No wonder stories of petite women heading to junior departments in stores, rubbing shoulders with ten-year-olds as they browse racks of sundresses and attempt to find formal pants, are not uncommon. – The Sydney Morning Herald
I recently saw a facebook photo of a Chinese student in a store holding up a bra. Next to her tiny frame it looked like a parachute. The photo perfectly captured the comedy and frustration of shopping for clothes as a petite woman in the West.
In 2011, the average UK woman wore a size 14. Shorter men often have trouble finding stylish clothing. The most affordable chain stores stock more clothes in the ‘average’ size, which means that smaller sizes and larger sizes sell out quickly.
The clothes that fit a slim or narrow body shape are often found in the ‘junior’ departments or in clothing stores targeting teenagers and first year college students. When I lived in a smaller UK city, I purchased jeans sized ‘Age 12’ and had to dig for a pair that didn’t have glitter or other infantile details sewn on. Professional clothes are often made for women with larger chests, hips and thighs, which means that petite women often look like a child playing ‘dress up.’
This week I did an informal survey and Topshop, Zara and Hollister were the most popular places to buy smaller sizes. I would also include The Limited, Banana Republic and J. Crew for office clothing. I have purchased professional clothes in their petite sizes because the shoulders aren’t as wide. They are a bit pricey for a student budget, but you should be able to find a few key items. Most importantly they offer jeans in different lengths.
If you’re comfortable with online shopping, I recommend setting up a paypal account and then doing a search through the fashion website Polyvore and using the ‘buy it now’ option for new clothing on ebay. You can also get taobao shop style clothing on Yes Style. The website also runs a great fashion blog.
For men, button down shirts that are ‘athletic cut’ are probably the most suitable for Asian men. Even these have widened in recent years, so my father takes all of his clothes to a tailor (裁缝师). I really recommend finding a good tailor in your local area. It is depressing to add tailoring to the cost of new clothing, but having professional clothes which fit properly will improve your confidence in the workplace. The prices are usually listed on their website.
Useful Vocabulary
Petite Sizes: Clothes meant for women shorter than 160 cm. Unfortunately many clothing stores will only have petite sizes for women and ‘regular’ and ‘big and tall’ for men. You may have to look for specialized stores for men 5’8” and under, such as Peter Manning NYC.
Junior Sizes: Clothes made to fit teenagers.
Tailor: A person who makes, repairs or alters clothing. They usually work at a business with alterations in the name. A dressmaker makes custom clothing for women.
Hem: The edge of fabric where it has been folded over and sewn. Usually we ‘hem’ to make trousers or a skirt shorter.
Taper: To have clothes re-sewn so they are more fitted. For example, having your jeans cut so they fit closely to the leg.
Seam: The line where two pieces of fabric are sewn together.
Take In: Used in this context to mean that extra fabric is removed and the seams are redone to make the clothes smaller and fit closer to the body. For example, my father has his shirts ‘taken in’ at the waist.
Fitted: The clothing fits smoothly along the lines of the body without being too tight. I believe the Chinese equivalent is 瘦.
Narrow fit shoes: Western feet are getting wider. You may need the narrow version of the size you normally wear in Asia.