Just Kidding Around

Photo by: Rory M.

Petite.
Hobbit.
Fun-sized.
Vertically challenged.

They all mean the same thing- short. I stopped growing at the age of twelve, and it's had its perks and not-so-perks. The good things are that I still get hand-me-downs, and much of my old high school wardrobe still fits. The bad thing is that as a woman breaking into the professional world, hand-me-downs and high school band tees don't always work for a given occasion.

Recently, I discovered a shopping technique that has saved me both money and time. It's also a trick my mother (another petite lady) has been exploiting for the past twenty-something years.

Are you ready for this? The Children's Department.

Yes, I'm serious. Gap Kids, Crew Cuts, Abercrombie, '77 Kids- These are all name brands that I have bought children's clothes from in the past year. Obviously, I'm not going to be fitting my hips into a pair of kids jeans, and some clothes just look childish. However, outerwear, tops, tights, skirts, and even some dresses have fit, and you wouldn't even know they weren't petite! (The shirt I'm modeling in the photo is from Abercrombie Kids.) The benefit to this is that I can get some items that are proportionate to a smaller frame without paying extra to get them tailored.

I wouldn't recommend searching for your entire professional wardrobe in the children's department of your favorite store, but it's sometimes fun to poke around and see what you might find. Give it a shot, and send us your finds!

Rory