Monday Musings- Finding Your Size
Happy Monday, ladies! This week I’m musing about sizing and how women who do not fit the “average”, struggle to find clothes that fit. Lands End sent me a few tees to style on Instagram, (this is not a sponsored blog post), and the more I dug into their sizing, the more I realized how some retailers are letting women down.
It’s no secret, I’m a huge fan of stripes so I gravitated to this one. It’s a Pima cotton blend that also comes in solids with 42 options in sizes 2-26, in regular, petite, tall, and plus sizes here. That’s an impressive size range and the color options are pretty inclusive as well.
These straight-leg white jeans come in sizes 2- 26W, regular, petite, tall, and plus sizes here with an inseam of 28, 30, or 34″. Lands End petite is intended for women who are 4’11”-5’3″ but I’m 5’4″, and they work for me.
These jeans, on the other hand, are so long I had to hem them 2″ and wear my tallest espadrilles. They don’t come in tall, but the inseam is 28″ or 30″.
This tank (plus here) is long enough that I folded the bottom under 3-4″ rather than tucking it in. I’m wearing a small in regular and realize a petite would have been better for me but the website did not list garment length so I didn’t think of it.
Unless it’s a specialty store, most retailers focus on the average-sized woman. This makes sense for them from a financial standpoint but leaves many women struggling.
Nordstrom used to have a dedicated petite department in the store. Several years ago they removed it and the product was mixed in with everything else. They added little rings on the hanger so you could spot them on the rack, but honestly, it doesn’t help because the volume is just not there. Online has the best selection.
One of my local Chicos has also removed their petite section but it is available online. Loft carries petite, tall, and regular but decided to discontinue carrying plus sizes. Banana Republic carries regular, petite, and tall, in many things. Gap has regular, petite, and tall. Old Navy has regular, petite, tall, and plus in most things.
Talbots and J. Jill carry large selections of petite and regular in-store with more online. Coldwater Creek carries petite and plus but they have closed all their brick-and-mortar stores so everything is online.
Madewell carries petite, regular, tall, taller, and plus. Ann Taylor offers regular, petite, and some talls. J. Crew offers many things in regular, petite, tall, and plus.
Many of you have mentioned your increasing struggles to find garments for your size so I’ll be keeping more of an eye out for you.
What stores do you shop for your sizes?
Thanks for reading ladies and remember to wear what makes you feel confident.
I shop mostly online and use Nordstrom because of free shipping. I do have Talbots and JJill where we live but petite size are always sold out quickly. Thank you for the info on the stores.
Thanks for addressing the sizing this week. It is a challenge for me. I am 4’ 10” and while sizes change, lengths stay the same usually Petite length is 5’4”. At best, depending on the fabric you can use up 2 inches in length, depending on the style and purpose of the clothing item. Tops are often 29 inches long, I can get by with a 26 inch length in some cases if it’s able to be hemmed without changing the shape or running into button holes. A few companies used to do a very limited number of pants in short, but I haven’t seen those in awhile. Simple alterations I can do, but making friends with a quality alterations shop helps. Those are becoming less available, so a shout out to those who do alterations. It’s an art in itself. It’s a gift to be able to take a finished garment and make adjustments for particular figure.
I live in a rural area and don’t have the option of shopping at Talbot’s, JJill, etc. I am 5’3” but cannot wear petite pants because they are cut too short in the rise to accommodate my middle-age tummy. If I can find a 14W in short the fit is perfect for me.
When it comes to tops, I’ve learned what to avoid when ordering on line and/or have always been able just to hold one up and know what is going to fit me whereas of late IMHO the same cannot be said about bottoms no matter their style which sizing/measurements appear to be ‘all over the board’ and often misleading. That being said; for certain gone are the days even when shopping in person when once you could scope out your garment size and use your neck circumference as a quick waistline guide saving yourself a trip to the dressing room and having to try ‘several’ pairs on regardless of their tag/brand which certainly isn’t the case now. To conclude; with much appreciation of your research Jennifer as definitely a step in the right direction with so many retailers closing their store fronts. -Brenda-
Lands End has been the go-to for basics in our house for years. I’m a Petite, my husband a Mens Tall, and both of us are still happy with the fit, durability and price. The styles are sometimes a bit boring, but for everyday, we’re not complaining.
Jennifer, this is a great column! Thank you so much for the store / brand summary. Well done!
My sizing peeve is the lack of garment measurements, like the tank that didn’t specify length. If they would include more measurements, returns for fit would be reduced. Especially important to me is leg opening of pants. That tells you what style of pants they are. To make matters worse, they don’t have that info available if you call or email to ask. Really puzzles me.
I wish more brands would give us garment measurements too!
Thank you so very much for this post about sizing. Many of us women have struggled with this issue most of our lives……and only in past several years, it seems, have begun to be able to find attractive clothes in plus-size also! Dressed well we most certainly fit in better, feel better about ourselves, and actually often look very attractive. Plus-size models have been and are a HUGE inspiration and encouragement for us!!! Again, many thanks for this….your awareness and sensitivity is Very Much Appreciated!!!!!!!