PFC #10- Summer to Fall: 1 striped top, 2 seasonal outfits.

Petite Fashion Challenge #10: Take traditionally summer pieces (like tank tops, shorts, mini skirts, sundresses etc.) and make them appropriate for fall.

For this month's petite fashion challenge, I took a summery striped long tank top from Forever 21 and made it fall appropriate by adding a silk cardigan and brown belt:

Tank Top: Forever 21, XS (similar here)

Cardigan: Banana Republic, Petite XS

Belt:....no idea!

Jeans: Forever 21, 25/29

Earrings: Vintage

The cardigan is extremely light-weight (a silk blend), which makes it ideal for early fall. Its length can be a challenge to style, but its a perfect match for this long top that peeks out the bottom. I kept a neutral color palette for a classy, put-together look, giving the summery stripes a subdued autumn-friendly feel.

Since this top is usually something I would wear in the summertime, I also created a summer-appropriate outfit with a white skirt, shown below:

Tank Top: Forever 21, XS (similar here)

Skirt: J.Crew, 00
Necklace: Forever 21

In the upstate NY town that I live in, this outfit would only be appropriate for another week or so. White skirt season is ending, and boot & sweater season is just around the corner!

Thanks to Liza for hosting this month's PFC!

How do you style your summer clothes for fall?
*ShortBlonde*

The easiest clothing fix ever.

Many of us petite ladies have been there: you spy a cute sleeveless/tank top or dress you love, only to discover in the dressing room that the neckline plunges down too low for comfort. Don't be so quick to put it back on the rack! A strap adjustment is one of the easiest fixes you can make, and it makes such a difference in the way a top or dress can fit.



All you have to do is find the seam that's usually in the middle of the strap (if it isn't there, create one!), and fold the strap down evenly (see above) to create a new seam. When your done, trim the excess fabric, and voila! It's an easy, hand-sewable job that can make a huge difference in the way a top or dress fits. I'm glad it worked on my new Forever 21 striped top:



This wonderfully versatile (and inexpensive!) top will be featured in my next post, Petite Fashion 

Challenge #9: Summer to Fall.
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Classes start tomorrow for me, it's time to get into academic mode! Are any of you starting school again as well?

Staying studious (and stylish),
*ShortBlonde*

A favorite item of both petites and preps...

Judging by many posts that I've read throughout the blogosphere, there is one item I've discovered that is universally loved by petites, preps, and petite preps: J.Crew's Jackie Cardigan. I've mentioned it several times on my blog, but I decided my most recent purchase deserves its own post.


Cardigan: J.Crew Jackie Cardigan in Bavarian Blue, sz. XXS (buy other colors here)
Tank: Express, sz. XS (a great thrift find)
Pants: Gap Skinny Pant, sz. 1

Anyone who has read my blog before knows I don't like paying full price for anything. Why bother when you can almost ALWAYS get what you want for less? In this case, I had my heart set on getting a blue XXS Jackie cardigan at the J.Crew Factory Store when I was at the Tanger Outlet Mall. The Jackie cardigan I already owned was from the factory store, and I was satisfied with its quality, but I this time I wanted a new color (my old one is slate) and an XXS rather than an XS. What do I find when I get there? NO XXS at all (maybe they haven't started to make that size for the factory stores yet?) and not a single shade of blue. Such a bummer!

So instead, I looked to the internet to help. I visited the J.Crew Aficionada blog that I follow, and checked out their "Looking to Sell" weekly feature, hoping someone miraculously had the size and style cardigan I wanted. No luck. I decided to post on the "Looking to Buy" feature instead, asking for an XXS Jackie Cardigan in a shade of blue, offered for less than full price. What do you know, someone had exactly what I wanted! A lovely seller named Susan offered to sell me her Bavarian Blue cardigan from the actual store (not the factory store), new with tags for 40 bucks shipped (same as the outlet price!).



The cut of the sweater is perfect for petites. It has a short, cropped length, and flattering 3/4 sleeves. The XXS is a snug fit, but petites that are around my size may also like the XS, which fits slightly looser. It is a wonderful, classic style named for the icon of classic American style: Jackie O, of course. :)

If you haven't picked one up yet, I highly recommend that you do!!

*ShortBlonde*