I've seen a few eBay guides now on what to wear if you're petite, and they offer good advice on putting together a great outfit that flatters a petite frame, but they all overlook one key element of the petite woman's struggle:  Where to buy petite clothing in the first place.  If you're tearing your hair out trying to find retailers that cater to the smaller woman, trust me, it's not your imagination.  I spent two full weekends in pursuit of a classic, black-wool pantsuit that didn’t make me look like a linebacker or like I was playing dress-up in a bigger person’s clothes.  I didn’t find one in any major Manhattan department store, because almost nobody carries petite sizes anymore.  Need proof?  Check out a recent New York Times article (May 28, 2006 ) by Michael Barbaro called Where's the Petite Department? Going the Way of the Petticoat.
       Designers and retailers are notoriously elitist about the body-types they're willing to cater to, which means that petite clothing lines became synonymous with frumpy, older styles.  Younger buyers were turned off by the lack of cute, trendy petite lines, and are opting instead for extra small regular sizes, the result being that many major department stores like Bloomingdales and Macy's, have stopped carrying petites all together.  But here's the problem—petite women need petite clothing.  Petite clothes aren't just shorter at the arms and pant legs.  Well-made petite clothing is built proportionately smaller all over, which means smaller through the shoulder, shorter on the torso and over-all better fitting on a petite frame.  So what’s a petite woman to do?
     While I’m an avid eBay customer and I realize that there are great deals on this site, I have to direct petite women to clothing retailers, at least for now, because until there is a greater demand and market for high quality and stylish petite clothing, we won’t see much petite clothing listed on eBay.  But there is hope.  While major department stores are eliminating petite clothing, retailers like Banana Republic and Gap are just introducing—and expanding—their petite lines, and the even better news?  It’s the same clothing they carry in their regular line, just scaled down to fit petite women of any shape or size.  I bought a really classic black wool two-button pantsuit that didn’t need any alterations whatsoever (but they’ll do them for free if you need them!), a pair of jeans that don’t drag on the floor or bunch under my shoes, and a white button down shirt that fits me like it was made for me.  You can shop their entire petite line on www.bananarepublic.com.  I have also seen some great Banana Republic petite clothes turn up on eBay, but I would highly recommend trying any petite sizes on in the store for size, before you buy from eBay or the BR website (check site for store locations near you that carry the petite line, they are still a bit limited, but there are three in Manhattan), and, if possible, try on the exact item you plan to buy.  I can’t stress that enough, because I found that my size differed greatly even between petite jeans and petite trousers.  Banana Republic does offer free mail-returns on its petite clothing, but it’s so much easier—and imperative if you’re shopping on eBay—to get it right on the first try.
     I do hope this has been helpful, as I know how frustrating it is to find clothes when you’re petite.  I’ve only scraped the very surface in my own quest to put together a wardrobe that fits me, so as always, suggestions or companion guides for petite women are always appreciated, but I wanted to share my advice, as I did find Banana Republic to be extremely helpful (BR—If you would like to thank me for the plug, I will accept store credit ; )  Good luck!