Petite career women have got it tough. There’s the boxy suits at department store petite departments, or there’s the trendier offerings at Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and J.Crew, but that’s assuming you can fit in their smallest sizes!
Being as tiny as I am, I unfortunately do not fit in current suiting offerings. I’m lucky enough to work in an industry that is VERY casual, so I can wear jeans to work everyday. I don’t know what I would do if I had to sport a full suit to work. I own two pairs of non-jean pants (and one of them kinda looks like jeans, so it might not even count), so I understand the plight of searching for small fitting dress pants. Too see some of my attempts at dress pants, see my posts on Theory and Victoria’s Secret.
So, I think it’s important that tiny petites know about Below Zero Petites, a clothing line created by a small-framed petite woman named Debbiann who was so fed up searching for tiny clothes, that she decided to create them herself! According to her site, the sizing charts are correct and not vanity sized in any way, which is amazing because those measurements are TINY! Yay! Read the letter from Debbiann here.
Below Zero Petites Sizing GuideI think I might be a size small!
Most exciting of Below Zero Petite’s offerings is the suiting, available in a few different colors, tiny petite career women now have options! My favorite is the grey.
Other offerings from this line include dresses and a nightgown. I’m eyeing this little black dress, which seems like the perfect basic addition to a wardrobe.
I have not tried Below Zero Petites personally, but I’m still very excited about the concept and hope to try them soon. It’s important to support companies and designers that are catering to petites, especially us tiny petites! I will be checking back to see what else this clothing line will have to offer in the future! Has anyone tried BZ Petites yet?
If you’re a small, then I’m probably a medium!
I know! Isn’t it amazing? I’ve never seen a size chart where there is an available size tinier than my measurements.
I bought their suit set in XS. I REALLY want to like them since I only have 1 suit that was custom made.
But unfortunately for me, the jacket was unalterably WAY too wide at the waist/torso area. That was not the only problem. When buttoned, the jacket puckered funny because the buttons were not aligned properly. The lapel fell funny because it was not pressed evenly, and the stitching was uneven at the shoulders. It was not as high quality as I would have liked, and I was a little disappointed.
The pants however, fit my hips which almost never happen. And its tailoring is better too. I returned the jacket and kept the pants.
Despite the quality bummer, BelowZero is small, and fits (a rarity). I’ll consider them again for more pants and skirts. I just hope that their jackets get better in quality.
Surprisingly, the pants inseam was slightly too short to wear with my 3″ heels, but there is about a 2″ hem you can let out. I’m 4’11 found it to be the perfect length for more conservative office pumps.
Overall, I give them 3 out of 5 stars for carrying my size.
I love that site! They have the smallest sizes I’ve ever seen! I’m a medium! lol Too bad I can’t afford them =(
Hi Deborah!
Thanks so much for posting your review of BZ Petites! I’ve been really curious about them, but am not in the market for suiting, so I haven’t taken the plunge.
Bummer about the jacket…but the fit of the pants is exciting! I’m glad those worked out for you!