Shopping in the kid’s section. Really.

Ask A Woman: Advice for the (very) vertically challenged shopper

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Hi Beth,

Over the past year, I have been transitioning from loose, baggy clothes to a much more form fitting wardrobe. The issue I am having is that I’m 25 years old, 5’4″ and 120lbs. It’s incredibly difficult to find clothes that fit unless I get absolutely everything tailored.

With the persuasion of a friend, I recently bought a kid’s sized polo from GAP and it fit perfectly. Anything wrong with that?

– Young

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Hi Young,

First, let me tip my hat to you on transitioning from ill-fitting clothing to form-fitting clothing. Way to go. Seriously. I mean, it’s not like you’ve discovered a cure to a life-threatening disease (or maybe you have, since I don’t know anything about you). But you’ve learned how to look your best. Which is great. But not GREAT. Get over yourself, man.

A word about tailoring–it’s awesome. For those of you out there who can afford to get everything tailored to fit you perfectly, what a luxury. Enjoy. For the rest of us schlubs, it’s something to hope for. Keep buying those lottery tickets. A tailored garment is always going to look best on you. Once you wear a tailored piece, you realize how much you have to compromise on fit when you buy off the rack. We buy pants to fit our waists and never realize the butt is way too baggy. We buy shirts to fit our shoulders and don’t see that the sleeves are too long. Tailoring gives a perfect fit everywhere. It is also expensive. A couple years ago I bought a fabulous Jackie O-inspired jacket that fit my shoulders but was too boxy in the torso and waist. The jacket cost me about $60. The tailoring to get the fit right cost me $30. You can see how that extra expense, on a regular basis, could become prohibitive.

Nap always had it tailored — This way! To the boy's department!

Now, onto your question. Well, first we’re going to make a pit stop at Sex and the City. Yes my friends, this is the second reference in a month. I blame the readers–you people keep bringing up SATC topics, it’s like you want me to talk about it. There’s an episode where Samantha dates a man much shorter than her, and she has a hard time dealing with it. At one point during a date, he goes to the rest room, leaving his suit jacket behind. Samantha spies the Bloomingdale’s label on the jacket and the following exchange occurs:

Samantha: You shop at the Boy’s Department.
Jeff: So what? The clothes fit me better, plus they’re cheaper.

Jeff and I are on the same page. Who cares where you buy your clothes? It’s not like buying them in the boys or kids department makes you short. Is it better to buy and wear baggy clothes that do nothing to flatter you? No. Are you making some kind of point when you buy clothing from the men’s department that you’ll just have to spend a fortune to tailor down anyway? No. Plus, as Jeff points out, you’ll save money.

Incidentally, the first time I referenced SATC, it was Episode 1 of Season 3. This time it’s Episode 2 of Season 3. If this trend continues, in a couple weeks I’ll write a column about one of the following topics: seducing a masseuse, hiring a Russian maid who doesn’t approve of your sex life, being insecure about your thighs, or running into your ex’s very tall wife. I’ll be waiting for your emails, fellas.

-Beth

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