Petite for the plentifully-proportioned

Thank you, Lynda, for your request: "My problem: I am 5'3, weigh 160 pounds... Yesterday I spent the entire day looking for a pair of pants, everyday and dressy. NOTHING fit. Theory only goes up to size 12.... What brand do you suggest?"

Lynda, dear Lynda: Theory is a recipe self-torture. Look at them, a beanpole's brand! No wonder you were dispirited.

Have a nice restorative gin & tonic and read on.

I'll guess because of your height/weight and comment that "nothing fit", you might need Misses' (or "regular") sizes for parts of your figure, such as tops in Petite L, but bottoms in 14 Woman Petite (WP), to give you more room in the thigh and seat, with the right rise.

Or you might need regular Petite, but in a larger size range and more generous cut than toothpick-thighed Theory.

Woman Petite (WP) is not easy to find, but has become more common as the population ages. Enter a close relationship with FedEx to get them. Below, some sources other than department stores' petite or plus sections.


Petite pant picks

Talbots carry Petite (to 16P) and Woman Petite sizes (to 22WP). We're watching Talbot's closely as the reinvent their line with less prep, more rep. Order by mail if not near a shop, or to access more choices than most locations offer.

I found these chino cotton-spandex Woman Petite pants in the Outlet section of the site for $19.99! (Care instructions say dry clean but I'd machine wash on delicate.)

Search the online sale section (a different part than Outlet) by entering your size, then selecting Petite or Woman Petite (consult their size charts) for the items that interest you.

Soft Surroundings carry useful Petite L and XL basics like this Stretch Gauze Wide Leg Pant (also available in white, black, and chocolate), $64.50.

The Petite and Plus versions of Not Your Daughter's Jeans are my petite GFs' adored jeans. Lord & Taylor's online site also offers the jeans in both Petite and Plus sections. Shown, the Premium Bootcut Jean, $98.

You can also find them at various online vendors like Harper Greer in San Francisco, a plus-size boutique that also sell their own designs.

Karen Gillam is a UK designer committed to making women "love to be petite" and offers pants up to size 18UK (about a US16, see size charts) and other items up to UK20. The company fulfills international orders. Pants come in up to three lengths. Shown, Maxine Herringbone Tweed Trousers, £79.

Land's End, usually devotedly dowdy, are slowly introducing some hipper styles. The Audrey Stretch Sueded Cotton Pants, actually cute, come in punchy golden yellow (as well as neutrals) in Petite sizes up to 18, hemmed with your choice of inseam. For $44.50, grab a few for everyday!

Perhaps a top-up on the G&T? And let's press on.


Tips for tops

I turn to Citron Santa Monica for interesting Asian-influenced styles. The boutique Abundance, in Sherman Oaks CA, carry the plus versions of this line. Call them, send a few photos and measurements, and ask if they would ship you a box of pieces they think you'd like. (Harper Greer, mentioned above, also stock Citron, and eBay usually has pieces in both plus and regular sizes.)

That's what my voluptuous 5'2" aunt did when she and her husband bought a chicken ranch in Maryland and she missed her New York shops. In this economy, that kind of service is back, and if I were a hard to find size, I'd cultivate this relationship. One sales person with an eye out for you and a few bucks' postage is worth ten futile trips to shops.

Oval Clothing ("an oval is the perfect form") are determined not to make Woman Petites look like garish wee toys. Their site has nothing but Woman Petite sizes, though only one pant, a capri. They do stock many tops and dresses. The Mandarin collar blouse made of imported French fabric is on sale for $85.


Petite luxe

My petite GFs say it's hard to find sophisticated clothes. For luxury fabrics and precise tailoring, check out Lafayette 148. Besides being sold in better department stores, they also sell via their web site and carry Petites in up to 18. (Shipping within USA only.)

At $298, these Petite Stretch Wool Menswear Pants are pricey, but the cut is chic and timeless. And who else makes a Petite dream of glamour like the Pearlized Lambskin Blouse, $698?

Lafayette 148's site has items on sale; one standout is the elegant petite stretch cotton Delaney blouse, $148 in Blaze.


Get it made: Local talent

You'll have all the perfect pants you need if you create your own brand by finding a great dressmaker.

If one is petite and larger-sized or plus, this the path to clothes that really fit. Clip photos and take favourite pieces. Ask to see some things she has made. I avoid tailors if their primary clients are men, because I'm less confident that they can cut to flatter curves.

Go equipped with your own patterns, perhaps those from Petites Plus Patterns.

Even if you are not quite a plus proportion, these will be scaled to your frame. Pick Petite Plus' Flat Front Pant, with its clean, narrow lines and back zip, or ask a skilled tailor to adapt his or her own patterns.

I know you asked about pants, but I have a crush on their All Season Dress, for which they recommend stretch cotton, and their sexy Bias Skirt with Flounce.


Divine dressmaker on the web

The raison d' etre of Dress By Design, a shop and e-business based in Buffalo NY, is to put women in any location in lovely dresses.

When I visited this summer, I admired the owner, exactly your figure, in her princess-seamed Marilyn dress. For all curvy ladies: Dress by Design makes dresses up to size 24, and adjusts the fit for more or less room in the bust, hip, etc.

Choose from their fabrics (ask about cottons and linens; the current fabrics shown are more northern-type fall weights) or send your own.


Any other gems Lynda should know about, mesdames?

Lynda, I hope this transforms your Theory into a Belief: with some creative shopping, your perfect pants (and other pieces) are out there!