Another suggestion is J Jill. Stores are mainly at high end malls, but they have a very nice catalog (which is online). I *love* their clothes. They are much more stylish than a lot of Talbots' clothes (some of which I find rather dumpy), yet not teenager-trendy like Bloomingdales. I also have good luck with Liz Claiborne and LL Bean petites. That said, finding a new store that consistantly carries clothes in one's personal fit can mean shopping around and trying stuff on. Also, as I've grown older, "shop 'til I drop" means I "drop" a lot sooner. ;) So I don't have the energy to physically shop around. When I first did online shopping I sent a lot of stuff back. Some Petite lines can be either too loose or too tight. You just have to try them. (Nordstroms, BTW has a nice return policy.) It wasn't that many years ago that there were no stores catering to petite sizes. I remember when there weren't even any petite clothes at all! (You probably weren't even born yet. :)) We had to do a lot of hemming, let me tell you. Just as a guess, the petite-only stores (and P-clothing lines in higher-end retail stores) may be suffering from increased online shopping and cheaper lines in discount stores. I'm sorry to see PS disappear, but then I haven't been patronizing them either. :q

I keep seeing references to the vanity sizing on websites that I frequent, but, like ellendi commented above, it hasn't proven true with my own shopping. My old size 6 suits and pants (some are 10 years old) fit me well, and some are even a bit loose. My new suits are all size 8s, and many 8s don't fit me. The cuts seem to have changed a few years ago in a way that doesn't suit me. Jackets and tops are cut narrower in the shoulder (I have broad shoulders), and pants are cut smaller in the seat and thighs. Clothing is closer to being straight up and down. If I had a different body type, perhaps a smaller size would work, but with my body type I seem to need larger sizes, which then need tailoring to truly fit well because they're too big in the torso and waist (my goal for this year is to work towards better fits and find a good tailor). I wear suits 4 days a week, and dressy business casual on Fridays, and I've been unimpressed with the fabric quality of most suits. So I usually try to buy my suits at places like nordstrom rack, because the lower cost matches what the suits seem 'worth' to me (I can't see paying $300 for a low quality fabric). Casual clothes are even more hit or miss for me. Macys is mostly junk. Ann taylor loft and their outlets were once reliable, but not any more (I bought a top from ann taylor outlet a few weeks ago and it literally fell apart when i ran it through the delicate cycle before wearing it; unfortunately I'd thrown out the price tag). Banana republic seems too expensive for the quality. I love boden but sadly nothing that I have ordered from them fits me; their fit model must have a very different body type. Sigh...

I'm with Marti on this one. Small pieces doesn't mean lower seats, but it does mean a smaller footprint, no big fat rolled arms, poochie backs. My favorite style was the "Tuxedo" look, where the arms were same height as the back, all were thin, and one long seat cushion, with loose down filled pillows. It is sort of a day bed I suppose. Those smaller pieces look so good in smaller homes. Since I've packed up a lot of stuff to empty the rooms of all but necessities, the living room in particular looks much bigger. I don't like furniture pushed against the wall (it needs breathing room), because it reminds me of a mourner's parlor at the mortuary. No sense of intimacy in a waiting room.

Well what do you know!! In the last few years, I've been seeing these phantom dead moles showing up in the middle of my lawn with no evidence of a critter that has killed them (i.e. no eaten bits). I don't spray anything anywhere and don't put out any poisons, so it couldn't be that. However, I do plant all new roses with the moisture crystals to guard against drying out and transplant shock in their first year. After a while they fade and the rose doesn't need them. That must be what is systematically doing in the moles. Can't say I'm sorry, since it doesn't seem to affect the bunnies or other more welcome animals or birds in the yard, and it doesn't poison the bees and insects either. Ya learn something new every day! Sharon, it probably couldn't hurt to plant with a light sprinkle of SoilMoist as you transplant the roses, but I wouldn't count on it to resolve the whole problem unless someone with more experience tells you otherwise. I've never had a problem with moles, but I've always planted with the Soil Moist so maybe that has avoided the problem. Sympathies on the moles/voles - it really can be devastating. Gotta love it when I mistakenly do something RIGHT for a change...rather than mistakes like stepping on or otherwise killing the poor roses. Cynthia