SWP. Shopping While Petite. It’s often a problem. You. Just. Can’t. Find. Anything. Well, that’s not ENTIRELY true – it’s just that you feel awful because everything is too long and at times, it doesn’t look like you can alter the outfits after purchase (or it will cost a fortune). And, it’s hard to find stores that will have items that will remotely fit you, length-wise. Luckily, Yorkdale Shopping Centre has several stores with petite departments, and petite departments that cater to a younger crowd (under 50), at that. There are just too many places that only offer “old lady” petite styles!
Yorkdale Shopping Centre
Whenever I shop at Yorkdale, I stop at pretty much every petite-friendly store. White House Black Market (WHBM) is one of them. One of only three stores in Canada, this Chico-owned boutique caters to a late 20-something to mid-40s crowd. Filled with both business casual and weekend-friendly pieces, the price points are amazing, with many items hovering at the $100 range or less. The petite section is rather small, unfortunately, but anything one can’t find there might be available online (thank goodness they ship north of the border). One point of criticism I have of WHBM is the lack of smaller sizes (size 2 or smaller), which many petite women are. I’m wondering if their HQ does not realize that Canadian women, especially those in Toronto are, on average, smaller-framed than many women in the US.
Ann Taylor and Banana Republic, both of which cater to a similar market as WHBM fare a bit better if you’re small. The departments are bigger, with much better selection (Banana Republic even recently moved their petite section to the front, which is fairly atypical. Most Banana locations keep petites at the back). Ann Taylor, which has four locations in the GTA, is pretty good with choice as well. The pieces, while classic, tend not to be boring and definitely do not cater to a more mature shopper. I have been buying Banana Republic and Ann Taylor petites since my early 20s! And the good thing about these stores? Sales! It seems like there are always a good deal at 30% off or more! Better for one’s wallet, right? The very fact that XXSP (Banana Republic Canada currently only carries XXSP in stores, not online for some reason) is available is bonus for those of us with smaller frames.
The interior of LOFT, near the petite section
For those seeking a more affordable price point, there’s LOFT and Top Shop. The availability, especially at Top Shop, is much trendier and younger as well. And if you’re smaller-framed like me, you’re in luck, as sizing is cut super-small. The use of UK sizing also makes smaller-framed gals feel LESS SMALL as size 0 is a size 4!
There are other stores with petite sizing at Yorkdale, but they tend to lean towards a more mature shopper or don’t exactly cater to the smaller-framed petite shopper. Laura has a petite department, as does Hudson’s Bay (outside of TopShop). And if you’re looking for denim, there’s 7 For All Mankind, which carries some petite or ankle length jeans.
Coming soon: Nordstrom is slated to open at Yorkdale in 2016. Nordstrom tends to have an excellent petite selection (at least online), including brands that don’t typically sell petite sizing at their stores. I have purchased petite sizing from lines like BCBGMAXAZRIA, Laundry by Shelli Segal, Michael Michael Kors and Vince Camuto. And for those of us with very small feet, let’s hope that Nordstrom will carry a good selection of shoes smaller than 5 1/2!
Image credits: Yorkdale from Oxford Properties (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons; LOFT image by author, taken at the opening party
