With all the inconsistencies in women’s clothing sizes, it can feel almost impossible to shop for clothing online, especially as a petite woman! It’s hard enough to find petite friendly clothes in general, much less without even trying it on. So, in order to make petite shopping A LOT easier, I’ve compiled a list of stores and their sizes to create a petite size guide.
But before we jump into the specifics, I wanted to share my most helpful tip when shopping for petite clothing… and that is to look for the length!!! I NEVER buy a dress without looking at how long it is. And most of the time, if the length isn’t stated, I’ll pass on buying it all together because 9 out of 10 times it will fall well past my knees. So, here’s a general list of lengths I use to shop for clothes that will actually fit my petite frame!
Dresses/Rompers: 29 – 32 inches
Skirts: 14.5 – 16.5 inches
Leggings: 25 inch inseam or 7/8 length
Jeans: 24 – 25 inch inseam
Now onto the size guide. The guide below is based off of my experience buying clothes so it’s important to note that I am 5’2 115lbs. I’ve included the general fit of items that I typically buy from each store, as well as the size that I wear most often.
Skirts – True to size – XS (sometimes XXS)
Jeans – True to size – 25 short
Bodysuits – True to size (I size up for a larger chest) – S
Tops – True to size – XS
Skirts – Size up – 2
Jeans – Size up – 2 short
Leggings – True to size – XS (short or 7/8 length)
Tops – True to size – XS
Skirts – True to size – 0
Jeans – True to size – 25 short
Leggings – Size up – size 4, 25” inseam
Tops – True to size – size 4
Skirts – True to size – S
Jeans – True to size – 1
Bodysuits – True to size (I size up for a larger chest) – S
Tops – True to size – S
Skirts – Size down – 00
Tops – True to size – XS
I hope this helps make your shopping quicker and easier, and I will continue to update this list with new stores and items that I try!
Happy Shopping 🙂