FashBlog.com

Everywhere you look, you'll find advice regarding how to dress in stylish plus-size clothes and how to hide the parts of your body that are larger than you wish they were. Don't get me wrong- I'm glad that this information is out there, and I am the firmest supporter in the world of the idea that women come in all shapes and sizes, and nobody should be made to feel "too large" to wear the latest fashions. But that isn't what this article is about. This is about the opposite end of the spectrum.

All over the world, there are women like me who are simply too small to fit in the market's definition of petite. I know this probably sounds like I'm bragging, but for heavens' sakes I'm not. There are days I would give anything for a few curves. It would be nice to fill out a sexy cocktail dress without looking like someone's 12-year old son with gender confusion issues. I would love to wear high heels without looking like my shoes are longer than my legs. Trust me- petites have body insecurities, too.

I'm in my mid-twenties, and I'm in the interesting position of holding a professional job in an office setting, while also returning to college part-time. This puts me in contact with people twice my age half the time, and people about five years younger than me the rest of the time. I am physically small. Just pushing five feet, I'm built an awful lot like a boy. And I've discovered that just as much as plus-size women sometimes face shopping challenges, so do those of us who are smaller than the designer's idea of the perfect woman. Particularly when it comes to putting together a wardrobe that is professional yet casual, stylish yet unique, and comfortable yet proper. It can be a serious problem.

Let me make this clear: I know perfectly well that I'm too old for the Juniors' department. I don't especially want flared hip-huggers, applique shirts, and platform boots anyhow. And I also know that there are plenty of Misses' sizes out there that are theoretically designed to fit me. The problem is- they don't.

Why is it that jeans that fit someone with no hips are designed for a person who is six feet tall? Why is it that jackets with short-enough shoulder seams to fit me end up hanging to my knees? Whose proportions are being used to create these things, and why do I feel abnormal every time I go shopping?

(I know. Everyone does).

Basically, the point I'm trying to make is that I end up shopping in Juniors' departments an awful lot. You'll be glad to know I'm not buying Hottie tee shirts, and I'm steering clear of jeans with butterflies stitched on the pockets, but I'm also suffering from a serious lack of selection. If I limit myself to the Misses' stores, I come out with one embroidered cardigan, a few shell tops, and a pair of pleated khakis. Give me a break.

I know that there are stylish small-sized women out there. In fact, the hit show What Not to Wear had a famous episode where they dressed a woman who stood about four feet, ten inches tall. She too was in her mid-twenties and worked in an office setting, and she looked like a child primarily because she was wearing children's clothing. The style team gave her a fantastic makeover that made her look her age without overpowering her small frame.

But not all of us have a $5000 budget and a trip to New York, and sometimes it's just easier to make a beeline for the little boys' department when you need a few tee shirts. Sometimes we'd rather just chop the bottoms off jeans and wear them as capris than bother with trying to find a pair that are the right length. Does that make us lazy? No. Frustrated and limited in our fashion choices? Yes.

The bottom line is, next time you see a twenty-something browsing the jeans in the Juniors' department, don't be too quick to judge. It's probably a last resort. Unless, of course, she's buying the pair with leather lacing up the legs. Then there's just no excuse.
-by bjp