Recently, a major name brand clothing retailer had a sale. Now, this is not an out of the ordinary
event, but this retailer also happens to make clothing for those of us who fall
under the diminutive size category. We
who inhabit the normal size world, but are part of the “petite” club face a
myriad of challenges when it comes to the clothing front. They begin with pants that are always too
long, shirts with torsos that make one look like a child, and dresses that
never fit in the right places. My fellow
petites and I find traditional retail therapy to be a lot of retail with almost
non-existent therapy involved.
So you can imagine my excitement when this particular
clothing retailer, who carries petite sizes, holds a decent sale. Such was the case this week, which was well
timed, given the doldrums that come with the gray skys on most January days. Now the activity of shopping a petite sale is
a whole art unto itself. This is
especially true if you are a 2 or below.
Why? One might ask. The reason is
because retailers have only a few items in the lowest sizes. Naturally I find my self in elbow to elbow
competition for the best items when rifling through the clearance wrack in the
extra small section. Once a coveted item
is found my fellow petites and I eye each other with the ferocity of a Roman
gladiator to see who will end up with the treasured item. I mean who knows when such an item that BOTH
fits AND costs less than a Gucci handbag can be found again.
It is at these kinds of sales that I can share in the
frustration and disappointment of clothes shopping with my fellow petite
brethren. Nothing is more infuriating
than finding the perfect dress sans the right size OR finding the perfect
dress, only to try it on to find that one needs to have the disproportionate
shape of a Barbie doll (big boobs, and not much else). Ahhh, such are just some of the trials and
tribulations of those who inhabit the petite world. It is bad enough to be teased about ones size
(the teasing is especially charming in predominately male dominated fields),
but the added insult and injury of being forced to shop in the juniors section,
out of desperation because nothing else fits, just makes one resentful of our
normal sized compadres at times.
So for the first time in almost a year, I actually enjoyed
shopping. I tried stuff on, most of
which fit, and did not feel guilty with my purchases, given the terrific
prices. This is what retail therapy is
all about: finding a dress that makes
you look hot and is also 70% off. I must
say, the January gray didn’t seem so bad as I drove home with my treasured
items, planning when and where to debut them.
With the right pair of height extenders (high heel shoes), there is
nothing my new clothes and can’t do.
Amazing what a little retail therapy can accomplish.
