Petite Plus Size Clothing: What It Means and How to Shop It

Petite plus means two things at once: you wear a plus size, and you stand about 5'4" or shorter. The garment keeps its plus-size room; its lengths come down so hems, cuffs and waistlines land where they are meant to on a shorter frame.

It has nothing to do with wearing a smaller size. A petite plus pant is proportioned for shorter legs, and a petite plus top for a shorter torso and arms. The three places it changes most:

• Inseam: pants and jeans end at the ankle instead of pooling on the floor.
• Sleeve length: long and 3/4 sleeves land where they are designed to, not past the wrist.
• Body length: blouses and tunics skim the hip rather than reaching mid-thigh.

Across Catherines best sellers, petite takes about 2 to 3 inches off a pant inseam and about 2 inches off a blouse. Petite short takes off another 1 to 2 inches on top of that.

The gap is not identical from style to style, which is why the listed inseam or length on each product page matters more than the word "petite" alone. A 1-inch difference between two petite pants is the difference between a clean break over a flat and a hem that brushes the floor.

Measure a pair of pants and a top that already fit you well, then compare those numbers to each product's listed petite and petite short lengths.

1. Find your inseam. Lay a favorite pair of pants flat and measure along the inner leg from the crotch seam to the hem, with the length you like for the shoes you wear most.
2. Measure a top you love. Measure from the top of the shoulder down to the hem as a reference point for blouse and tunic lengths.
3. Check sleeves on yourself. Note where 3/4 sleeves land; on a regular length they may reach your wrist rather than your forearm.
4. Match to the closest listed length. If you sit between petite and petite short, choose by your height and the shoes you plan to wear.
5. Size by width as usual. Pick your plus size from your bust, waist and hip measurements; petite changes length, not width.

As a rule of thumb, 5'1" to 5'4" points to petite and 5'0" and under to petite short. Your measured inseam has the final say.

Petite plus sizes add a P to the plus size, such as 0XWP through 5XWP or 16WP through 34WP, depending on the style. Petite short sizes often add an S, as in 0XWPS or 16WPS.

Three things to watch on each product page:

• Petite spans can stop sooner than regular. The Suprema® Pant runs 0X–6X in regular and 0XWP–5XWP in petite. The Georgette cafe blouse and Timeless Blouse run 0XWP–3XWP in petite.
• Some styles use W sizing instead of X sizing. Right Fit® jeans and pants come in 16W–34W, with petites in 16WP–34WP and petite short in 16WPS–34WPS.
• Not every style comes in petite short. If you need the shortest length, confirm petite short is listed before choosing a size.

Always check the specific size span listed for the style and length you want; availability by color and size can change.

Let your height choose the length and your hips choose the cut. A woman who is 5'0" with full hips would start with petite short for length and a Curvy fit for shape, then pick her size from her hip measurement.

That combination exists in both Right Fit® styles above: the Curvy jean and the Curvy pant each come in petite and petite short, designed to address gaping at the waist and tightness through the hips. Pull-on knits like the Suprema® Pant and The Knit Jean are another route, with elastic waistbands that skim from hip to hem.