A customer recently asked me if I would ever consider making dresses for Petites which really surprised me because our dresses already fit many petites very well. Just to clarify a 'Petite' is a woman that is 5"4" and under. The definition of Petite is not about 'size', it's possible to be a small woman and be petite or a plus size and also be petite. We certainly make dresses that fit many types, heights and sizes of women.
As a Petite woman myself, I understand the dilemma of a short woman. In fact this was one of the catalysts for me to begin designing dresses in the first place. Dresses on the rack never did fit me, they were always too long in the waist, which meant that the smallest part on the dress sat right at the fullest part of 'me' (my stomach). When I started designing Cherry Velvet almost 10 years ago, I absolutely made sure the dresses would fit my body. Right?!
Many of our classic styles sit high on the waist, sometimes also known as a empire waist. The bonus of this empire style cut is that it also gives you more fabric across the tummy and can actually fit taller woman as well. For reference, we do make also make dresses that fit more traditionally in the waist length for women that are taller.
But if you're short like me and I know many of you are shorter, (several are 4'10") this is what you need to know. The really important measurement for a petite woman is the waist length. This is measured vertically from the prominent bone where your neck intersects the top of your back straight down to your true waist. Many of our dresses are really quite short waisted and sit right under the bust line which makes them very suitable for petites (Some styles are more suitable than others).
Sometimes the upper bodice length is too long for petites and this can be remedied by having the strap shortened. If you're concerned about overall length, hemming a dress is the easiest alteration, far easier than waist length. especially in the cotton fabric we use. Any seamstress should be able to do this for you.
The best Cherry Velvet dress styles for Petites include Brigitte, Doris, Brooke, Chrissy, Olivia, Rhapsody and Marie (in the plus sizes only for Marie). If you ever need help or advice on fit please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail and include your measurements. (instructions here in our fit guide)
We get asked the question a lot if we ever make custom dresses and the answer is no, nor do we plan to add 'petite' dresses specifically. On a positive note we will continue to vary the cuts of our styles to fit many different body types for as many women as we can and especially woman with the curvy bits we love :)
XOX Diane