If your height is
5' 4'' or less, you are considered petite by fashion
standards. However, a lot of smart merchants in cities such as New
York, Miami and Los Angeles have standard sizes for women
5' 5'' or so, instead of the longer pants in
department stores.
(Related:

Fayreform lingerie collection)



Petite
fashion is a problem, because there are many types of
petites. There are women with long torsos and shorter
legs, and most
women fall into this category. There is also the
opposite: long legs and short torso. In a petite body, everything is
proportionately petite. A petite also has shorter arms and different
proportions on the torso. All these consideration and others make it
very difficult for manufactures to have the perfect petite size. So you
have to shop around to discover the best brands for you; it is not only
a matter of sizes in the petite department.
(Related:

Wardrobe for work at home moms)

Skinny
or chubby

In my
experience as a petite, both sometimes chubby and sometimes thin, to
find
petite size clothing that really fit is not easy. The
problem is easy to understand: petite is a size for women from
5' 4'' and under, therefore, one size does not fit
all. What fits a
4' 5'' woman does not fit a 5’ 4’’ woman. My first
piece of advice: Be ready to make adjustments.



Petite fashion or regular sizes



According
to
Bobbi
Brown, the creator of the cosmetic line that bears
her name and a person used to smooching with celebrities as a
makeup
artist, it is better on many occasions to buy clothes in the regular
sizes and make adjustments than buying the petite styles. Here is when
the shape of your body matters:

Long torso, regular sizes

If your
torso is long, chances are the regular sizes are the best choice for
you although the clothes will be too long. The length of an item of
clothing is always the easier part to fix. Length of sleeves or others
are more complex.

Some brands, such as
Ralph
Lauren, are designed for tall people. The same
applies to
Banana
Republic, among others. Avoid these brands if
you are a petite. Ironically, the latest petite collection of Banana
Republic is great for most petites, but they are designed for people
about 5’
1’’ and
below; so if you are any taller than this, the
pants will be short, but in general the cut is great.

If your legs are longer
than your torso, in most cases, the petite sizes are better for you,
because the regular sizes will not fit your body well. If you tend to
put the weight in the lower part of your body, the regular sizes may fit
you better if you adjust the length.

If
you are a
curvaceous
petite,
like,

Vida Guerra, as a general rule, you want to
elongate your body with the clothes style and
minimize volume. In order to do this, there are many tricks and the
following is a short and effective list:

• Elongate by not cutting
  your body using pieces of clothes such as jackets and belts in the wrong
  proportions. Large belts, if used on top of pants or
  skirts
  with
  blouses of a
  very different color, are not your best choice because it cuts your body
  into two parts.
• Avoid extra fabric
  around your waist; you do not need to add volume in this area.
• 
  Very
  long skirts make your legs look short and therefore you look
  shorter.
• The pants, as Trinny and
  Susannah from “What not
  to wear” BBC edition keep repeating, should cover your shoes;
  this adds extra inches to your legs.
• You can mix colors, but
  remember monochromatic looks make you look taller.
• Thick fabric usually adds
  extra weight.
• Vertical lines elongate your body. You do not
  have to look like a zebra, for example. The jeans that have a vertical
  line in the seams create the illusion of a taller person. Just one or
  two lines create this illusion; you do not need to use a textile with
  multiple vertical lines.
• To hide pounds, remember your clothes have to
  fit properly. Oversize T-shirts do not hide pounds; on the other hand,
  they make people look like a
  tamale, without any shape.
• Too tight, too bad. Too tight clothes are
  risky. If the clothes are properly fitted, you will be able to show the
  best of your
  body. If you want to show some extra
  skin go for the
  décolleté and
  accessorize to call
  attention. Avoid using clothes that make your
  tummy come out
  as a love handle; it just will call attention to the wrong parts.
• Many of the “fashion experts” think that
  high
  heels on petite women do not look good. Our recommendation is:
  this is true only if someone is really short and uses
  stilettos. The taller petites have no
  problem with this. To say the truth, this is a new media creation in
  the
  US. Petite women in most countries,
  including those in Latin America, Italy and Spain are the ones that
  people expect to use heels. Tall people do not need heels, especially
  the extraordinarily tall (6’ or near)
  models. So if
  you like heels, go ahead.

The
best advice to add inches and lose pounds is to
stand up
tall and straight and
walk with
confidence and
grace. It is a matter of
attitude, baby.

source:http://www.mynippon.com/fashion/petite-clothes.htm