Getting and Spending: Two petites shop the sales

I'm going to write of Jill with the affection she easily elicits, but not pull punches. Jill is the best friend of one of my friends, Rachel, so I see her when Rachel invites us to lunch or a film. 

She is just over five feet, a size 4-6 petite, who has retired, lives alone and had not bought any clothes since 2019, because, like many women, she spent several years in pyjamas and sweats. This past year she has resumed her volunteer job at a busy hospital, and needs some clothes.

Jill wanted to shop with Rachel, also petite, and a former fashion designer. Her budget was $400 and she expected more than one outfit for that. She had waited for the end-of-summer sales to buy pieces for casual outings.

Rachel invited me to join them afterwards for a glass of wine. They headed for what is terra incognita to me, petite departments.

Jill's look, which Rachel was eager to update: heavy on the sweet side of florals, a fondness for cardigans, and classic, rather staid cuts. (Rachel said, "I don't even know where they sell these clothes anymore.") Jill is devoted to trousers; the drawstring waist is well-represented. 

Rachel's style is different from Jill's—Coastal Grandma with a Platinum Card. I thought, This ought to be good.

A Jill "before" style

I got to the bistro early; while I held the table, I tried to second-guess Rachel and used my phone to check out stores that sold petite sizes. Here's what I chose:

My picks

Top left: Blouson paisley-print top; sale price $50 from Laura Petites.  

Bottom left: City Fit (washable) trousers with slit hem and two-way stretch; in Blonde Mix. Sale price, $80 at Laura Petites

Centre: Zipper-leg capris in Vetiver; sale price, $78 at Laura Petites

Top right: Vex tropical print tee; price, $60, Laura Petites. Will look good with both trousers.

Bottom right: Nothing against cardies, but she has a stack to see her into heaven. I chose a Gap denim blazer, made in petite sizes at time of posting, now s/o. With the 10% discount online, the price was $144.  

I was slightly over budget at $412 (before taxes). Just after I ordered a Campari and soda, they sashayed in swinging bags, looking pleased. I showed them my fantasy shop. Turns out I got it really wrong!

Rachel got Jill into Banana Republic's cotton twill utility jeans (sale price, $60 each); she was reluctant to try a gathered cuff, but in the dressing room was astonished at how much she liked them, and bought them in ecru and olive. Rachel showed her how Banana Republic's poplin cropped shirt in blue ($95) could be worn open over her tank or on its own. The cut is called "boxy" but fit her neatly. (Update: BR now have an even better sale on selected styles, 40% off.)

Going with a shorter-cut shirt—worn untucked—and the full-length jeans lengthened Jill's leg line. Rachel explained that the magic 1:3 ratio will always create visual balance.

Then they shopped for shoes, because she said Jill didn't have the right ones for the new jeans. The vibe: Ecco Retro Street Lites in Morillo, on sale for $99. On a whim, Rachel dropped by Change, the Danish lingerie boutique, where they found the Melanie bralette (sale price, $25.) Rachel says an update comes from the inside out. Jill could not even remember the last time she bought lingerie, and had never tried a bralette. She wore it out of the store!

What Rachel and Jill bought

We played it two different ways: I followed Jill's taste but tried some tweaks; Rachel took her out of her zone, into a different attitude. When she said she'd hoped to find Jill a jumpsuit, Jill laughed and said she had dodged a bullet. I found more pieces for the money, but they are—except for the denim blazer—polys or blends; Rachel is a stickler for pure fibres. 

Rachel maintains that it's better to buy one perfect thing at a higher price than several okay items. (She is the friend who associates "budget" with a rental car agency.) I was going for decent quantity, while avoiding the lowest-end fast fashion (e.g. H&M), but Rachel delivered a more upscale look.  

Now that Jill has her sleek-petite update, she would like winter trousers as current as her new summer-into-fall jeans. Rachel, an expert sewist, volunteered to copy the BR pair, or suggest other styles. 

And it was Rachel who came in under budget—at $358—so she bought the apéros!