Staff training is said to be the key to a successful business these days. I'd love to know what sort of training the sales assistants selling petite clothes get. Rudeness appears to be the order of the day, especially if the customer is slim as well as being short. Indeed, retailers don't seem to have worked out that it is actually possible to be short and slim. Many labels don't do anything smaller than size 8, which is certainly slender on a catwalk model of 5'10", but pretty normal for a fit five footer. Whisper it to the retailers, but it is possible for a shorter woman to be a size 8 and a bit podgy! It depends on one's build.
Petite clothes also tend to come in a limited range of styles. Fashion-forward designs, luxury fabrics, these are rarely available in petite sizes. If you are young and fashionable, or want something for a special occasion, or even if you just want some decent basics it can be very difficult for the petite customer.
Take clothes for work. For many of us that means a suit. But there are suits and suits. When you are perhaps at the start of a career you might want something formal, but with some fun details that are young and look right for your age. As you rise through the ranks, get promoted, perhaps become a manager or a career professional you may need something sharply cut, made with a quality fabric that speaks discreetly of success. You may want…. But you won't get. Whether you are a receptionist struggling on an average wage, or a barrister or banker with a comfortable salary, if you are petite the odds are you shop in the same place. And if you are not petite, the odds are you won't….
There's also a culture of disrespect for the petite customer in the fashion business. Most petite clothes are never photographed on models. When they are, the model is usually a tall model 'to make the clothes look good', in the words of one fashion PR. It would be regarded as a massive faux pas if Plus size clothes were photographed on a Size 8 model 'to make the clothes look better', but somehow dissing shorter women is acceptable.
Perhaps that's why retailers don't talk to us. When did you last see an advertisement for a petite fashion label? Apart from on Petite Personal Shopper, that is! Look through any glossy magazine and we simply don't feature. That's why petite sub-brands come and go without the potential customer knowing anything about it. Monsoon Petite? I found it quite by accident, though it's now long gone. Laura Ashley Petite? I only discovered it when it was discontinued. Retailers don't seem to have twigged that there are some shops we simply don't bother to visit because we know nothing will fit, so when they finally produce something we don't buy it - because we don't know about it!
