Sample Size: Tara B. From Little Girl Big Closet

This week’s Sample Size is the always graceful Tara B. from Little Girl Big Closet. I love her feminine style, and reading her blog always makes me wish I was less of a tomboy, and wore girlie skirts and dresses everyday. Her posts are always thoughtful and heartfelt, her photos are amazing, and…she’s petite!

Tara’s Stats:

I’m 5’2″, 100lbs, and 32-25-36. I usually wear a size 0, but prefer a 0p where petite sizing is available. I’m somewhere between a pear and an hourglass.

How do you feel about your height? Do you love it, hate it, neutral? Why?

I’ve learned to live with it and dress well for my height, but I wish I was a couple of inches taller- I’d be spending a lot less having my clothes custom-tailored, and wouldn’t feel the need to wear heels all the time- my wallet and my feet would thank me.

How would you describe your personal style?

I think I’m outspoken, introspective, and a little eccentric. I’m an ambivert- I can swing either way. I need to be able to express myself- verbally and through the way I dress, and this freedom of expression means the world to me.

Has being petite made it difficult to dress the way you want? How?

Not really. I’ve learned, through trial and error, to dress for my shape and my size. My style is very feminine, and the stores that I shop at make it easy for me to stock my closet with the kind of pieces that fit my body and my style. And where the brands lack, my seamstress takes over.

Do you shop petite sizes? If not, what sizes do you shop most?

Wherever petite sizes are available, I always take a 0P or a 00P. If something I want simply isn’t available in petite sizes, I take a regular 0 and have it taken in at the ribcage and hemmed up a few inches.

What are your favorite designers and brands to shop?

The two stores I shop at the most are Anthropologie and J.Crew. At Anthro, my favorite brands are Floreat and Burlapp. I’ve also been branching out a bit with Ann Taylor and Loft- their petite sizes are spot-on. For jeans, I turn to American Eagle, just because I’ve figured out my sizing with them, and don’t usually go wrong.

What clothing styles look amazing on you?

Generally speaking, I think styles that are fitted or body-conscious up top, and full-skirted or looser below the waist, work best on my figure.

What clothing styles look awful on you?

Anything that’s tight across my hips and then tapers as it goes down, doesn’t really work with my shape. Nor does anything that’s too low-cut on top- I like to dress a bit on the modest side.

Do you get your clothing tailored? If so, plug your tailor!

Oh yes, very frequently! My seamstress is Kim at Auburn Cleaners in Alexandria, VA. She’s amazing! She has a great eye for fit, a wonderful personality, and doesn’t jerk customers around. If she says it’ll be done by Friday, you can bet your sweet bippy it will.

What is your favorite outfit photo from your blog? Why?

That’s an impossible question for me to answer. My outfits are like my babies, haha. I can’t pick a favorite to the exclusion of all others.

What’s a piece of style advice you’d like to share with other petite women?

Hold your head up high! Literally! Posture makes all the difference, especially when you’re a shortie like me. It’s harder to find well-fitting clothes when you’re a petite woman, but don’t let that discourage you. Figure out what your style is, and then work on refining it. There certainly are petite-friendly brands out there, and tailoring is always an option. And for the love of God, one expensive but well-fitting piece of clothing will serve you better than five more affordable but ill-fitting ones.