Barn Coat Update!

So I have been introduced to one of the perils (blessings) of blogging! People you know actually read your posts, and then act on them. I posted a little while ago about the L.L. Bean barn coat, and lo and behold, my boyfriend, N. surprises me with one!

The problem is, I had just purchased it! This isn't, of course, a real problem, because I can just return one of them to the L.L. Bean store.

The XS Petite seems to fit great, and I can't wait to bust it out when it's warm enough! I actually saw a picture in the NY Times' coverage of fashion week that seemed to be channeling the same vibe...It's from the Tommy Hilfiger show. Notice those L.L. Bean(ey) boots!

Disney Is for Kids?

I'm writing this blog post quickly from Disney World in Florida. I have only a few minutes before we rush off to Epcot.

So we all know, Disney is for kids. I could probably write several blog posts about all the fun things there are to do for adults, but what I wanted to write about (complain about) today is the retail clothing!

They have several very cool, vintage-y t-shirts for sale in one of the Magic Kingdom boutiques. I was excited to find at least three different styles I liked....only to have the familiar, sinking feeling of shifting through the sizes. M. M. M. L. L. XL. XXL. No S. No smalls. Being used to this phenomenon, I tracked down a salesperson to inquire if they had anymore 'in the back'. Before the question was out of my mouth, she curtly repiled, "No, we don't have anymore smalls."

Disney dreams, crushed. I probably should thank Disney for saving me the $35 or whatever ridiculous amount they were going to (over)charge me for the t-shirt. But still, I wish I had the option to waste my money just like the larger folk....

I'm off to Epcot! Maybe they'll have a 'Figment' t-shirt in size S. Hey, it's Disney. A girl can dream...

Romper Room

Apparently the "Romper Room" was some really popular children's television show in the 50's (or is it 60's?). Well, since last spring, I've been contemplating this romper trend in fashion. Is it, like the television show and the cereal, only for kids?

When I posed the Romper issue to my mom many months ago, she gave this seemingly wise response: "Some trends are over for a reason." She said this with a quizzical, eye-brow raised, 'oh my god please don't tell me you are going to wear one of those' look.

So I put the thought aside. Until now. For some reason the rompers have creeped back into my brain, and I can't get them out!

I have three main questions when it comes to these guys:

1. Can I even pull it off in the first place? Will I be ballsy enough to actually walk out of my apartment in one? Or will I simply prance around in the mirror and then chicken out?

2. Will it make me look 8 years old? I ask this question constantly, and I think the kid-factor ramps up with this.

3. Will it even look good on my frame? I am petite, obviously. But more than that, I have a very, very short torso (and luckily, very, very long legs). The joke is that my body type is kind of like one of those stick figures that kids draw with just a head and then long legs coming out from the head. Will this romper thing accentuate that?

I have not even tried one of these bad boys on yet. In a recent online search, a lot of the rompers I saw have WAY too much material and are WAY too busy for my frame. This one by Aqua from Bloomies is a possibility, but again, I'd have to try it on to find out...

Baby got Back

One of my least favorite clothing items to shop for is a button-down blouse. It's not that I don't like ladies' blouses; it's a matter of fit.

It's funny that I still even try these on. I'll see a nice blouse on the rack, carry it to the dressing room full of hope. But every time, the problem is the same: the back of the shirt looks absolutely ridiculous on me. The cut of these blouses makes me look like I have a constant pocket of air radiating out of my upper (and sometimes lower) back. I can almost picture the clothing company workers singing, in unison, "I like big backs and I cannot lie" as the machines churn out these shirts.

So many times I stand in the dressing room, looking at myself in the mirror from the front, feeling pretty good about the professional-looking image gleaming back at me. Then, I slowly rotate to check out the side view, and that's when blouse-backitis hits. The professional-looking woman now looks like some kind of clownish circus linebacker. It really is that goofy.

How many times do I see 'classic white blouse' listed as one of the must-have items in a woman's wardrobe? I guess I'll just keep searching...for the perfect back-of-the-blouse fit.

an apron....sexy?

I somehow stumbled upon these unbelievably cute (or, in some instances, sexy) aprons. They have a special line for tailgating...

Now if only I ever did any sort of activity in which you'd need to wear an apron....

They are 'Haute Hostess Aprons by Elizabeth Skokin'. They seem a little pricey but I wouldn't hate it if someone bought me one as a gift. Unless it meant I had to learn how to cook.

http://www.hautehostessaprons.com/index.asp

The thrill of the hunt

I was thinking that sometimes I'm complaining about having to look so hard to find clothes that fit, when really I secretly enjoy the thrill of the hunt. I'm just that kind of shopper--I enjoy going to a store and going through racks, hoping to find something amazing (yes, I'm talking about stores like Filene's Basement and Nordstrom Rack). I love the idea of 'competitive shopping'...one of the things I look forward to most at Thanksgiving is going shopping that NIGHT at midnight at the Wrentham Outlets. It's festive, and holiday-ey, and there's some camaraderie around the craziness of shopping at that time of night, but there's also that glimmer of 'I'm the first one here, and I want to find the deal first!". A lot of my friends despise this kind of shopping. I was brought up to not only enjoy it, but to seek it out.

It's kind of like that with finding petite clothes in general. It might be more work to find things, but maybe the reward is greater and we actually appreciate well-fitting clothes more than the average Jill?

By the way, the following picture is a. not of me and b. demonstrates yet another area where being short is kind of a disadvantage

Barn Coat for Petites

So the SECOND that riding boots came back on the scene, I had this weird urge to buy a barn coat. I had one in middle school; it was that pretty cranberry red with brown courdory accents. Ahh, middle school. I used to hang out with a kind of 'horsey' crowd. These girls all had money, took horseback riding lessons, and were just the epitome of cool in my eyes. In seventh grade, I finally convinced my mom to let me take riding lessons too. I loved the outift (jodphurs, boots, a velvet riding helmet...) and the sport. Unfortunately I was so busy with my real hobby, dance, that I gave up on it after that year. I think my parents (and their wallets) breathed a sigh of relief at the end of that phase.

I did love that barn coat, and so now I'm thinking of buying one again! I can't decide if it's on the precipice of trendy, or just a random old fad that I'm trying (and failing) to bring back. The thing that is swaying my decision most is that L.L. Bean makes a barn coat in petite sizes! Here's the one I might purchase:

It does kind of look non-trendy...but I think with the right accessories and outfit I can 'make it work'!

Can I still get away with it?

You know you know what I mean. You've done it too, I just know it....

Shop in the kids' department.

I said it. I've done it. I definitely did it a lot more when I was in high school and college. But even still, I ocassionaly visit the kids' department (or plain old kids' store) to find things. Right now I own three pieces that I know are from a kids department or store:

1. Red courdory A-line skirt from Talbots Kids. I bought it last year in exchange for a gift I returned (from the regular store). I wore it today and received a compliment from a professional woman. I almost told her where I got it, but bit my tongue. Sometimes it's better to keep certain things to yourself, right? Unfortunately, Talbots dropped their kids' line: http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/01/05/mens_childrens_lines_are_out/

2. Pink and brown striped sweater from H and M's Kids Line: It is a size 14, I've had it for 2 years, and I love it. It looks a lot like this: except I'm definitely not Kate Moss.

3. My ski jacket! It's a Columbia and I got it as a present this holiday season. I actually tried it on and fell in love BEFORE figuring out it was a kid's size. I have it in white, but here it is in blue:

Since I can't open that petite clothing boutique...

For about 5 years now, I have fantasized about opening up a cute little petite clothing boutique where I would sell amazingly trendy and fun clothes that were designed for the shorter set. Those 'petite departments' in most department stores are such an insult. It's like they round up all the ugliest, frumpiest, cheapest-looking designs and then the buyers say, "Hey, this is PERFECT for our petite department!" It's depressing. Even my 75 year old Nana dresses in more fashionable items than what I see in there. Yet I still look everytime I'm there.

Yesterday I was walking down the street near my apartment (in a gay--i mean trendy--neighborhood) in Boston, I saw that the spot where a flower shop had been was now available for lease. For a fleeting second, my 'dream' of opening the boutique came back. But let's be honest, it's not going to happen. I'm not a designer. I don't know that many petite designers I could buy from. I don't know anything about merchandising or owning my own business.

But I do know a little about finding cool clothes that look good and fit well on a petite frame.

My stats:
Height: 5'2
Weight: hmmm was 110...probably closer to 115 now!
Age: 27

Hopefully you'll find my adventures in shopping for stuff that doesn't make me look 5 years old somewhat interesting, funny, or maybe even helpful...