Featherweights For those with just a few pounds, or trying to lose those last few pounds.

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Old 10-25-2010, 02:28 AM   #1  
xty
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Default where do you shop feathers??

Ok - so this is both hilarious and a bit embarrassing!

I had been shopping all day - in search of a seemingly simple item:
a skinny black belt to be worn around my natural waist, to keep wrap sweaters closed.

Easy enough right? Oh no. I went everywhere! H&M, Gap, Banana, Jcrew, Bloomies, Macys, Anthropologie, Old Nacy, etc etc.

And though I can find belts to fit jeans and pants, all of them were much too big for my natural waist.

I finally ended up at Target. In the little girls dept. No, not the Junior's dept, the actual children's dept. And bought a little girl's size L belt, it fits great on the middle setting. And bonus, it was $5. Kids stuff is cheap.

But all I could think the entire time is where the heck to do people smaller than me actually shop. Sheesh.

So - feathers - plz, tell me where you shop!
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Old 10-25-2010, 04:48 AM   #2  
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I"m a little smaller than you and I've been shopping almost exclusively in the kid's department for a couple of years. I buy 99% of my clothes there. It was awkward at first to be searching through the racks with all the preteens and their moms looking on but now it doesn't bother me. As long as I remember to avoid the really cutesy stuff nobody can guess I'm wearing kid's clothes unless I tell them.

And I agree that kid's stuff is a lot cheaper.

Last edited by Magrat; 10-25-2010 at 04:50 AM.
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Old 10-25-2010, 09:25 AM   #3  
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Go to teenager stores: Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, Aldo, Forever 21, 5-7-9, Rampage, etc. They typically carry a lot of small sizes and are inexpensive.

I'm not that small but I'm a 6-8 so I shop EVERYWHERE. My preference is for European high street chains: Zara, Vero Moda, Mango, H&M, Topshop, etc and I also love Forever 21 for a fix of "cheap and trendy." I'm 23 going on 17 when it comes to shopping.
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Old 10-25-2010, 04:40 PM   #4  
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I shop a variety of places, but yeah, when I was tinier, it was a PITA to get stuff that fit properly! For inexpensive stuff, I was mostly getting my things at Old Navy (though usually online), Express, and Sears, of all places. For "nicer" things, I usually had to order something from Bluefly and be very careful about the sizing. Oh, and for casual clothes when I was a tinier size, nothing beat Delia's. It's a juniors store/catalog, but the stuff is soooo cute, and it's less "kid looking" than regular kids' clothes. Juniors is the only way to go when you're petite!

The thing that's more annoying is that right now, I'm a different size in shirts than in pants. I'm a classic "pear," and I'm probably on average a size 8/10 in pants/skirts (so I can get anything pretty much anywhere, not just juniors departments) but in tops I'm now very tiny, back in the 2/4 range. So, basically, unless I could afford to get something altered, I can't wear dresses right now. Ugh. So frustrating.
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Old 10-25-2010, 08:55 PM   #5  
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OK serious question. I have never looked for these sizes - at regular stores in the U.S. what is the smallest women's size they sell? Is it 2 or 4?
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Old 10-26-2010, 01:57 PM   #6  
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Thanks for all the suggestions!!

krampus - although US sizing is "standardized", each label produces their own version...and they can vary by inches within the same size! the common small size is 00, then 0, then 2. however, compared to even 20 years ago (due to vanity sizing), most 2s are really what used to be a ~6 or 8! however, many places dont actually sell 00 or 0, just start at 2 and go to 14. or some stores sell 0 and 00 online. You are in Japan, yes? Id say our smallest size is like a smallish medium there.

I will def try out some of the younger places, though finding anything that has a decent hem line below the crack of my butt is a challenge when made for lil girls, lol.
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Old 10-26-2010, 02:17 PM   #7  
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You know, it's funny...I thought sizes were getting smaller and smaller as I was getting bigger and bigger, but it isn't true is it? Now that I'm an 8/10, I have noticed I am wearing a size small in shirts, and I'm not smaller on top. I'm an hour glass. Beyond XS, what is there? Where do smaller people shop?

And I'm surprised you aren't all ranting about bras!! My band area is now 32 and the lowest I have ever seen in a D cup is 36. The only 32's I've ever seen are A or B cups.

Last edited by Eliana; 10-26-2010 at 02:18 PM.
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Old 10-26-2010, 02:20 PM   #8  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eliana View Post
And I'm surprised you aren't all ranting about bras!! My band area is now 32 and the lowest I have ever seen in a D cup is 36. The only 32's I've ever seen are A or B cups.
Lots of places carry 32C. I get them at Dillard's, Nordstrom, Victoria's Secret, and even TJMaxx, and I'm pretty sure I've seen them before at JCPenney.

I've seen 32D at Victoria's Secret, and I suspect they have that size at several of these other stores as well.

Victoria's Secret used to carry in the brick-and-mortar stores only up to 32B—you could get 32C and 32D online—but they have changed their policy. I suspect a 32 band is more common than people realize. It seems unlikely, but I can't imagine why else it has become easier and easier to find in a variety of sizes in many brick-and-mortar stores. Maybe it's because teenagers wear that size? Or it could be because "they" typically no longer recommend you add 4 or 5 inches to your underbust measurement to get your band size. The way bra size is measured has actually changed quite a bit.

Last edited by Petite Powerhouse; 10-26-2010 at 05:56 PM.
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Old 10-26-2010, 02:51 PM   #9  
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And I'm surprised you aren't all ranting about bras!! My band area is now 32 and the lowest I have ever seen in a D cup is 36. The only 32's I've ever seen are A or B cups.
Oh, I'm ranting about bras... but it has nothing to do with D cups...

Sizes are so whacky. I just tried on/ purchased/ returned a ton of clothes while trying to find something for my reunion, and I had everything from size 0 to 4 and x-small and small.

I've found that H&M has some smaller things. I definitely wear a larger size there than anywhere else. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Nordstrom has small stuff, too.
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Old 10-26-2010, 08:53 PM   #10  
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Thanks for all the suggestions!!

krampus - although US sizing is "standardized", each label produces their own version...and they can vary by inches within the same size! the common small size is 00, then 0, then 2. however, compared to even 20 years ago (due to vanity sizing), most 2s are really what used to be a ~6 or 8! however, many places dont actually sell 00 or 0, just start at 2 and go to 14. or some stores sell 0 and 00 online. You are in Japan, yes? Id say our smallest size is like a smallish medium there.

I will def try out some of the younger places, though finding anything that has a decent hem line below the crack of my butt is a challenge when made for lil girls, lol.
Aw, a lot of the teenager stores have "career" sections with suits etc.

I'm actually American so I'm quite familiar with vanity sizing in stores and how no one actually knows her true size. I haven't seen 00 in any stores except ones targeted toward models and/or 15 year olds though, e.g. Pacific Sunwear.

Japanese sizing is weird. Generally speaking, the easiest sizes to find are 58 cm, 61, 64 and 67. Approx. equivalents being 0, 2, 4 and 6. Some stores carry 70 (about a size 8) and 73 (10).
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Old 10-27-2010, 03:33 AM   #11  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xty View Post

I had been shopping all day - in search of a seemingly simple item:
a skinny black belt to be worn around my natural waist, to keep wrap sweaters closed.

Easy enough right? Oh no. I went everywhere! H&M, Gap, Banana, Jcrew, Bloomies, Macys, Anthropologie, Old Nacy, etc etc.
I have found a lot of things at Vintage stores when it comes to thinks like skinny belts. Also, J.Crew is pretty awesome and also a store in San Francisco called Ambiance. I fell in love with it when I lived there!
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Old 10-27-2010, 08:22 AM   #12  
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Originally Posted by Eliana View Post
You know, it's funny...I thought sizes were getting smaller and smaller as I was getting bigger and bigger, but it isn't true is it? Now that I'm an 8/10, I have noticed I am wearing a size small in shirts, and I'm not smaller on top. I'm an hour glass. Beyond XS, what is there? Where do smaller people shop?

And I'm surprised you aren't all ranting about bras!! My band area is now 32 and the lowest I have ever seen in a D cup is 36. The only 32's I've ever seen are A or B cups.
OH I'll rant about bras with you!

I'm not even that small yet but the measurement under my bust was 28 when I took it this morning. Nothing like having your saggy C - cup bewbies fall out the bottom of your bra because the band is too loose. I have no idea where to get one that fits. I feel like the last 20 lbs (and the 20 before that) have all come off above the waist. If things don't even up soon I'm gonna be in huge trouble.

Last edited by ValRock; 10-27-2010 at 08:24 AM.
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Old 10-27-2010, 12:56 PM   #13  
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The biggest problem with belts today is not that they don't make them for small people. It's that they don't make them for natural waists. The trend is to wear them low. I prefer them around my waist, too. Often I just have to add extra notches to the smallest belt that I can find.

Last edited by Petite Powerhouse; 10-27-2010 at 01:51 PM.
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Old 10-27-2010, 09:29 PM   #14  
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I haven't been able to fit -well- into Junior sizes since I was 14 (my boobs are too big, proportionately, compared to my waist and hips), plus I really hate the cheap materials and ultra-trendy styles that are typical of Junior fashions. So I guess I too have the same question as the OP with a different bent- what stores do you get your clothes at if you're not only slim but also short and chesty? I have some luck with Ann Taylor (but not always), but would love other recommendations (J. Crew and Banana Republic don't work for me at all) for decent quality, classy clothes that don't look like they're styled for either 16 or 70 year olds.
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Old 10-28-2010, 06:53 AM   #15  
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I haven't been able to fit -well- into Junior sizes since I was 14 (my boobs are too big, proportionately, compared to my waist and hips), plus I really hate the cheap materials and ultra-trendy styles that are typical of Junior fashions. So I guess I too have the same question as the OP with a different bent- what stores do you get your clothes at if you're not only slim but also short and chesty? I have some luck with Ann Taylor (but not always), but would love other recommendations (J. Crew and Banana Republic don't work for me at all) for decent quality, classy clothes that don't look like they're styled for either 16 or 70 year olds.
If you like Ann Taylor, you might like Talbot's. Some Talbot's stores will even offer alterations if you need something fitted slightly differently. I know some of the stores in larger metropolitan areas offer simple tailoring like hemming and taking in a jacket a little. They do also have a wider range of sizes online than in the stores, and some areas have an annex petites shop.

I also like shopping at outlets sometimes. There's a Calvin Klein outlet near me with smaller sizes and prices that actually rival the Gap sometimes.

Last edited by kat999; 10-28-2010 at 06:54 AM. Reason: Edited because it's Talbot's, not Tablot's. ;)
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