Where to go for Petite Size maternity?

[m295763]

Hello,

I was hoping I could get some advice from other small size Moms - like most Asian women, I'm short (5 feet) and relatively small (102 lbs before pregnancy). I'm 21 weeks pregnant now (and gained 12 lbs), and so far having a hard time finding maternity clothes that fit well. Some friends let me borrow their clothes but they are 6 - 8 inches taller and few pounds heavier than I am, so the clothes really don't look fashionable on me.
GAP only carried Size 2 or up in their store, and I tried Size 2 but they weren't really good fit - I mean they are OK, but I want to feel fashionable still, not just wear something that's big enough.
Other stores like Target, JC Penny, and Marshall's didn't have my size either - where are some good places to go? I'm guessing Internet, but if you have good brand suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[georginawong]

Hi,

I was in your boat when I was pregnant with DD#1. Believe it or not, I manage to get away with shopping at regular stores but I just buy SZ 8 or 10 for the tops.

I hated maternity clothes for the usual reasons, horrible fits, designs and prices.

Try hunting around Ann Taylor Petites or Talbots petite during sales and try out the larger sizes for some great bargains.

If you are willing to spend more then try Naissance maternity (find them online). Gap does carry XS that might be a better fit when you are bigger. When they are on sale, they are a great staple for everyday wear.

As for pants, jeans, Japanese weekend is another great line to hunt down (online or retail). The waistbands of their pants double as a mini maternity belt that I loved when I was further along in my pregnancy.

Keep in mind the belly factor: how 'high' or 'low' you will be carrying the baby as that will affect the fit of your clothes (especially shirts). I find that with small mamas like us, proportion is the key to not looking like a human dumpling. (or at least base on my own experience) I am expecting DD#2 now and still using most of the stuff that I had the first time round.

Ps: I actually bought stuff from Forever 21 (a juniors store) and charlotte russe.

Good luck in hunting!!!

[pb&j]

I'm not exactly as teensy as you (5'2", and 115 when not pg), but I have also had a tough time shopping for petite maternity. Online at Gap.com, they have sizes down to 0 and XXS. Most of their pants are available in "ankle" length, which really means petite - they might still be a little long on you, but are perfect on me. I've been really happy with the quality of their stuff. It's a little pricey, but they have frequent sales, and luckily for you, usually the last sizes left when things go on clearance are XXS and XXL.

Also, you'll find that as your belly gets bigger, those maternity clothes that once felt giant now seem about right. ;)


-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, edd 01/15/06 - it's a HEALTHY BOY!

http://lilypie.com/days/060115/3/25/1/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[nfowife]

sorry, double post!

[nfowife]

Also petite (though not as tiny as you!). I found that especially in pants, I would buy what fit well everywhere else but length, and then take them to a tailor to have them hemmed. It seemed like a hassle at first, but in the long run it was so worth it, I lived in the same few pairs of jeans most of my pg. and it was great to have ones that fit me perfectly! For shirts I wore a lot of turtlenecks and rib-knit tops in regular sizes, though towards the end I did need to wear maternity sizes so they would be long enough to cover the giant belly. Also, I found that Gap maternity runs HUGE in my opinion.

[kboyle]

OK, I am actually smaller than you, 92 pre-preg...GASP :) I wore up to a 4 in reg clothes till they no longer fit, I couldn't go any larger b/c I'm too short. AND I actually had a bunch of Gap maternity stuff but probably not till I was about 5 mo. Since you will be buying mostly winter stuff you can get away with reg larger sweaters and cute slimmer fitting pants. Gap online carries sz 0 & 1 and you can return in-store. Also SOME Babystyle stuff has sz extra petite, I actually grew out of that sz by 7 months, but I delivered 1 mo early, so I still had other stuff that fit. . I would rather be preg in winter clotheswise b/c of being able to wear larger sweaters, but then again I LOVE WOOL. Being preg in spring/summer requires shorts/skirts & tank tops, something even the tiniest preggo can feel huge in. Plus there is the whole bathing suit thing...not cute, trust me. You could also but the Bella band, I had one and returned it, I found it to be a PITA but a lot of people here rave about them. Gap always has free shipping over $75 codes floating around, and since maternity stuff is soo expensive it's easy to hit $75. Mimi maternity & Pea in a pod has cute dressier stuff that fit me, I had a cute strapless formal dress from Mimi for a`wedding.

Have fun shopping!!

[wencit]

I have the same problem as you (I'm 5'1"). I'm tripping all over the pant legs, no matter which brand I try. I'm so jealous of women here who can walk into Target and buy a pair of maternity pants -- I would have to cut off half the pant leg!

Like a PP stated, I've found that no matter what, I need to tailor the hem to get the pants to fit right. I saw ONE pair of Gap Maternity khakis that were ankle length, but they still needed to be altered. I discovered that Mimi Maternity carries pants with a short inseam for petite people like us, so I purchased a couple pants that were XSS (that's size XS with a S(hort) inseam). They still needed to be altered, but they came the closest to fitting my height with the least amount of material chopped off the bottom.

Good luck with your search. I understand now frustrating it is! I'm thinking of writing a letter to Petite Sophisticate or Ann Taylor Petites, letting them know that there would be a market for petite pregnant women, too!

[ilfaith]

I was wearing maternity clothing in the spring and summer so the stores (well store, since where I live Motherhood was the only game in town) had a lot of cropped/capri style pants which came down to my ankles...but I still wasn't crazy about the fit of the pants from Motherhood (they were always sliding down).

My favorite pants were ankle-length ones from Gap Maternity (modern flare...no panel, but I wore them almost to the end...they looked exactly like my Banana Republic pre-pg pants) and a pair of jeans from Old Navy (full panel, which I thought I'd hate, but found very comfortable...until it got really hot, then I just rolled it under my belly). The jeans were regular length, but extra small, as I found their ankle length XS to be a little too short (I'm 5'2", with stubby legs). I'm normally a size 2, which runs shorter than larger sizes and I believe that sizes 0 and 1 run even shorter in the inseam. (I sometimes wear a Gap or Old Navy size 1, but find them too short to wear with heels).

My other advice is to just get pants hemmed. Same with jacket sleeves if you can't roll them up. As for skirts and dresses, I either wore those meant to be minis or wore them longer than I normally would (alterations just seemed like too much trouble). It is a shame they don't make more petite maternity wear.

I'm fairly long waisted for my height, so the length of tops wasn't really an issue...and by the ninth month, even the tops that seemed huge early on were getting small. I guess it depends how you carry, but even with a "normal" 25 pound gain you should probably be prepared to buy a few things in a larger size toward the end.

[mom2binsd]

I'm 4'11'' and unfortunately my days of being a size 2 are long gone, I'm about an 8, but I found some cute jeans at Mimi Maternity, they had a five pocket jean (I got a Medium Xshort), in the essential jean (on sale for 29.99) I took a Small Xshort), so for those of you who are really tiny I'm not sure if they make an extra small size, I was so disappointed though, all of the really cute, hip jeans don't come in xshort and I just hate to find a tailor who does jeans properly. With my first pregnancy I lived in SanDiego and capri's made it easy, but I'm due in April and live in Utah so I guess those capri's are out....any other suggestions for jeans other than Gap?

Thanks

[m295763]

Thank you so much for all your help :)

I think I'll try the "custom fit" method - better dust off my sewing kit my mom bought me long time ago!

Aya