As a petite woman, I completely understand the struggle of finding clothes that fit appropriately. It’s almost a given that regular-sized clothes won’t fit, but petite-sized clothes are much harder to come by. Why is it so hard to find clothes suited for petites? The answer is simple. The average height of women in the U.S. is 5’4,” therefore, most brands cater to women of this height.
There are many stores that simply don’t hold much inventory in store, and understandably so, but it can leave us shoppers feeling frustrated. This makes shopping in store more difficult for everyone, but especially for petites as this limits our options even further. The stores that do sell petite clothes, usually don’t carry petite sizes in store- or only have a select few pieces available in store.
Because of this, shopping for petite clothes online is much less frustrating and way more efficient. Plus, there are countless options when shopping online versus being extremely limited when shopping in store. Below are share where you can shop for petite clothes online.
NEXT
NEXT began in England and is the largest clothing retailer by sales in the UK. They’re a multinational company, so you can also shop their online store if you’re in the U.S. (and many other countries). Not only do they sell clothes for men, women, babies, and children, they also sell footwear and home goods. They have a large selection of petite items consisting of over 1,000 pieces, including dresses, jeans, blouses, t-shirts, trousers, jumpsuits, jackets, and leggings.
Reformation
Reformation began in 2009 by selling vintage clothes from a small store in Los Angeles. Since then they’ve grown into an extremely popular brand with twenty stores around the globe. They are all about sustainability. So much so that a large portion of their website is dedicated to sustainability. Their petite collection consists of dresses, jeans, jumpsuits, pants, skirts, and two pieces.
Anthropologie
Anthropologie is an American retail store with roughly 200 stores across the globe, and their unique aesthetic attracts many people to the brand. Stepping into an Anthropologie store is like stepping into an antique store, flea market, and high-end French boutique all at once. They embody sprezzatura. It’s hard to explain, but somehow they make it work perfectly, and people love the free-spirited vibe. Needless to say, it makes for a fun shopping experience!
Anthropologie sells clothes, jewelry, accessories, beauty, furniture, home goods, and gifts. Some of their clothes are classic and preppy, some are a bohemian style, and others are designed with bright and bold prints, so they cater to many different styles. Best of all, they offer nearly 500 petite-sized styles consisting of dresses, jeans, jackets, pants, jumpsuits, loungewear, shorts, skirts, sweaters, and tops.
Bloomingdale’s
I was born and raised in a small town, so we didn’t have much at all in the way of shopping. Goody’s was pretty much the only store in town to shop for clothes. So, I didn’t really even learn about Bloomingdale’s until later in life but have shopped their store online many times throughout my adult life.
Department stores, like Bloomingdale’s, are a great place to look for petite clothes as most carry at least some petite sizes. Plus, they carry a wide variety of brands and styles that appeal to women of all ages. Bloomingdale’s offers petite-sized styles by designer brands like NIC+ZOE, Eileen Fisher, Joe’s Jeans, Lafayette 148 New York, Karen Kane, and more.
Nordstrom
Another department store that offers petite clothing is Nordstrom. They don’t always carry as many petite styles in store as they do online. Their online petite selection consists of well over a few hundred styles ranging in size from 00P to 18P.
Macy’s
Macy’s is another major department store that offers a wide variety of petite-sized clothes. They have an entire section dedicated to petite clothing, and even more styles are available online. Macy’s online petite collection consists of over 3,000 styles suitable for almost any occasion. They carry brands, including designer brands, like Michael Kors, Anne Klein, Ralph Lauren, Adrianna Papell, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, and many more. One of the best things about shopping at a department store is the variety in styles, sizes, and designers.
Amazon
Finding clothes that fit your specific body type, size, and style can be a very difficult task. Many stores and designers cater to a very specific body type, so it can be even more difficult to find clothes that fit if you’re petite. Amazon has a huge variety of petite-friendly clothes available. With so many products available, it’s extremely helpful to use their filters so that the results are catered to your body type, size, and style.
Quality may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of Amazon fashion, but there are tons of designer and luxury brand items available. You just have to filter your search results accordingly. Amazon has an “Amazon Fashion” filter that allows you to select the following options: Our Brands, Premium Brands, and Popular Brands. To see higher-end brands, simply select the Premium Brands option.
J.Crew Factory
If you love J. Crew but aren’t crazy about the price tag, then you’ll likely love J.Crew Factory. J.Crew Factory has 158 stores across the U.S., but if there’s not a location near you, you can also shop their factory store online. It’s an excellent place to shop for petite workwear, closet staples, and classic pieces that never go out of style.
Topshop/ASOS
Topshop no longer has its own stores, but you can shop the brand at Nordstrom and ASOS. ASOS purchased Topshop. ASOS also has a deal with Nordstrom allowing them to sell Topshop clothing in-store.
Topshop has over 200 petite styles on ASOS’s website, including dresses, jeans, trousers, knitwear, shorts, outerwear, tops, suits, and skirts. Many say their clothes run small, so Topshop may be a great option if you are extra petite.
M.M.LaFleur
M.M.LaFleur is a female-founded brand. The two women who launched M.M.LaFleur realized that there’s a lack of comfortable, functional, and stylish workwear in the fashion industry. Their styles are designed to help women feel confident and empowered. M.M.LaFleur wants you to look and feel good. They also have petite sizes available in several of their styles.
The brand embraces functionality more so than any other brand that I know. For example, their pieces are machine-washable, bottoms have adjustable hems, and some tops include hidden buttons to prevent gaping. No matter how you work– whether it’s in a corporate office, remotely, or at home with the kids, M.M.LaFleur has stylish, comfortable, and practical pieces for you.
NEXT, Reformation, Anthropologie, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Amazon, J.Crew Factory, Topshop, and M.M.LaFleur are a handful of my favorite online stores to shop for petite-friendly clothes. I don’t enjoy shopping in store, so most of my shopping in done online, especially when it comes to petite fashion. There are many reasons I prefer to shop online for petite clothing rather than in store. Here are few reasons why:
- There are way more petite styles available online than in store.
- Some websites offer reviews that provide further insight on the garment’s size and fit.
- Garment measurements are often available online. As a petite, this helps me determine whether a shirt will be too long, if a pant’s inseam will be too long, etc.
- Filters are available online, so you can shop much more efficiently and find what you’re looking for much quicker. For example, you can filter by size, body type, inseam, color, fabric, etc.
Shopping for clothes online can be much more convenient than shopping in store. If you’re petite, petite-sized styles are hard to come by in store, so shopping online might be a better (and less frustrating) route.