Shopping Spree Help Requested From a Reader

December 22nd, 2006

Hi Amy,

I like your blog I stumbled upon it while looking for a gift for my wife. I need some advice and was hoping that you could help. I am looking to give my wife a mini shopping spree in New York for the holidays, and I was hoping you could tell me where the best shops/boutiques for petites are in the city.

She has such a hard time finding things that fit, I thought this would be a nice gift. Any assistance you could provide would be great.

Thanks,
Zach

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Hi Zach -

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I've been very bad about updating it lately, but hopefully, I'll be a little more prolific soon. Thanks for reaching out to me for advice!

As far as what your wife might like, it really does depend on what kind of price range you're willing to spend, what sort of items she likes wearing, and whether she's able to fit into regular missy clothing (with alterations). A word to the wise - NYC has a better selection, but it's still not a shopping mecca for petites. There's always a lot of give and take in regards to the style/fit/price that taller women won't have. Also, as you might have noticed, I personally tend towards the more practical side than fashionable (due to my size/price restrictions), but I'll try to give you some help.

My main suggestion is that if you can afford it and she's not short waisted, to go to a department store and get missy clothing altered. If it's a spree, it really is a luxury to get all her pieces to
actually fit well. Obviously, it's annoying not to walk straight out with something nice, but that's the way it goes for the petite. Actually, regardless of where she winds up shopping, try to persuade her to get alterations if things don't fit perfectly. It makes a huge difference. The associates at the high end stores do get a lot of customers that are short and thin, so they know if things can be altered properly, and which brands might be a better match. A personal shopper would be really helpful to help your wife out in selecting things and making sure they're a good fit physically and aesthetically.

Saks has reinstated its petite section on the 9th floor - although I honestly haven't had a chance to really check it out yet. Bloomingdales does have a petites section, but they've definitely cut
back on it, and it's not great (then again, most places don't have a petite's section at all). I happen to like Bergdorf Goodman because of their service and atmosphere, but they don't carry petites clothing (only thinner clothing) and neither does Barney's. Again, if she's
taller and can pull it off, that's my suggestion.

If she's really short proportioned, then it's going to be more difficult. Since it's going to be a special trip for her, I hesitate to suggest the usual Banana Republic/Ann Taylor/Brooks Brothers thing, but it does work, since they are better proportioned for shorter women. Make sure to visit the flagships to get the best service. You mentioned that she has trouble finding things that fit - but she wears clothes from somewhere! Conservatively, a shopping spree for that brand would also work out (but again, a shopping spree is a good opportunity to find some other brands other than the tried and true....)

If your wife is a little more sure of her fashion sensibility and doesn't particularly like department store environments, a trip to SoHo would be fun. I can't offer you any particular advice on where to go since I don't know your wife's style - but many of the places
there are owned and operated by the designers themselves. I went to Calvin Tran's store and he was walking around the store helping people out. Similarly, Zoolook was able to specially alter dresses for me and do custom work as well (and the owner is the designer). I can't personally afford it, but if cost isn't so much an issue, and she can't find her size, your wife can
probably talk these designers into making something specifically for her shape.

Finally, if she's not looking for designer wear, she can get things custom tailored instead. I know Dara Lamb on Park does do full bespoke for women. They charge an arm and a leg, but I don't know too many other notable places that do full custom for women. Admittedly, I have not used them, but they produce quality items.

Good luck with the shopping spree planning! The main thing for a successful trip is to council patience with trying things on and being honest about whether things fit. If you'd like more specific guidance, let me know what her shape and style is like, and I'll try my best.

Don't forget, a slightly larger spree/vacation to Asia is always an option! Labor is cheap and sizing is smaller....

All the best and happy holidays,
Amy

Togs Soho store review - typical random, pricey boutique

Togs Soho
68 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012
917-237-1882

Inside, looking at just the clothes offered, Togs seems no different than the hundreds of tiny clothing boutiques scattered across the city. You can usually find them in swank areas like SoHo, Midtown, and the Upper East Side. It always surprises me that these places stay in business - but I guess they scrape by somehow. The stores are usually filled with sexy, slightly trashy garb perfectly suitable to go out clubbing in. There's also a tiny dressing room with no mirror - both for saving space and for forcing you to go out under the eyes of the sales staff to use the one outside.

I guess the saving grace of all stores like these, is location, location, location. The 6 line's Spring Street stop is very close - you can practically trip over this store (and just as easily walk past it too) when you get off. What made me stay in was the Russian model/saleswoman that was as thin as me, but almost 6' tall! I definitely wanted to ask her where she got clothes herself. As typical of the waiters and boutique workers in New York, she was obviously working there to cover expenses while she tried a hand at modeling. Talking with her was very amusing as we shared complaints about finding stuff that fit.

It's pretty funny when the sales staff can't actually wear the clothing that is being sold there - even if they're the correct gender and share the same style. It was pretty late in the day when I walked in, so it was just me and her. I've gotten pretty upfront in shopping at this point - so I asked point blank whether anything Togs had would fit me. She looked me up and down and then confessed that not many of the things even fit her!

At this point, she hurridly snagged me two tops before I could leave. Ok, sure, why not? The t-shirt fit perfectly and was made of some stretch cotton with gold snakes. I walked out to take a look in the mirror and she declared it looked fabulous on me (as if she'd say anything else, really!), but I didn't think it was anything special. "It looks expensive," she said. Well, I beg to differ, but even so, it certainly cost $88! I definitely shimmied out of that one quick.

The other top was way way way too low for me in the front. I'm pretty much hopelessly boob-less, and this top would require me to wear it bra-less, as it dipped below my sternum (you know, that bony bit where your ribs connect in front). Uh-uh. No way. It'd be falling off of me! I was wearing my padded strapless bra, and even then, it was too big. And the cost for the little slip of silk? $108.

As I was leaving, I figured I might as well ask. What do you do for pants? She leaned in and conspiratorially mentioned that she was in love with Buffalo jeans in size 23. They were slightly too short for her and they be too long for me but a cuff or hem wouldn't kill me. I've never heard of them before, but I promised to check them out.

Overall, pricey and typical of such stores; it's all about convienence, convienence, convienence. The nice part for me was that even though the help couldn't help me in store, she gave me a hint or two for elsewhere!

X-Girl and Uniqlo store reviews - trying my SoHo luck

X-Girl New York
265 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
212-343-2457

Uniqlo
76 Greene Street
New York, NY 10012
877-486-4756

SoHo and NoLita in New York are flooded with little boutiques and independent designer shops. The area is quite a great place to shop if you're looking for something different from the mainstream bunch; a few stores also serve as launching pads for up and coming designers. But buyers be warned: it's also too easy to drop several hundred without even trying.

I stepped out of the subway at Spring armed with the names of a couple of stores that a friend had given me. Both stores were Asian brands/imports. East Asians as a general rule are smaller than their counterparts in America, so it wouldn't be a bad place to start.

My first stop was X-Girl, on Lafayette. I stepped into the store finding a casual-trendy mix of urban chic Japanese designed goods. Not the sort of style anyone would normally associate with me, but I figured it would be a nice shot. I talked to the salesperson and asked if she could suggest any items that may fit me. I walked into the dressing curtain and tried them out, a little doubtful as some of the things looked a little big.

I was a little surprised at the dressing 'room' situation. If you look carefully at the storefront picture, you'll see a pinkish curtain behind the mannequin. Yup. That was where I was shucking off my clothes. Since there was no mirror to use to take a picture, I was a little bad and adjusted the curtain so sunlight came into the booth. I sure hope no one was looking a little too closely at X-Girl's window!

So I tried the stuff on. I was also disappointed and surprised that everything was too big! Their sizing is XS, S, M, L, or 1, 2, 3. Huh. Taking that small numbering system even further than I would have imagined. And as I thought, it wasn't cheap to shop there - the 'sweetheart shirt' was $106 for a frilly cotton button down! I left after learning that the sizing was supposedly the same in Japan. Huh. Well, moving on....

Next stop - Uniqlo on Greene. I knew that this particular store was a Japanese retailer, and my friend mentioned that they were in Japanese sizes. So as I stepped in, I got excited. The place kinda reminded me of a slightly funkier GAP - "casual wear that can be worn by anyone, any day." The stuff was certainly a good price; t-shirts were on sale for $9.99.


But alas, I was informed that their sizing followed US standards! Er...ok. Does it run small for American sizing, I tried to casually ask an employee. No, it actually runs large, he replies. WHAT??!?!? I was a little annoyed now. They might import the Japanese goods soon, but right now, it's American. Somehow, I thought that physical proximity to Chinatown would make a difference for sizing of their clientele. Silly me right?