How to Shop for Petite Clothing

If you are under five foot and four inches, you are categorized as a petite person. This means that you are smaller in frame and that your arms and legs tend to be shorter than the average sized persons. Learn how to shop for petite clothing, and how to wear it, in order to make the most of your wardrobe and your stature.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Find prints that fit. Big, chunky prints on clothes are for people with height. For those who don't meet the five foot five inches height requirement, choose smaller prints and stripes that fit your frame. Bigger is not always better.
2. Embrace high heels and wear them when shopping for pants and jeans. Make sure the hem falls over the top of your foot to give the illusion of longer legs.
3. Shop for petite clothing made with light weight materials. Thicker fabrics tend to bunch and can make you look bulky.
4. Go overseas. Wear Parisian and Japanese designers. They are pricier, but they tend to model their clothes to a smaller frame. Some designers to look for are Kenzo, Marini and Louis Vuitton. There is also a Parisian sale site called Le Redoute.
5. Lower your waist. Buy low-rise jeans to elongate your torso. Shop in the junior sections for low-rise jeans, and other clothing, that will fit a petite frame.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid excessive jewelry. Too much jewelry will overwhelm a small frame.
• Avoid cropped pants. They do nothing to elongate your legs, and they tend to make even thin legs look stumpy.
• Avoid odd skirt lengths. They should be worn at the knee or slightly above or below the knee. If a skirt is too long or too short, you run the risk of creating a rounded figure.