Michelle

For petites, a shrinking debate grows

Now petite women -- those 5 feet 4 and shorter -- have three more reasons to be angry. Three of the country's leading fashion stores -- Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's -- have been scaling back or eliminating their petites departments during the past year.

The decision is based on the poor sales of petites clothing, say store executives. Petites customers, they say, prefer the more youthful, trendy styles found in the contemporary departments -- even if the clothing must be altered to fit well.

When the news of the petites-department closings broke in The New York Times in late May, it infuriated many longtime customers and surprised designers.

So vehement has been the protest, that Saks announced Monday it plans to relaunch its petites business in November. In Orlando, Bloomingdale's never closed its petites department, and the local Neiman Marcus never had one.

After all, it's not as if American women have suddenly grown taller. Heavier, yes. But the average American woman, who was about 5 feet 3 in 1980, was just 0.3 inches taller in 2002, according to government statistics.

"I don't understand it," says Beth G. Smith, 57, a 5-foot-2 investment consultant with SunTrust Bank in Orlando. "There's lots of short people around who spend good money on petite clothing."

The situation "has stirred up a hornet's nest," says Kim Williams Dahlman, author of The Petite Handbook. "Petite customers are livid."

Within the fashion industry, she says, "It's a big surprise. Those stores are walking away from a huge customer base."

Like many fashion-industry insiders, Dahlman suspects poor sales are not the only reason high-end stores are cutting back on petites.

"Department stores that cater to an elite customer have a certain mind-set. They want customers to have that young, fashion-forward look," says Dahlman, who lives in Casselberry.

Petite women who are older and more conservative "don't fit that image," she says.

Others see potential

Petites sizes were introduced in the early 1980s by a few major apparel labels such as Liz Claiborne. The new sizes were not simply shortened. They were reproportioned.

Top designers started offering downsized fashions, and mass-market manufacturers began thinking small -- in a big way.

Department stores cleared floor space for the new sizes, specialty boutiques proliferated, and chains such as Talbots and Banana Republic opened petites shops.

Sales increased steadily, and petites clothing is now a $10 billion industry, according to NPD Group, a market-research firm.

Not all department stores are shunning petites. Sears, Macy's and Nordstrom are among those planning to maintain their petites offerings.

Specialty-clothing chains also have no plans to cut petites.

At Talbots, "our specialty sizing, including petites and plus-petites, is rapidly growing," says spokeswoman Betsy Thompson. "We see tremendous potential there."

Petites sales represent about 20 percent of total sales at Ann Taylor, says Mary Loux Geoghegan, vice president for merchandising.

More significant, although only about 23 percent of Ann Taylor customers are petite, they account for about 40 percent of total sales -- which means they are buying missy (regular) sizes as well. "Petites are our most loyal clients," says Geoghegan.

Needed: A hip look

Poor sales probably are one reason for closing petites departments, says Susan Finnegan, an interior designer from Winter Park.

"If they were making money hand-over-fist, they wouldn't be closing," says Finnegan, who is 5 feet 13/4 inches tall.

But she suggests lack of chic styling is also to blame: "I can't really find the looks I like in petites, so I'm paying more for alterations. It means I buy less."

If major department stores do ax petites sizes, some manufacturers would lose key markets and be forced to abandon their petites lines. But others are ready to fill the void.

"We can capitalize on this," says Richard Ostell, creative director at Liz Claiborne.

First, however, petites fashion needs a face-lift.

Young petite women often shop for trendy and casual styles in junior or children's departments, Ostell says. That's why petites departments have started catering more to older petite women who need career and special-occasion clothing.

"But we've started an overhaul," he says. "We're giving petites a more updated look and fit. We've already seen an uptick in sales."

The company also plans to relaunch its more sophisticated Liz Claiborne Collection line this fall -- in petites sizes as well as missy and plus.

A tough job

When Debra Hendrickson closed Petite Clothiers, it wasn't for lack of customers.

"I needed a break from the rat race of the retail business," says Hendrickson, who now is vice president at the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce.

But even in the 1990s, she says, the more hip clothing lines weren't doing petites -- which was hurting business.

"We even formed a coalition of independent petite stores. We'd go to trendy designers and try to make them design something just for us. But even if they did, it was not a full collection, just one jacket, one skirt, one pant," she says.

She isn't surprised designers still haven't figured out what petite women want to wear. She isn't surprised top fashion emporiums are giving up on petites.

But she is disappointed.