"Thanks!" to Anne who made a startling observation: J.Crew no longer offers denim in petite sizes.I initially thought, "whhaaat? That does not seem right." But sure enough, I had trouble tracking down a pair of denim (click here to view online) in a petite size. (This does not refer to sale items. Just new arrivals and regular priced items.) I even went under the dedicated Petite section of the website (click here to view online), and could not find one pair of jeans!
Does J.Crew no longer offer denim in petite sizes? (Seems weird to not offer them. But maybe there is a rationale behind the move that I am unaware of.)
Did you notice the lack of denim in petite sizes? Do you know why J.Crew scaled back their petite-offerings? If so, please share!
That's weird, I guess maybe they weren't selling? It's strange that they would do that without at least letting customers know.
ReplyDeleteSomewhat related - I hadn't tried on any jeans at J.Crew in quite some time, and when I tried some on over the weekend I learned that the "short" length is now 1" longer than it used to be (used to be 30", now 31"). I don't know if that's old news, but it was new to me. Rather welcomed, at that. I'm 5'5", and it means I don't have to have them hemmed anymore unless I want to wear them with flats.
But, given that they took away the petite jeans, it seems weird that they would increase the short length like that. What options do petites have now? :P
The toothpick denim in garment dyed twill comes in a 28" inseam and fits me pretty well. It reaches my ankles so maybe it will look good on petite ladies?
ReplyDeleteKim
www.aprettythought.com
For me it's not just the length that is important but also overall proportions. I don't own any non-petite size pants or denim at all. Most of my pants are from Ann Taylor. And, I am usually a petite 8. Not just a sizing issue for someone who wears a petite 00.
ReplyDeleteJ.crew also makes fewer petite size shirts. Back in the day they even sold petite size sweaters!
I'm well within the range of petites at 5'2" but I've found the petite length to be just a tad short for me so I hadn't noticed.
ReplyDeleteOT, but I thought what's a little crazy is the Ashbury skirt and dress have already gone to sale price and final sale. See my post.
I don't think J.Crew ever offered their full line of denim in petite sizing. Only a few styles (like the bootcut and the occasional trouser cut) were ever available in petites, and they discontinued them seasons ago. None of the skinny styles were ever offered in petites, as far as I can recall.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with SE Mom in that proportion matters as much as length when it comes to getting a proper petite fit. While the 26 to 28-inch inseams of the matchsticks and toothpicks and crops may be ok lengthwise, the proportion is off. The knee breaks never hit where they should, so you end up with a lot of unattractive bagginess in the legs.
Anyhow, there are lots of petite denim options elsewhere. I much prefer jeans and pants by JBrand, AG, even Gap over J.Crew anyhow. :)
J.Crew denim isn't all that great anyway, but this is sad news. I am tall and have long lamented the lack of tall sizes in anything other than pants. I remember when they had petite sweaters, tall shirts, tall dresses, even tall pencil skirts (as late as 2009!). It is annoying but at least other retailers offer a wider range. BR, Gap, and Old Navy all have so many tall and petite things. The only problem is, they aren't as cute as J.Crew!
ReplyDeleteBut back to the denim... I always hated J.Crew jeans because they had giant pockets that were really unflattering. I have a few pairs now that I picked up on the weekly exchange or a warehouse sale and they are ok, but suffer from the waist gapping issue. I'd much rather buy a nice pair of Joe's or Sevens for $99 at TJ Maxx, anyway, and those come in petite and long inseams.
The Matchsticks are all offered in short. I'm 5'3" and that's what I've been buying. They are a little long to wear with flats, but I just roll them up.
ReplyDeleteAllegra808- You're right about the knee bagginess. Highly unattractive, but I never seem to be able to avoid it. Thanks for suggesting some other brands to try.
ReplyDeleteAs a petite shopper, I am used to seeking out those retailers that offer not just shorter lengths, but properly scaled down proportions, too. SE Mom and Allegra808 are so right about fit.
ReplyDeleteEliminating petite denim is right alongside with their limiting of tall sizes. Another disappointing "cost saving" measure that really translates to alienated customers and missed sales. Let's hope this is not a permanent change.
Allegra808 -- you hit the nail on the head. I used to hem regular sizes, till I realized that knee bagginess is so unattractive!
ReplyDeleteSE Mom -- sigh. Yes, I remember the good ol' petite sweater days. It's also a shame that the best Perfect Shirts never come in petite either.
I rarely buy pants from J Crew even though most of my wardrobe is from there. Banana Republic is my go-to place for pants because of their great petite selection and free hemming (even on sale items!) with the Luxe card.
My other complaint (are you listening, Mickey?) is that J Crew petite hemlines have gotten WAY TOO SHORT. I've ordered a couple of the petite suiting skirts and petite weddings and celebrations dresses lately and.... WHOA, hoochie! No way those could ever be worn outside, not to mention to a refined wedding or to work!
I haven't bought jeans from jcrew in probably 3-4 years. They are too long!!
ReplyDeleteMadewell has the same problem. The "shortest" inseam on the normal, non-cropped jeans is 32 inches! WTF, I have to hem off at least 4 inches. We're not all supermodel height nor do we wear 3" heels and wedges everyday. GAH
Levi's has decent petite options.
J.Crew hasn't had "petite" since at least 2008 or 2009. They have "short" which is about 30" or 31" long. This is actually the standard length for petite jeans. However, it isn't sized for petites proportionately speaking. petite jeans have smaller pockets, different knee breaks and rise lengths. I actually spoke with a J.Crew rep about this and she said that they probably weren't going to bring petite denim (or petite sweaters) back...like ever.
ReplyDelete^^ Adding to that, I've also noticed the lack of size 24 jeans, especially in stores. As for J.Crew cutting back on petites, again, this has been in the making for years. I remember buying fun-looking pieces back in '04 and '05, but am now limited to work-centric and plain party dresses. The cutbacks started when they pulled petites out of stores (just as Banana Republic was putting them IN stores). Banana and Ann Taylor are much, much more petite-friendly in this regard.
ReplyDeleteprior to 08/09, the jcrew petite jeans had a 29" or 29.5" inseam (i might even have a pair that is something like 28 and 3/4 inches?), in addition to smaller proportions, etc. i'm still hanging on to a few pairs even though i don't really wear bootcut jeans anymore, but can't bring myself to doing it because the length is good!
ReplyDeletei don't think i ever noticed the petite jeans before. i always thought they were all regular or tall-sized. it does seem that the petite section overall is shrinking...
ReplyDeleteon another note, why is the heart throb skirt offered in petite but not the shirt? where's the sense in that?