L.L.Bean: Great for totes, awful for slim petite clothing.

I love button-down shirts. You can roll up the sleeves and wear it with a pair of jean shorts for an effortless, classy casual look, or wear it with slacks, pencil skirts and/or a sweater for an instant professional look (hello, teacher wardrobe staple!). Finding good ones for reasonable prices has been difficult: the shirts that the always-petite-friendly H&M carries are of questionable quality and are usually too tight, and have buttons that only start mid-way down. I've found gems at Banana Republic and Brooks Brothers, but I need a more affordable option to fill out my currently limited professional wardrobe.

So what store came to mind for affordability and quality? L.L. Bean, of course! I never cease to be amazed by how well their products hold up, namely my beloved tote:

Perfect for picnics!...and pretty much everything else.

I was super happy to see that L.L.Bean not only has a petite line, but also a GREAT selection of oxford shirts at reasonable prices! I ordered a pink pinstripe oxford shirt in XSP:




Mind you, I wasn't expecting a fit as tight as a Hollister button-down, but rather a somewhat loose, relaxed fit like the one shown on the model above. I specifically ordered the SLIMMER FIT, rather than the classic fit...but here's what I got:


No no no!

An XSP, which I was hoping would fit somewhere in the sz. 0-4 petite size range, ending up being as wide as an 8P (Not that 8P is wide! It's just too wide to be considered an XS.) Since my mom is a size 8 petite, I had her try on the shirt, and of course it fit her perfectly. In other petite lines such as Talbot's, she is a medium petite. So why do they call it an XS if it actually fits like a M? I'm not talking normal vanity sizing, either. Here's a comparison of three different brands of button-downs:




Hollister's XS fits me quite snugly, but I prefer not to wear it since teen-store clothing makes me look more like a high schooler than I already do. Brooks Brothers' size 0P is ideal: not too tight, but comfortable and flattering. L.L.Bean's size XSP is petite-friendly in the length and shoulder width, but much wider.

Moral of the story? Curvier/bustier petites may benefit from L.L.Bean's more relaxed fit, since the length and shoulder width is true to petite size. Slim petites, stay away!! Unless you're at least a size 8, don't expect to fit into L.L.Bean's shirts.

I'll stick to the accessories!

*ShortBlonde*