I recently chatted with the lovely and talented Christa MacLellan about fashion, petite shopping, and her blog. She lives in Toronto, where she writes about her life and what it’s like to be a petite fashionista.

What brands are in your closet?
Velvet, Enjoy, Forever 21, Joe’s Jeans, Lululemon, and H&M.

How tall are you? And what size do you wear?
I’m 5′2″ and a size 0.

Where do you shop?
H&M, online stores, boutiques in uptown Toronto, eBay, and every vintage shop I can find.

Your favorite online shops?
For something personal, I look to cafepress.com; bargain, eBay; and for luxury, none other than neimanmarcus.com.

Favorite uptown Toronto shops?
Muskat Brown, Enjoy, Mendocino, Heidi Ho, Lululemon, and Accessorize for the best accessories and cami/panty sets.

Joe’s Jeans | Petite Provocateur | 24 | $158

Tell me about your blog. What would you like my readers to know about it?
I blog about what I find interesting, entertaining, and helpful as a petite. Sometimes it’s the style of a petite celeb, or the savvy petite woman on the street. Just whenever I read or see something that’s worth sharing.

Anything new and exciting you’ve found? Petite brands, shopping etc?
I love the brand Tamiece out of San Francisco — these gals have created a petite line that is youthful, sexy, and playful. I really hope they make it. They are truly unique!

Anything else you would like my readers to know?
Most importantly, I want readers to understand that being petite means that you are under 5′4″ — in any size. You can be a size 12 petite! I think that’s a common misconception. With my blog, I hope to appeal to petites of every shape and size.

This month I’m featuring a handful of bloggers for your extended petite shopping enjoyment. My interviews have unearthed worthy shopping information for every petite shopper. Hope it’s helpful in your quest in finding the right sizes!

San Francisco-based Pink Mirage is a prolific shoe blogger with frivolous and decadent posts of the finest shoes to satisfy any fetish. Pink Mirage is a perfect oasis for every fancy shoe addict.

What brands are in your closet?
A lot of Ann Taylor; some Bebe; some of the Nordstrom’s store brands such as Classiques Entier, Caslon, Nordstrom Kids (don’t laugh, I know some of you shop in the kids’ aisle because you’re petite, too!);
Wacoal Petites (highly recommend); Calvin Klein; XOXO; and Easy Spirit shoes. And I guess a whole bunch of other ones that I have 1 or 2 items of.

How tall are you? What clothing and size shoe do you wear?
I’m 5’1”. However, my friend thinks that’s a bit generous.

I wear 0–2 petite, although I will range up to a 4 petite; really just depends on how the clothing fits on my body and how the brand sizes its own clothing.

My shoe size is 5–5-1/2 U.S., or around 35 European.

Ann Taylor | Crochet Cardigan | PXXS | $128

Where do you shop, including online, for petite sizes?
Ann Taylor carries a lot of petite clothing options (hence why I have a lot of clothing from them). Easy Spirit carries a wide range of shoe sizes, although sometimes you have to be prepared to splurge and pay nearly regular price for the remaining in-store size 5–5-1/2 pair.

Classiques Entier | XS | $350

I tend to buy in-store and I like going to factory outlets for all the good deals. Nordstrom’s Rack and Marshall’s are good stores for bargain hunting. I haven’t really ordered clothing online besides pajamas; which don’t really have any sizing issues.

What is your favorite article(s) of clothing and why?
Well, since I am a shoe blogger, I guess I should pick my current favorite pair of boots. I like that they aren’t too high and are good for California winter weather. However, I will warn you: the heel of light-colored socks will turn black (apparently they used some sort of non-colorfast cloth in the heel area).

Edited by serafina

My friend Jenny, a gifted graphic designer with a panache for always being the center of the soiree while looking instinctively well-heeled, was married in 2005 in Los Angeles — the venerable City of Angels. While Jenny is more devious than angelic (in only the best of ways, of course), she could’ve fooled me in her gorgeous satin gown.

Months before her big day, Jenny looked to me for the scoop on small-sized gowns. I had a plethora of advice, naturally. Recently, she spoke with me about her gown and shopping experience.

What size are you?
I’m 5’2” and usually wear a size 0 or 2, or 26/27, but my wedding dress was a size 6.

What gown did you purchase?
I purchased a Lazaro dress made of a heavy satin and some beading. I liked it because it had an asymmetrical design that wasn’t too “sweet.” Plus, my mom was overly fond of it. And every bride knows what that means: If she loves it, she’ll buy it. And, she did! So, how could I say no?

Does the dress have beadwork?
Yes, it has Asian-inspired asymmetrical beading, with a bit of high-waist beading as well. It’s gorgeous.

Where did you find your dress?
I bought it at Renee Strauss on Wilshire.

What other shops did you try gowns on at?
I looked at so many places. Jenny Lee, Renee Strauss, Mary Me Bridal, Tamara, David’s Bridal and a few other boutiques I don’t recall.

Was your dress comfortable throughout the event?
Absolutely! It fit a bit loose on the day of because I lost a few pounds during the wedding-planning process. But at no point was I uncomfortable.

Did you choose to sell or store your dress?
It has been cleaned and preserved, and is now sitting at my parent’s house. I’ve considered selling it – and I’ve considered just keeping it. So I guess I’m a bit conflicted.

Any advice you would like to give my readers?
Don’t spend a lot of money. Even if your mom pays for it, a little part of you dies. Okay, not really, but a little part of you feels very guilty.

My dear friend Jane was married this September to the dashing Damon Seeley. Naturally, she was a stunning bride — what else could she be in an exquisite and perfectly fitted dress? I asked Jane to share her gown experience with serafina.

Where did you find your wedding dress? And what designer did you choose?

I found it at Galleria Bridal, a lovely boutique in Santa Rosa. Designed by Maggie Soterro, my dress, style Mariella Maria, absolutely lived up to its beautiful name.

Did you need to do alterations?

I purchased a size 0P, which helped length-wise, though it still needed a bit of hemming. Otherwise, it was absolutely perfect. The bodice had a corset-style back, which saved me a ton of time and money in custom alterations. And, it wasn’t too tight, which meant I could wear it comfortably all night long!

Being petite, I needed a bit of help filling out the top so I purchased a silicone NuBra. They worked perfectly under the gown, and I loved them!

Would you recommend this boutique and gown to other petite brides?

I highly recommend Maggie Soterro’s corset-style dresses and gowns — especially for petite brides. And the boutique I purchased from, Galleria Bridal, carries many of Maggie’s designs.

Galleria Bridal
3201 Cleveland Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Phone: 707-544-3695
Fax: 707-544-3636
info@galleriabridal.com
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Closed Tuesday

Like most gals, when I got engaged, my first words (after the requisite “Yes!”) were, “I know JUST the gown for me!” Oh, the naiveté of the newly engaged. Most gowns looked exquisite on the rack. But on me, not so much. The material felt cheap, and the dresses were enormous. After a long game of hide-and-seek, I finally found a tailor that would custom-design my gown. But still, as much as I loved the design, it didn’t fit as well as it should have. Thus, I am committed to sharing everything I have since learned about dress boutiques, brands and styles that cater to the curves of the petite bride. My first interview is with my colleague and Editor of serafina, Amanda Vernor Miller. I sat down with my fellow petite bride and asked about her dress:

What size & height are you?

Just a shade under 5’4”. I’m 110 lbs., and wear a 0-2P

What type of dress did you purchase? Tell me about the material.

My dress was a sheath-style dress—a duly complementary style for petite frames. The sheath was made of French cotton lawn. Now, I know what you’re thinking. It was the softest and most comfortable fabric imaginable. It didn’t constrict my breathing, and it didn’t wrinkle—and a lot of brides can’t say that. The tulle overlay gave it an elegant dimension. I purchased the gown from the beautiful and extraordinarily talented Claire Pettibone. Her boutique is located on Robertson Blvd. in Los Angeles.

What specific details does the dress have?

The cotton sheath was an antique ivory color. Attached to the bottom hem was an antique-like, ivory cotton lace—this was one of my favorite features! The fitted bodice was made with the same cotton lace, and on both the front and back, Claire attached silver- and ivory-flowered appliqués.

Which shops did you research for dresses?

I had my library of bridal magazines, and I dog-earred my favorite designers and styles. My first stop was a sample sale at Claire’s boutique. I knew I would find my perfect gown the moment I walked in. Her design style is ultra feminine, very French-Victorian, and I immediately fell in love with her style. On my second visit—for her 2006 trunk show—I found two absolutely gorgeous gowns. It would’ve been torturous to choose one over the other, so she offered to combine elements of each in a custom design. Two shopping excursions, and I was done. There was simply no sense in looking elsewhere. All else would have paled in comparison.

Was your dress comfortable throughout the wedding?

Absolutely. As simple and delicate as it was, the gown was resilient and incredibly comfortable. I was comfortable and cool on an 80-degree day—and at 9,000 feet! And I easily traversed the rugged sagebrush and piñon pine that lay between my dad’s truck and our wedding site.

What did you do with your wedding dress after the wedding? And would you ever be interested in selling it on eBay or locally to petite-sized women in your area?

I was a spotless bride, so I considered storing it without a professional cleaning—but decided a few weeks later to have it preserved. I used a company out of Manhattan, J. Scheer. These folks use natural preservation techniques, including organic cleaners, and my dress deserved nothing less! It was returned to me in a storage-friendly box, and it came with a lifetime guarantee with no exceptions. That said, I would never sell it. I knew it would be an heirloom-of-sorts the moment I had it made.

Is there anything specific you would like my readers to know about your dress or the dress buying experience?

Simply put: Go for custom. True, it is more expensive. But with a custom gown, the entire shape and flow is designed around your petite figure. Most other gowns—even when altered—remain disproportional to smaller frames. I mean, it’s your wedding, ladies! You won’t regret the extra expense to look and feel absolutely stunning.

Claire Pettibone
Beverly Hills Boutique
236 South Robertson Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: 310-360-6268
Fax: 310-360-6271
bridal@clairepettibone.com
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