NEW YORK, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Women 5′4″ and under have a reason to stand up and cheer. The nation’s only retailer that specializes solely in petite fashions now offers the latest styles exclusively for women 5′4″ and under at www.petitesophisticate.com and opens Petite Sophisticate stores across the country.
U.S. government statistics show the average American woman’s height is 5′3.”* But according to standard clothing sizes, pants are made for women 2-3 inches taller than that.** In the recent past there has been no retailer that specializes in fashions for petites, forcing petite women to send their clothing to a tailor.
“The petite customer has special fit needs. We don’t simply shorten hemlines and sleeves. We raise the arm holes and adjust pocket placement and change the rise for height proportion. We also scale down design features such as collars, buttons, pockets and prints so that they flatter a petite body,” said Diane Paccione, President of Petite Sophisticate, adding that while other brands MAY carry petite sizes, at Petite Sophisticate the petite woman is the ONLY customer served.
Paccione also wants to clear up some confusion about the definition of petite. She says, “There is a common misconception about the meaning of petite. The term petite refers to height. Women who are 5′4″ or under are considered petite regardless if they have a slender, average or plus-size body frame.”
The addition of Petite Sophisticate into the petite market comes at a time when the market need is greater than ever. Many department stores recently dropped or scaled back their petite offerings. Now, under the ownership of Charming Shoppes, Petite Sophisticate is run by a leading multichannel specialty retailer. With brands that include the plus size retail brands Lane Bryant and Catherines Plus Sizes, Charming Shoppes extends its expertise in fitting special sizes to the petite market. Charming Shoppes offers its entire petite collection at www.petitesophisticate.com in sizes 0P-14P, to fill the market void as it opens stores across the country. Currently, stores are open in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, DC metro areas.