Petite is having a small and attractively dainty build.

Skip the miniskirts and mini dresses. Although minis look great on women with long, slender legs, they don’t have the same effect for shorter women. The hem of a miniskirt worn by a petite woman falls across a thick part of the thigh, making it more noticeable and making shorter legs look even shorter.

When shopping for petite fashion, you may want to consider the following.

• Tailored for your 4'11" - 5'4" frame
• Shortened sleeve, inseam & torso
• Styled for flattery
• Constructed for comfort
• Perfectly proportioned for your petite frame

Average female sized clothing is designed for a woman at least 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall (without shoes) and will not properly fit a woman of significantly shorter height. Even if the bust, waist and hip circumferences are appropriate, the sleeve lengths, leg inseam lengths and vertical torso measurements (such as the back length and bust-waist length) will most likely need to be altered significantly to fit well. Non-petite size dresses cannot be easily altered to produce the equivalent petite size, since, in general, these lengths (particularly the critical torso measurements) cannot be altered without introducing an unsightly seam to the garment. Significant errors in the torso measurements will make a well-fitted look impossible, e.g., if the bust-point darts are off by three inches. In addition to its measurements, a petite-size garment may have a different design from those intended for taller women. For example, style elements may be added to give a longer, slimmer look, e.g., vertical stripes, princess seams, short skirts, large patterns or patterns arranged helically around the whole body.