I’d say, to a certain extent, yes. Most major brands that carry petites have launched their spring looks, and while many of the pieces still lean towards office-friendly, the choices are growing, sometimes with almost as much variety as regular sizes. But, it’s not quite there…yet. Sometimes, certain looks aren’t available in petites at all (e.g. anything in Banana Republic’s Monogram or Heritage Collections) or are only available online (J.Crew and at least 50% of Ann Taylor, LOFT and Anthropologie pieces). However, it’s still a vast improvement over what was available in 2000. Except for some brands (such as those sold at certain middle-priced department stores), the styles really aren’t targeting women who spend part of their year in Florida anymore.
Petite designer Carolina Alvo on better sizing opportunities for shorter women
However, as I noted earlier, there is still much more room for improvement. I’d love to see more petite-focused designers in the limelight. Actually, I’d love to see more press about petites, period. Refinery29 has done a decent job lately and plus sizes have had a great deal of press for the past few years. I’d love to see more talk, especially from more traditional publications like Elle, Harper’s Bazaar or Vogue (any edition). I’d love body image sites to at least bring it up (I’m not a big fan of many of the organizations. I feel that some unintentionally promote unhealthy lifestyles. That is, of course, for a whole other post). I would like it more if these magazines would feature an editorial spread using actual petite models (rather than short celebrities, though realistically, celebrities are more likely. It’s next to impossible to find non-commercial models under 5’4″ or 5’5″), featuring petite-focused or petite-exclusive brands and designers like Carolina Alvo. Publications have already done something for the over size 14 crowd, so why not for the under 5’4″?
