<<dressy AND professional events instead of sweats. She'll be in a pretty informal part of the world (and an informal profession as well) so a good suit ought to be enough (or at least better than what she has now). >>

Are you sure she will have a need for this? If her profession and her area of the country are informal/casual, you may be able to get by with something less suit-like. Sure there are formals at college but not many occasions for suits unless she is in a more formal business type program.. that was the case when I was in school and from what I have seen with niece's, even less so these days.

I am thinking separates would do the trick and be more versatile. I am not a fan of Free People's dressier jackets but both nieces love their oversized jackets with pants, shorts or jeans. Other options.. Banana Republic.. J.Crew .. Zara

But I don't have kids.. and nieces have been out of college a few to many. I am sure others will have a more current perspective and advice.

Thanks Funky. I'm off to browse!

The kid just hates being fancy (and uncomfortable). For her, suit or suit-adjacent is as dressy as she gets (don't get me started on how the school crackdown on bullying has made it really hard to make your kids dress nice if they don't want to! Is a little peer pressure so bad? 😄)

She has really only had to dress "nice" for music performances and her one nice outfit is from that. But it's not really that nice up close--just a kind of sloppy cheap blazer from the juniors dept. paired with crepe elastic waist pants. (Aha. Separates! You are right!) Just a nice jacket to coordinate with the sweatpants.... The crepe pants she has now were a success. They are dressy but they are the most comfortable thing she owns so she doesn't hate them. Yeah you're right. No to the suit. Yes to the jacket!

In general I've really liked Theory and Banana Republic for suits and for trousers/dress pants in general. But I'm not petite so I'm not certain if the fit will be right for your petite daughter. My petite sister in law did say she just tried Theory and found some items she really liked, so maybe.

I work in a fairly casual industry in a very casual city. Earlier in my career and at several points such as interviews, it's been beneficial to have a suit. I also have worn the pants without the jacket for other professional engagements. It's nice to have one or two polished and professional outfits in the closet. Job interviews, unexpected professional presentation, business dinner, etc. So I think that's great to set your daughter up to have something in the event she needs it.

Thanks! Ann Taylor and J.Crew have good options--standard stolid styles in very small sizes. BR might be a little cutting edge. :)

Sheesh...back in the 90s (?) Ralph Lauren (I think?) used to have great plaids. I thought those would always be around...they seemed so perfect. I'm disappointed in their current patterns.

My DD is small, too. About 5’1” and 110 lbs. We went ”real clothes” shopping last summer for an internship and she had good luck at BR (for a nice pair of black pants), Loft (a couple of tops and a dress), and Eddie Bauer outlet (black joggers in a dressier fabric). She also got a dress at Madewell a couple of years ago that she’s worn for several occasions.

After buying all those clothes, she ended up not really having to dress that formally for her internship. But now she’s graduated and job hunting so maybe eventually she’ll wear them!

Maybe something like a sweater jacket that would work with jeans for casual and dressier pants for more formal without going full-on business suit...

https://www.anntaylor.com/petites/petite-summer-sweaters/cata000027/596392.html?dwvar_596392_color=6901&dwvar_596392_size=409&currency=usd

When DD was in college and then working, she liked J. Crew separates that matched and made a suit.

If she likes to be comfortable and doesn’t really much care for suits, would she consider a dress? To me, it is just so much easier to throw on a dress, than all the pieces that make up a pants suit.

ETA: on the J Crew website, look at ”resume dresses.”

Of course, I'm the last one to ask....I'm of the age that I'm still bothered by young'uns in food stores in PJ bottoms and slippers. I have to adjust my mindset to, "Well at least their a$$e$ aren't hanging out!"

My DGD is very petite and had to buy a few suit pieces for her MBA program. She had good luck at Ann Taylor Loft and Banana Republic.

Re plaid...I always think of plaid as a fall/winter item, not year round so not as versatile as a solid.

DD (late 30s) also loves plaid. I just sent her a plaid jacket on sale from Joule but it was winter weight. Here's a cute one from Kate Spade

and a more budget friendly pattern from BR. Comes in black also, petite sizes available they say

I would go classic, with a taupe/ beige.

I agree with Ann Taylor or how about Macy’s?

Fori,

Does it have to be a suit? Could it be a nice dress?

When I was younger I did not like dressing up or being uncomfortable. I am pretty much the same now.

I would wear dresses if needed. I never was remotely comfortable in a suit.

I always had the perfect black dress that I could use for various events etc. I could use different jewelry, shoes and/or add a sweater etc.

Would she like to have a few dresses instead of a suit? Do people her age wear suits? I guess given I have no children, I do not know what people her age are wearing these days.

So, I went and did a little research online for suits etc. I think Ann Taylor has some great options.

Maybe she just needs a suit that she can wear the pants with a nice blouse/top and she could also wear the blazer with jeans or something else.

I also think finding the right simple black dress would cover all the possibilities of what to wear.

Seems like she could create many outfits just out of a suit, a nice blouse and a black dress!

I saved some photos but I am unsure of her style. Does she like pants that are straight or ankle length, fitted etc?

When I was that aged I was the same size but probably more of a 0 Petite. It was hard to find things that weren't swallowing up.

I wish I still have that problem!

I also wonder if a suit is necessary, or if a nice black or navy or gray dress might do for this purpose. As you say, the environment is casual.
Your post reminded me of when my young adult son was interviewing for grad school on the east coast. He’d wear a suit jacket, but never a tie. He told me he did not want to give the false impression that he was the sort of person who would ever be wearing a tie, lol. FWIW he’s now a clinical professor at a top university.

I do think it's a good question about a dress vs a suit. For me, personally, I was far more comfortable in a suit than a dress in my 20s. It also may depend on the industry whether a dress is the right look. I work in a very male dominated industry so suits or nice trousers fit in better for interviewing. But that may not be the case for Fori's DD.

So many great suggestions! Thank you all! I am going to follow up on all these leads. I do think separates is the way to go.

(I know this is kind of late to be dressing my kid. She's way past the age to dress herself. But this is the first time in years she's been willing to get real clothes!)

@amykath, swallowed up is the look she is currently rocking when "dressed up". The outfit below, plus a black shirt up to the neck (add a black mask if it's crowded).

The sweater jacket looks comfy and might appeal to her. I do like the idea of something decent that she just might choose to wear with no reason.

She does NOT wear dresses or skirts, even though comfort is her goal. She won't even wear jeans (but I'm going to strongly encourage her to have a pair). She doesn't do low cut. Her preferred leg on pants is "without a cuff (as in "jogger style) but that's still okay". She is of course describing sweat pants. She has no style.

I have a new associated goal: find actual PANTS the the kid will wear. So she CAN throw on a blazer or suit jacket and be socially acceptable without putting on the mini mortician outfit below.

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The only reason she has ever agreed to wear anything nicer is for school concerts which require black dressy attire. And who would have guessed it? she has needed to dress up for a few presentations at school so out comes the band outfit again. I guess that is why she has agreed that a suit-ish outfit would be good to have for college. It's because she doesn't have anything else decent at all and doesn't want anything else (and wouldn't wear anything else).

I found what she has been wearing for the past few years:

These pants in a miniature size--she actually likes these pants because they are more comfortable than sweats (and you can wear long underwear under them without it showing if you're a tiny person)!--https://www.macys.com/shop/product/alfani-womens-wide-leg-pull-on-knit-pants-created-for-macys?ID=9904652&CategoryID=157&swatchColor=Deep%20Black%20Black

And this jacket in XS Juniors, buttoned up all the way https://www.macys.com/shop/product/bcx-juniors-two-button-blazer?ID=703289&CategoryID=60983:

It's unstructured and a little too big but stretchy enough to not be uncomfortable and you can stuff it in a backpack and machine wash it...

Oh, and shoes...that is another issue. They will not have heels, I'm sure of that...

I like those options! Cute and relaxed.

i live the plaid jacket! great for someone her size and age. should be good for warm weather; reminds me of madras shirts and shorts. 😊

Shoes: see if she will consider Rothy’s. Maybe appeal to her eco side…they are made out of recycled plastic bottles.

I know a little bit of where you are coming from. Once DD left the corporate world (she was in consulting) and became a stay-at-home mom, she became all athleisure, all the time. The only reason she has any dressy clothes at all is because my sister gained some weight and gave DD some really nice things that no longer fit her.

Great finds! I really like them both!

We each have our comfort zones in clothes, shoes life etc.

Ha! Appeal to her eco side. Perfect. She accomplishes her tiny carbon footprint by never wanting anything new, but does acknowledge shoes must be replaced once you can see through them.

The items I showed above are what she's been wearing. They are okay. The jacket is kind of schlubby though. It's not a proper blazer. Fake pockets. It looks kind of cheap. I'm imagining a blazer so fabulous it makes her look like she knows how to dress. *sigh*

If she fills out without getting taller, I have some awesome 90s suits and separates. Those shoulder pads will beef up any scrawny kid! They sure aren't comfortable though.

(Off to dig out my favorite plaid blazer and see if I can take it in...those retro shoulders though. Anyone remember the Talking Heads? WHY THE BIG SUITS?)