I rediscovered MediaNoche on Alvarado when I discovered Betmar hats. They carry loads of them at MediaNoche. And lucky for me, and you, they have a great selection of indie designers that run small too.

The boutique is hip and funky, and has all the great designers you want to fill your closet. I stopped in for a chat and discovered a few great finds…

There are three specific designers that MediaNoche carry that rock for the small gals.

Vancouver’s very own Sweet Soul’s designs are five star. Their line is cut small and inspired by burlesque fashion. It so happens the sister company is Sweet Soul Burlesque… The designs are original and ultra girly. But its not all pin up.

Everything that I pulled off the rack was really exciting – its certainly worth stopping in and trying a few dresses on. I loved that each piece had rouching.

Sweet Soul also does pasties, which they lovingly called Boston Cupcakes. They’re huge sellers ladies, if you’re on the market for something interesting to spice up the boudoir I suggest you stop by and check out a pair.

One of my all time favorite design teams is Black Halo and MediaNoche carries a large selection. Their selection is actually the best I’ve seen at any shop in L.A. Find all of the cocktail dresses in size XS your heart desires. Their XS sizes generally fit me and the designs are always really sexy and complimentary. If you’ve gone this long without knowing how Black Halo fits, stop by MediaNoche and try it on! Not an XS? Not a problem. They design for all sizes.

Ah Australia. The land of smaller sizing. And girls, you’ll be happy to discover Leona Edmiston if you have not already. Unbelievably lovely designs and fabrics for every urban woman. If you aren’t already familiar with this designer I highly recommend a visit to her site as well as MediaNoche. Think chic with a classic sophistication.

And lots of Bectmar hats. On sale for $10-20. They’re so worth it ’cause many are SPF+; perfect for 363 days of sunshine. They’ll also special order any hats they have in stock to ensure that the sizing is perfect for your petite noggins.

MediaNoche
1200 N. Alvarado
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Hours: Monday - Friday 11am to 7pm
Saturday Noon to 7pm
Sunday Noon to 5pm

In Echo Park. They’re a stones throw from the American Apparel on Sunset.

I adore the elegance and the simplicity of the Julianne dress at J.Crew. If I were to do it all over again, I’d order this sweet little dress.

Its made of a comfortable cotton and silk blend and the cuffs, and neckline are trimmed with the tiniest bit of chiffon for accent. The chiffon flower is detachable.

The fit is classic. The slight a line to the skirt is sexy, I love that it falls just above the knee and its fully lined. Gorgeous.

Pair it up with their gold Twyla strappy heel for an impeccably polished look. Blue accents added to a veil or jewelry would rock this dress and look!

Moi-Même is your one stop petite shop for professional attire made to fit the only body that really matters — yours.

And, ladies, I’m thrilled to announce that Moi-Même is offering serafina readers a $50 discount off orders through September 30, 2008. Yep, that’s right, stock up on your custom apparel for fall!

Just a few simple rules apply:

- To get your discount you must show a print out of Moi-Même discount entry from serafinablog.com to redeem (just print out the page), or mention the ‘serafina discount’ in your email order.

- One discount per shopper.

- Each discount may be redeemed only once.

- Discount expires on September 30, 2008, if not redeemed (so get your orders in!)

- You can’t redeem your discount for cash.

Also, don’t forget to join the Moi-Même mailing list to stay abreast of all new info about the line. Thanks again Dawn!

*Moi-Même reserves the right to change gift certificate terms and conditions at its discretion.

5ft2in is giving away a free pair of their signature Capri Pants to one lucky winner who can tell their best worst-pants-purchasing-experience on serafina.

Are you 5’2” tall or under? Do you regularly shop in the kids or juniors department? Did you fall in love with a pair of Capri pants only to find out that they made your gorgeous gams look too short? Share your story and the best entry will receive a free pair of 5ft2in Capri pants in their size! Got a picture? Even better. Send them on over with your story.

5ft2in is a new clothing line that specializes in pants for petite women. Frustrated by the lack of proper fitting pants in the current market place, Sunny — who holds a degree in Fashion Design and another degree in Apparel Manufacturing Management — decided to start a clothing line dedicated only to professional petite women who are 5’2” and under. Sizing is 0P-10P.

A winner will be drawn on Friday, August 8th and announced on Monday, August 11th. Email your entries in today to info AT serafinablog DOT com.

Learn more about 5ft2in at www.5ft2in.com.

This week Suede won the challenge on Project Runway, and as much as I LOVED Kenley’s dress, I was happy to see Suede’s dress was the winner. Its gorgeous and I absolutely love the weaving of the satin. I’d wear both designs. I also completely adore that the challenge was all about organic fabrics. All contestant’s designs can be yours on the Project Runway website. Don’t wait, the auction only has five days left…

And how hot was it that Natalie Portman (ah hem - petite!) was one of the judges. H.O.T.

I get more mail from women with small sized feet complaining about the selection of shoes available to them, as well as the fit of many small sized shoes. I hear often that they can’t wear high heels because they hurt their feet and also many shoes fit them poorly.

I reached out to Chuck at Cinderella of Boston for some answers.

As you know, Cinderella of Boston designs vanity sized shoes for women worldwide and sizing ranges from 2 to size 5.5. Their shoes are for women aged 13-99 and as you can imagine they offer a wide selection of shoes, sizes and styles. You can purchase shoes on their website, or if you’re local, you can swing by their showroom in Westminster. The showroom isn’t a typical showroom ‘cuz you can purchase shoes from it, and its also the location of their warehouse — hence all sizes and sale items are readily available.

Chuck explained why women with small feet have a hard time finding decent shoes. Apparently many times shoemakers will use a children’s last (a last is a solid wooden foot from which a shoe is molded) for smaller shoe sizes like 4.5-5.5. Why this is an issue is because a woman’s foot is far different than a children’s foot, which is generally flat. Shoemakers will do this to cut corners to save money. As many of you know, a sample size in women’s shoes in the states is generally a six.

Cinderella of Boston uses the utmost care in the design of their shoes and children’s sizing is never considered. They also use shoe testers to try out their designs and adjust as needed to ensure perfect comfort. He agreed that there are have become less sizes available as of recent for women with small shoe sizes.

Chuck also gave me a run down on the company. I wondered why the name Cinderella of Boston (since they’re in the South Bay) and he explained that the company was started in Boston in 1939 as a sample company delivering styles to women’s homes. The sample size at that time was a 4.

Sizing has changed and women’s feet have grown throughout the years and so has shoe production. The company has expanded its sizing immensely and moved the headquarters to super sunny SoCal. Although the shoes are no longer produced here, the headquarters and brand are thriving.

If you swing by and check out their selection in Westminster be sure to tell them serafina sent you! And gimme a shout out, we’d love to know your thoughts!

Cinderella of Boston
6452A Industry Way
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 899-2020
Mon-Sat 9AM to 5PM

Polkadots and Moonbeams on 3rd Street are having a sale starting next Thursday, July 24th. Lots of your favorite designers will be on sale including:

AG Jeans, Alice + Olivia, Splendid, Beth Bowley, Tart, Corey Lynn Calter, Black Halo, Free People, Ella Moss, Sky, Akiko, twill22 … to name only a few.

Everything is 30-60% off. Get there early to get the small sizes and don’t forget to mention serafinaVIP at check out or use it as a promo code online to receive another 10% off. Want another discount? Sign up for their mailing list on their website and receive a $10 coupon off your next purchase.

Polkadots and Moonbeams
8381 West Third Street
(Between Orlando & Kings Road
2 blocks East of the Beverly Center)
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Ph: 323-655-3880

Nieves Lavi is perfect for the hot L.A. weather. And, as it so happens, shopbop.com has a great selection for petite gals to consider. I love the colors and bold patterns, and all of the 0 sizing fits my 00P frame. Revolve Clothing also has a good selection for your online shopping enjoyment.

This weekend only Friday, July 18th - Sunday, July 20th!

Oou in Los Feliz would like to invite all of you to come shop and receive a discount on everything in the store… including the vintage and new arrivals. Don’t forget to take a percentage off of their exclusive lines of vintage sunglasses.

Some of their rockin’ lines include: Eco-skin, Central Park West, Plastic Island, MM Couture, Larsen Gray, Edie France, Aristocrat, J Brand, Odyn and many more that’ll fit petite women. So come in and see ‘em this weekend.

I’ll see you grrls there for sure! For years, Oou has always been one of my favorite shops in L.A.

Oou
1764 N. Vermont Ave.
Los Feliz 90027
(323) 665-6263