Review: Aritzia

May 24, 2010

Aritzia is one of those stores that I always heard about, but never saw. Lots of petite women on fashion forums and message boards sing it’s praises for carrying petite friendly sizes, so I made it a mission to go the first chance I got.

Aritzia is a Canadian store that has just recently infiltrated the states. Sticking close to home, no Artizia stores have made their way too far south from the Canadian border, so I was excited to see there was one near my hotel during my SF stay. The store I visited is in the mall on Market Street, near Union Square.

I actually stumbled upon the store by accident. Stepping out of my hotel, and aiming for Union Square, I thought I could navigate myself without the aid of Goggle Maps on my smart phone. However, I was wrong, because I went the wrong way and ended up on Market Street, blindly following the mass of tourists up the street. I suddenly found myself in front of the main entrance of the mall, and knowing there was an Aritzia in there, I pretended like I meant to go there the whole time, and went in.

Aritzia

The store front is really cute! And right below the gigantic Nordstrom staircase, it’s also convenient and easy to find.


All the flowy, bohemian summer stuff was right up front, which put a damper on my shopping because if I want over sized tank tops, I can just shop any old store and call it a day. Where were the tiny sizes I was hearing so much about?

Once I made it past the first few racks, I started to hit gold. Tiny tanks, silk tops, and wool pencil skirts…here we go! My kind of stuff! I even saw a few pairs of size 23 jeans in various designers (Citizens, Sevens, etc.), but only in skinny styles. I grabbed some of the smallest sizes of items I thought were cute (XXS in tops, 0 in bottoms), and went to try them on.

You know what I hate? When stores don’t put mirrors in their dressing rooms. The last thing I want to do is step out of a dressing room, to share a giant mirror with other people, so they can see how awful I’m not fitting into something, or how poorly I choose my undergarments that morning (VPL anyone?), or lack of leg hair maintenance. Not to mention, how am I supposed to take stealthy dressing room photos if there’s no mirror? Hmph!

PAG over at ExtraPetite asked me to check out corset tanks, so I grabbed one in size XXS and XS:

I went for the XXS first, and after trying to get it past my shoulders, I realized I was close to breaking the poor little tank. Amazed at how tiny it was, I moved onto the size XS. The XS was fitted, but not super tight, and the cups were a bit on the small side. I would need a low cut bra, or a lacy one that peaks out for this tank. These were priced at about $25.

Next, I tried this wool draped skirt in size 0:

This fit nicely at the waist (no too big, not too small), and hit me just above the knee. The drape was a really cute detail, the color is my favorite shade of gray, and it’s fully lined. I hemmed and hawed about this one for a little while, trying to decide if I should pick it up. Ultimately, I decided not to get it, mostly because the price tag was a bit hefty (about $130), and I just decided to keep and alter the LOFT pencil skirt I got a little while back.
The last item I tried was a black silk top in size XXS, which I forgot to take a picture of. I really wanted it to fit, because I’m always happy to add another silk top to my wardrobe, but unfortunately it was too big. The neckline hung too low, so that it exposed my bra, and it was cut too wide. Oh well.
Verdict: I’ll definitely go back to Aritzia if I happen to be near one again. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of a few of their pricier pieces, and there are plenty of lower priced items to keep things affordable. Unfortunately, not a place to get small fitting silks, but tops and bottoms can fit small, and in stretchy stuff, I even had to size up!
Anyone else shop at Aritzia?

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  • Jackie

    yay!! REAL petite clothes. *___* I'll have to check it out.

  • PetiteAsianGirl

    I quite like that floral bustier and saw it on another blogger. $25 is quite reasonable too … now if only they had stores closer to me!

    I haven't even heard of places without mirrors in the fitting room. Boo! Sad that there are no try-on photos!

  • PetiteAsianGirl

    Oh and PS – thanks so much for checking out the bustiers and reporting back on the sizing! I was too miffed by the lack of fitting room mirrors and forgot my manners : )

  • Really Petite

    That gray skirt is so darling! I tried a very similar version at H & M but it clearly was not as nice as this one. I never even heard of this store- how cool!

  • N

    Love Aritzia! We have two locations where I am.The only thing is that bothers me is that they mark up 300%…
    So you can find some great petite things but you need to wait a full season unless you want to pay full retail.

  • N

    did they make you lock up your bag before you could try things on?

  • Alterations Needed

    PAG – You're welcome! I was on a mission to find the bustier tops! LOL. Yeah, the lack of mirror in the fitting room had me a bit miffed as well.

    ReallyPetite – I think the stores are slowly making their way south, so maybe one will open near you soon.

    N – What? Do they make people lock up their bags? I was one of only two people in the store that day, and they mostly left me alone. I'd be a little turned off if they made me do that.

    I was a little surprised to see some of their prices. Most floaty tops were pretty cheap, but then the silk and wool items were even above AT price points. Very strange.

  • Jacqueline

    N – Oh the bag-locking! I forgot about that, but yes, they would always lock my bag in the Calgary location. It's offensive and embarrassing. I understand that they have to defend themselves against shoplifting, but it seemed like all those security tags would be sufficient.

    The bag-locking, plus no mirrors to check myself out in private, kind of made this store no fun for me. :(

    But that floral tank is cute! And at $25 is a steal, especially for Aritzia!

  • PetiteXXS

    I've also never heard of this store either… hopefully they'll make their way to LA in the future. Good to know their corset tanks fit so small! It's kind of odd that their pricing is all over the place, and what's with the weird fitting room setup? Thanks for sharing though. I can't wait to see how that Ann Taylor blouse looks on you!

  • PetiteLittleGirl

    AN,

    Thanks so much for the review. I was going to ask readers if they know any place to shop in Toronto, Canada. I am going there next weekend for a short visit. Now I know where to shop :) I search on the Internet and they're everywhere in Canada

  • Wendy

    Yep, they'll usually lock up your bags before entering a change room. It's not uncommon to have no mirrors in the fitting rooms where I am (just north of Toronto), so I don't really find it strange. Many stores also have a security guard or two by the doors.

    I used to shop there a lot a couple years ago, but then I went to NYC and spent all my money, and I've been too broke every since :( One time, this sales associate noticed I was too short to reach any of the higher merchandise, so she followed me around being my arms, lol. I ended up purchasing three items that day.

    That floral top is adorable, and the price point is really nice. Normally, a tank like that would be ~$45, I think. I'm not surprised at the fit – The XXS used to fit me well (4ft11, 92lbs), but since Aritzia is so popular among the younger crowd, they downsized everything so it would fit the very young – The 8 year olds were already wearing the stuff anyways! My friend picked up a cute LBD from there for $40 – an INSANELY low price considering it's Aritzia – in a size 0 because no one else could fit into it. There were also size 00's, but we couldn't zip up the thing. My friend is 5ft, 90lbs, and even the 0 is really tight on her.

    Often, she'll find dvb (David Victoria Beckham) jeans at Winners (similar to "Marshall's") in a size 23 for as low as $15 each for the same reason – no one else can fit into them!

  • N

    AN-absolutely they'll lock up your bag. Everytime I've wanted to try something on, unless it's a mini crossbody/shoulderbag they'll lock up your bags. Maybe their security tags are just there for show? LOL.

  • Alterations Needed

    Wendy & N – That is the craziest thing I've ever heard! They didn't ask me to lock up anything. And good thing, because I doubt I would have appreciated being treated like a thief my first time EVER in their store. Thanks for the heads up. If I go back, at least I won't be surprised if they take my bag.

  • Anonymous

    AN, you may enjoy shopping at Aritzia more during winter time. My favourite brand there is Talula Babaton. They make very well -fitting wool/cashmere coats and jackets (you may view example here: http://forum.alterationsneeded.com/ebay-sellers-post-your-petite-auction-items-t100.html ) and tweed trousers.

  • Alterations Needed

    Anonymous – Glad to hear! I'm definitely a fall/winter dresser. Love coats!

  • Anonymous

    Aritzia is a favorite with teens, carrying coveted items at relatively expensive prices….the perfect storm for rampant shoplifting.

    almost no decent sales, at least in my area, e.g. $20 off a $400 coat on boxing day!

    What do you think of yoga pants-as-regular pants? Is this a Canadian thing? There is the classic TNA pant and, of course, Lululemon.

    TNA = Tits N' Ass

    In the winter, almost every third girl (from age 13-30) in Toronto and Vancouver wears some variation of the ubiquitous TNA winter coat. That said, it's a really nice coat.

    Aritzia carries gorgeous coats from their own lines and others like Mackage.

  • mich LA

    When I was at school at Cal, I used to look forward to trips to the Valley Fair Mall just to scope out this store! So happy to hear it's in SF now. Can't believe I missed it when I was up there this past weekend.

    Next stop better be LA!!

  • Emily

    I live in Toronto; there's an Aritzia at pretty much every single mall. The reason their silk/wool items are insanely expensive is bc they're part of their higher-end Wilfred line. Their sales are generally something like $5 a $90 top, but in the Toronto area there's a mall called Vaughan Mills, where the Aritzia is more of an outlet and so has much better sales

  • Anonymous

    AN, you may enjoy shopping at Aritzia more during winter time. My favourite brand there is Talula Babaton. They make very well -fitting wool/cashmere coats and jackets (you may view example here: http://forum.alterationsneeded.com/ebay-sellers-post-your-petite-auction-items-t100.html ) and tweed trousers.

  • Alterations Needed

    Wendy & N – That is the craziest thing I've ever heard! They didn't ask me to lock up anything. And good thing, because I doubt I would have appreciated being treated like a thief my first time EVER in their store. Thanks for the heads up. If I go back, at least I won't be surprised if they take my bag.

  • PetiteXXS

    I've also never heard of this store either… hopefully they'll make their way to LA in the future. Good to know their corset tanks fit so small! It's kind of odd that their pricing is all over the place, and what's with the weird fitting room setup? Thanks for sharing though. I can't wait to see how that Ann Taylor blouse looks on you!

  • PetiteLittleGirl

    AN,

    Thanks so much for the review. I was going to ask readers if they know any place to shop in Toronto, Canada. I am going there next weekend for a short visit. Now I know where to shop :) I search on the Internet and they're everywhere in Canada

  • N

    did they make you lock up your bag before you could try things on?

  • Jackie

    yay!! REAL petite clothes. *___* I'll have to check it out.

  • Chloe

    “TNA = Tits N’ Ass” Really? Are you a 12 year old boy? TNA stands for Talula Nation Athletics.

    • http://www.alterationsneeded.com/ Alterations Needed

      Thanks for the info Chloe, and I’m sure TNA gets called Tits N’ Ass quite often, by more than just 12 year old boys. Calling a brand TNA geared toward young women is no marketing mistake. It makes you think of something…and that’s just what they want. Kinda like FCUK. Sure…it stands for French Connection United Kingdom…but that’s not what you think the first time you read it…

  • Tamara

    I’ve been trying to find the floral print tank top that you have posted but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Is Aritzia no longer selling them? Or are they selling them somewhere else?

    • http://www.alterationsneeded.com/ Alterations Needed

      Hi Tamara! Good question…I didn’t see those same ones the last time I was there, but I posted those pictures almost 3 years ago, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t make those anymore. If they have something similar, now would be the time to check out the store because it seems like it would be a spring item.

      • Tamara

        I hope they bring back that print eventually, I’ve been looking for it everywhere. You’re right, this would be the perfect time to check! Thanks for the tip!

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