.

I haven't seen people backing away in horror, or getting disgusted looks, as I pass, so I'm not going to worry about it. Life is too short.

I am always discouraged that manufacturers have decided that if you have a bosom, your shoulders must be wide, also. This, and hemming for length, are my most common alterations. And adjusting shoulder width is a very expensive alteration.

I also am glad that I was married in the day of more modest gowns; even at 5'4" and 105 pounds I couldn't wear a strapless gown without having to also wear uncomfortable undergarmets, which I couldn't find in my size.

 

[cybrkitn]

Kohl's has a good petite section, but I'm not sure how many dresses. (

The Kohls here have a horrible petite section. I didn't even see anything over a 12 or 14 in anything. Plus, their clothing sections are cramped with clothes littering the floor and thrown all over the place. I won't even shop there for anything. Other Kohls stores are probably better than the stores I've been to here.

Anyone also notice that no matter what department store you go in (Macy's, Penney's, etc), the petite section is always the smallest with hardly any good choices? What's up with that?

 

[ead79]

I feel your pain. I pretty much have to buy almost all of my clothes at Talbot's simply because they are the only store that sells Petite Plus sizes. If I just try to buy regular plus sizes then the stride of pants hangs down to my knees or the darts in shirts are all in the wrong places. Sadly Talbot's is not easy on the wallet, but at least they do have a great sale twice a year. I do wish clothing manufacturers would understand that not all chubby folks are also tall. I also wish they would not make everything in regular sizes in the new trendy style of super clingy. I refuse to wear something that shows my belly rolls, LOL.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

BTW this is the dress I did get in the petite section, Sunday night evening wedding ceremony outside, reception inside.

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=236243&CategoryID=19265

Very pretty!

I would love a dress like that, but those sleeves would never fit me! I have always had larger upper arms as compared to the rest of my body. My pet peeve is that designers seem to think that bigger arms = bigger stomach. I can't even find cotton tops that fit, because if they fit through the body, they're too tight in the sleeves, and if they fit in the sleeves, there is so much extra fabric around the waist, they look like maternity tops. I end up wearing mostly tank tops in the summer, because I'd rather show my chunky arms than look pregnant.

 

[Lachesis00]

I dislike they think heavier women have amazon arms... tree trunks. I do not have amazon arms. Nothing like showing your womenly bod to everyone out there because the arm holes are 15x bigger then they need to be I could almost squeeze my entire body in one of those arm holes. And I am no skinny minnie by any means. Ticks me off to no end. That and sleeveless "arms". Hate them.

I've resorted to pretty much wearing nice colored teeshirts.

 

[goodeats]

I'm 5'4 and find that I need to get things tailored if I want them to fit properly. Luckily I found a pretty inexpensive and fast tailor near my work.

I also try to buy things at Nordstroms since they will hem things for free. I'm not sure if Macy's offers the same service. I'm sure it's not too expensive.

 

[NAB]

I like to know who thought that clingy material was a good idea. It makes skinny people look fat.

I too well not were that stuff and show my rolls. But this year even in my favourite store for plus sizes had no cotton t -shirts only this crap.

And capris I too need petite and can't find them in plus sizes and if I do they are still long. Plus I don't have big legs so they are baggy too.

 

[shamrock30]

That's nice. Simple, but still can be elegant looking especially with certain accessories, make-up and hairstyle. I think it'll look fine for the wedding.

I hate shopping as well. I'm 5'9" and things are usually too short for me! I hate short tops, but it's hard to find longer styles that are actually long on me.

At least if you are petite, although it's expensive and a hassle, you can have things hemmed. If something is too short for me, well then, I am out of luck.

And even though some stores carry Tall lengths, those are too long since they are for 5'11" and up!

So I'm not Average and I'm not Tall. What the heck am I then??

If you're petite, you can't have many things hemmed and have them look right. If it's an inch, maybe even two, it's fine, but any more than that, the proportions are all wrong.

I'm petite but not overweight and I can't find dresses either. I've never liked sleeveless, and that's all they've had in the Petite dept for years now--that and low cut, wrap dresses.

 

[SydSim]

When I try on size 14 or 16 tops and dresses, the busom area (for lack of a better word), is always huge. Yup, you can weight 180 pounds, and still have an A cup. Just like you can weight 120 pounds and have a DD cup.

 

[helenabear]

I'm a shorty but not a petite frame. As in I am not "slight" all over. I am large chested (to the point where VS doesn't make a bra that will fit me) and I have hips and a big butt. If I try to wear petites, the waist will fit, but will be snug in the hips and thighs area because petites actually "proportion" their cuts for a "petite frame"

Translation: Petite sizes are cut for stick and boy-like figures. They are not cut for anyone who has hips or a chest.

I can't wear petites because I have to go up a size or two to get the hips back (the inch they cut out) and then the waist is massively huge on me. They just don't work on me.

The kicker is that I am in single digits with my size and am at a good weight for my height. They *still* don't work.

So I get tall shoes and only hem a n inch or so if needed. It really sucks being short because they assume that all shorties seem to have no body to them. So nothing in the petites fits me well at all.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Just like you can weight 120 pounds and have a DD cup.

Thank you - someone has actually realized that just because I'm short and I wear a size 4 - I do have breasts I can still wear the same pants I wore in high school but I have to buy a shirt 5 sizes too big just to get it buttoned

 

[Mkrop]

yes I am not really petite up top! For shirts I usually shop in the regular dept but for pants and dresses I need petite.

I guess I get so paranoid about just looking presentable in clothes. Like for example I have a friend who called me a few weeks ago crying bc someone asked her if she was pregnant again (already has 4 kids), she is not. So I calmed her down by saying it is probably the way that particular shirt is laying, stick that one in the bottom of the drawer. Well then we were at a school function and someone came up to me and ask if she was expecting again. Uhoh. I said no but now that summer is here I am noticing with some of the clothes she is wearing that she does look like she could be! To me if she just wore some different clothes that lay the right way, no one would comment.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

I am sitting her laughing. When I read the OP all I heard was my mom: "What! Am I the only short, fat person around?!" She goes through the same crap every time she needs a dress. They are all either too small, or extremely unflattering. Spandex, no sleeves, horizontal stripes.

Dresses are a scarce commodity these days and if you do find one, it will usually NOT have sleeves, be low-cut, or not have back!

YES! I had to get a dress last year for a wedding. I just wanted something simple and not black. All I could find were things without backs, or plunging necklines. Hello?! Not everyone can go bra-less thankyouverymuch!

I found one dress that is very pretty. It's a little long but oh well. Here's the problem. I am by no means small in the, uh, chest area. I rarely find anything that fits on top. Usually I'm stretching the seams. This dress is too big in the chest area. What the heck?! I had to put the padding into the bra and it was still too big. I ended up pinning the dress do my bra so that it didn't slip down too much.

Another thing that annoys the heck out of me...bathing suits. I need an underwire bathing suit. No question about it. So I'm looking around the lands end catalog. Here is one thing I noticed...apparently D-cup women don't need underwires but DD-cups do.

 

[RitaZ.]

I had to get a dress last year for a wedding. I just wanted something simple and not black. All I could find were things without backs, or plunging necklines.

Well, there hasn't been much improvement in a year because that's exactly what I found when I went shopping recently for a dress. Most of the dresses were halter tops, also deep v-necks (lots of cleavage), the fabrics were crap, etc.

I did a lot of searching, until I found something that I liked. BTW, it's a sleeveless dress with a v-neck. There was no happy medium. It was either dresses that had it all hanging out or dressses that a 60 or 70 yr. old would wear.

OP, I like the dress. You can dress it up with accessories and sexy shoes.

 

[LadyyRedd]

I dislike they think heavier women have amazon arms... tree trunks. I do not have amazon arms. Nothing like showing your womenly bod to everyone out there because the arm holes are 15x bigger then they need to be I could almost squeeze my entire body in one of those arm holes. And I am no skinny minnie by any means. Ticks me off to no end. That and sleeveless "arms". Hate them.

I've resorted to pretty much wearing nice colored teeshirts.

Or the ones who think that we have arms like a monkey that scrape the ground when we walk. I mean, come on, my arms aren't longer than anyone else's, the sleeves don't need to be 8 inches longer!

Kimya

 

[Christine]

Well, there hasn't been much improvement in a year because that's exactly what I found when I went shopping recently for a dress.

Overall, I have to say that I haven't purchased a *decent* dress since the 1990s. I think that 1997 was the last time I found real sleeves! I still have one or two of those dresses.

I did buy one dress last year, from Coldwater Creek, that I get raves on but do you think they could make another one like it this year? Nope!