Why Must They Put Petite Jeans on Tall Models?

photo: Gilt Groupe
Check out this product image from the Gilt Groupe J Brand sample sale. These are petite bootcut jeans on a not so petite model. When the stylists put these petite J Brands on this tall model, did they not think she looked a little funny? I still don’t understand why they don’t employ petite models to model…drumroll please…petite clothing! Duh!

It makes me chuckle to myself…oh, you crazy fashion people!

**Update**
A Gilt Groupe representative contacted me regarding the usage of tall models to model petite clothing for Gilt Groupe sample sales. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail:

 I assure you the model of choice was not meant to slight our petite customers in any way.  I stand at a whopping 5’1 so believe me, I feel your pain.  Basically our choice to use a standard sized model vs. petite really comes down to logistics.  With the amount of sales we have a day and the amount of product we offer in each sale , our creative team is on a tight shooting schedule… 
…The majority of the clothing we are shooting are standard sized so we book a standard size model.  Although we have petite offerings at times (this depends on each brand and what they offering is) we are not a petite specific site. To cast and book additional models, do model/grooming changes on set would take up more time than we can offer given the shoot schedule.  If we spend more time on the shoots that means less sales would get offered and at the end of the day our members are looking for those sales to happen.  So we compromise, jeans look cropped on the standard size model BUT we have more fabulous sales on the site!! 

Thank you for the response Gilt Groupe! I still wish petite models could be used to model petite clothing, because ultimately, I want to see how the garment will look on short little me, not cropped and awkward on a taller model. However, I understand, and am sympathetic towards the problems of financial allocation and time logistics, and I do enjoy the fix of a good Gilt Groupe sample sale or two (or three!). If Gilt Groupe ever receives a large influx of petite inventory, I would love to see petite models utilized in future photo shoots…just consider this post of mine a well meaning suggestion. =)

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12 Comments

  1. says: Alterations Needed

    Nope, these aren't ankle pants. They were clearly marked "petite bootcut jeans". But they turned into ankle pants the second they decided to put them on this tall model. Poor girl…I bet she knows she looks ridiculous.

  2. says: stylepint

    it's funny that they'd do that. usually for petite pants, they just have the model wear the regular size and say it's same style as the petite sizes. i do wish they'd use actual petite models since that's why we're getting those pants anyway.

  3. says: CynthiaC

    This is something I'd love to ask a photographer, designer or stylist. It's kind of a "duh" thing, right? And it's not like it's *THAT* hard to find someone more petite – if you can't get a "real" model, get an actress!

  4. says: terrablanca

    I get the financial/logistical reason behind this, but I still prefer to spend money with merchants who hire petite models. It's a vote-with-your-wallet kind of thing, and if enough of us voted with our pocketbooks, there'd be more petite clothes manufactured in general.

  5. says: CynthiaC

    HAH! That's the exact same response I got! I replied to her saying that most PLUS SIZE departments use PLUS SIZE models, so it's LOGICAL to use petites. Her answer? A generic "thanks for letting us know and we appreciate your feedback" type response.

  6. says: terrablanca

    I get the financial/logistical reason behind this, but I still prefer to spend money with merchants who hire petite models. It's a vote-with-your-wallet kind of thing, and if enough of us voted with our pocketbooks, there'd be more petite clothes manufactured in general.

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