Petite and Plus Sized Models

[sexydaydreamer]

I disagree with both of you and think that people on this forum who say clothes look better on tall thin people are biased seeing as it is a fashion and model forum. Also, the only reason the construction views better on these models is because the designers made it specifically for them. If they made it for a plus-sized model or a petite model it wouldn't look good on an ordinary tall and thin model.

Anyway, I believe that everyone can look good in clothes as long as they are wearing something that flatters their particular body type and they carry themselves with grace and confidence. Not all tall thin girls are going to make clothes look great if they walk like a gorilla in heat or wobble about like they are going to topple over and smash into tiny pieces.

I do agree that tall thin people can look very elegant and ethereal in certain clothes, but I also think that women with curves can look stunning and sexy and that petite women can look beautiful and feminine.

I myself prefer the slim but curvy look to the very thin look even though it can be attractive. I'm not saying tall girls can't have curves, but if you compare a tall woman and a short woman with the same measurements, the shorter woman is going to be a lot curvier because her measurements are squashed closer together. A waistless woman with a body like a ruler (such as Gisele Bundchen) is not going to look as amazing in an elegant gown as an hourglass woman will in my opinion.

I agree 100%.

 

[writergal28]

I know this might offend people but i would not want to see plus size and petit models on the runway.(im petite myself) i want to see see Hot bodies and attractive models that show off the clothes. I like the runway to be a fantasy it sells the image. And by the way that torrid ad is heinous. she is pretty but that pic is nasty even if she was wearing something that i loved it just ruins it for me.

Then who should model clothes that are made only for special sizes?

 

[leiah]

There is really no market for petite modeling. Most petite lines are just different cut versions of the regular lines; they're going to use the same models and advertisements and whatever that they use for their regular sized lines. I don't know of any agencies with petite divisions.

There are jobs for shorter girls, but they go to girls who are 5'6 at an absolute minimum. For example, I'm 5'7 and I was in a swimsuit editorial for a magazine where me and several other models of my height were hanging out in a boat. A 5'11 girl would have looked cramped in the boat, but we were able to lay across the width of it and just barely fit. Jobs like that exist, but you'll need to get an agency and every agency has a height requirement.

The only place where you're going to see short models is in magazines like Maxim or FHM, etc. Which is fine, because it appeals to the mainstream a lot more than fashion does.

 

[writergal28]

There is really no market for petite modeling. Most petite lines are just different cut versions of the regular lines; they're going to use the same models and advertisements and whatever that they use for their regular sized lines. I don't know of any agencies with petite divisions.

There are jobs for shorter girls, but they go to girls who are 5'6 at an absolute minimum. For example, I'm 5'7 and I was in a swimsuit editorial for a magazine where me and several other models of my height were hanging out in a boat. A 5'11 girl would have looked cramped in the boat, but we were able to lay across the width of it and just barely fit. Jobs like that exist, but you'll need to get an agency and every agency has a height requirement.

The only place where you're going to see short models is in magazines like Maxim or FHM, etc. Which is fine, because it appeals to the mainstream a lot more than fashion does.

Unless you're a celebrity who is famous for other reasons (i.e. Avril Lavigne)

Seriously though, I think petite women aren't loud enough. We have only in the PAST FEW MONTHS really voiced our opinion on ANYTHING regarding fashion. And even then, it's mostly more MATURE WOMEN. I do know that a girl in the UK is trying to start an agency that caters to models her size (5'3"), and to my understanding, it's slightly easier to get commercial beauty work for short girls over there. I do hope that short women, especially younger ones voice their opinion more. Or is it that they just don't care? If this is true, then it is very, very, very sad.

 

[yourbestfriend]

Well, as for asking why models are expected to be taller for designers, models have to wear sample sizes, it is much easier and less time consuming to tailor each outfit to every girl, when instead there are plenty of tall slimgirls they can put the same size onto everyone. Besides this, during a runway show, the clothes are there to be seen by magazine editors and buyers, as for the short amount of time the clothes appear, having the clothes larger, on taller models allows more of the design, cut, and details to be seen, as opposed to a smaller version on a smaller girl, especially in a larger venues.

 

[gia0202]

another fact people forget is that tall women have very different proportions.
as a tall woman--- just under 6ft. the differneces are very tnoticeable like a longe neck/legs/arms for body. other's are more subtle, like tall women are actually curvier typically. almost all my pants need to be taken in at the waist since there is a pretty big gap between my hips and waist. same goes for chest sizes. with even the thin ones, most tall women are atleast a c. i think u are more likely to find an exagerrated hourglass figure in a taller women---even if she is thinner. comparing natasha poly is still so much curvier than the olsen twins who are actually thicker than her. also its easier to find an extremlyt hin tall woman vs. a short thin one.--if you didi find a short thin one, she would probably look like a child.

all these factors add up to tall women generally looking better in clothes, unless you want a fuller girl--but even then, a tall, full women looks pretty good as well...

 

[writergal28]

another fact people forget is that tall women have very different proportions.
as a tall woman--- just under 6ft. the differneces are very tnoticeable like a longe neck/legs/arms for body. other's are more subtle, like tall women are actually curvier typically. almost all my pants need to be taken in at the waist since there is a pretty big gap between my hips and waist. same goes for chest sizes. with even the thin ones, most tall women are atleast a c. i think u are more likely to find an exagerrated hourglass figure in a taller women---even if she is thinner. comparing natasha poly is still so much curvier than the olsen twins who are actually thicker than her. also its easier to find an extremlyt hin tall woman vs. a short thin one.--if you didi find a short thin one, she would probably look like a child.

all these factors add up to tall women generally looking better in clothes, unless you want a fuller girl--but even then, a tall, full women looks pretty good as well...

So where does that put people like Reese Witherspoon, Avril Lavigne (who is a "model"), Eva Longoria, etc?

 

[luna1576]

So where does that put people like Reese Witherspoon, Avril Lavigne (who is a "model"), Eva Longoria, etc?

actress, singer, actress. that's where it puts them. As much as actresses and singers are pressured to look like models they aren't so they really don't categorize as plus sized or petite models imo.

 

[writergal28]

actress, singer, actress. that's where it puts them. As much as actresses and singers are pressured to look like models they aren't so they really don't categorize as plus sized or petite models imo.

Yes, but Avril is the new Chanel girl. She's also signed with Ford (I think...or was it Wilhelmina?), probably with their celeb division. I also think these gals are "shaped" like models, despite their short frame.

 

[luna1576]

Yes, but Avril is the new Chanel girl. She's also signed with Ford (I think...or was it Wilhelmina?), probably with their celeb division. I also think these gals are "shaped" like models, despite their short frame.

ehh but she's still not a model..she's more like a spokesmodel. not the same thing. she'll always be avril the singer just like cindy will always be cindy the supermodel. i mean they are all certainly petite but they are just as important as the product they are selling..so sample sizes will be altered, exceptions will be made where as the average model would be expected to fit the sample sizes.

 

[writergal28]

ehh but she's still not a model..she's more like a spokesmodel. not the same thing. she'll always be avril the singer just like cindy will always be cindy the supermodel. i mean they are all certainly petite but they are just as important as the product they are selling..so sample sizes will be altered, exceptions will be made where as the average model would be expected to fit the sample sizes.

They probably are altered, but there's a chance that they aren't (especially with dresses). I once bought a dress that was meant to be just below the knee on someone who is model-height, but the mid-calf length on me looked just as good.

Also, sample sizes can vary from designer to designer. It's just that they all seem to CHOOSE to make them longer than average. A designer can always, if he/she wanted to, make things that fit someone who is 5'1! Now wouldn't THAT cause a stir (and I hope, a good one, too!)

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

another fact people forget is that tall women have very different proportions.
as a tall woman--- just under 6ft. the differneces are very tnoticeable like a longe neck/legs/arms for body. other's are more subtle, like tall women are actually curvier typically. almost all my pants need to be taken in at the waist since there is a pretty big gap between my hips and waist. same goes for chest sizes. with even the thin ones, most tall women are atleast a c. i think u are more likely to find an exagerrated hourglass figure in a taller women---even if she is thinner. comparing natasha poly is still so much curvier than the olsen twins who are actually thicker than her. also its easier to find an extremlyt hin tall woman vs. a short thin one.--if you didi find a short thin one, she would probably look like a child.

all these factors add up to tall women generally looking better in clothes, unless you want a fuller girl--but even then, a tall, full women looks pretty good as well...

None of that is true; height has nothing to do with having big breasts and hips. If that were true all petite women would be flat-chested and hipless, yet I know plenty with boobs so big they find it difficult shopping for clothes and no petite women I know can purchase trousers from the children's section (which they would be able to do if they had small hips). I myself can't fit into a size 2 pair of trousers because my hips are too large, but a size 4 is miles too big for my waist.

Also, it is more likely you would find an exaggerated hourglass figure on a petite woman rather than a tall one. If a tall woman and a petite woman have identical measurements, the shorter one will always look much curvier because her measurements are squashed closer together:

Both sets of red lines are the same as each other (you can measure them if you like), yet the shorter drawing looks much curvier because the lines are closer together. For a tall woman to look just as curvy as a 35-24-35 petite woman, she'd have to have measurements similar to 38-22-38, or something just as ridiculous.

In addition, I doubt many would consider Salma Hayek "child-like" even though she is petite and slim.

 

[writergal28]

I am surprised that no one has responded/posted here in a while.

 

[Snow-White]

As a girl who is 5'2 I would love to see a designer/runway line for petite girls. I love the way I look but shopping can be hard.

Its sooo hard to shop outside Asia.
Im 5'2.5 I wish that I had exercised and tried to grow taller. I wasnt even interested in it. Although, i admit i enjoy being picked up easily by my boyfriend

There is some market for shorter girls in India> especially in commercials.
And in Bollywood, there are many short girls.

 

[writergal28]

There is really no market for petite modeling. Most petite lines are just different cut versions of the regular lines; they're going to use the same models and advertisements and whatever that they use for their regular sized lines. I don't know of any agencies with petite divisions.

There are jobs for shorter girls, but they go to girls who are 5'6 at an absolute minimum. For example, I'm 5'7 and I was in a swimsuit editorial for a magazine where me and several other models of my height were hanging out in a boat. A 5'11 girl would have looked cramped in the boat, but we were able to lay across the width of it and just barely fit. Jobs like that exist, but you'll need to get an agency and every agency has a height requirement.

The only place where you're going to see short models is in magazines like Maxim or FHM, etc. Which is fine, because it appeals to the mainstream a lot more than fashion does.

There are some petite designers out there who only make petite clothes. Pam and Sheena Borja of Tamiece come to mind. These girls have trouble finding models for their clothes because there are so few agencies, if any who have girls under 5'5"! I know a girl who wants to make clothes for petite women and she doesn't think she'll ever use anyone over 5'5" for her clothes. Fit models, of course, are shorter (and are not as hard to find). I would *LOVE* to just call up an agency, tell them that I am doing PR work for a petite designer and see what they say!

I *DO* find it interesting that companies are VERY WILLING to use very petite celebs in marketing campaigns though.

 

[honeyisle]

There are some petite designers out there who only make petite clothes. Pam and Sheena Borja of Tamiece come to mind. These girls have trouble finding models for their clothes because there are so few agencies, if any who have girls under 5'5"! I know a girl who wants to make clothes for petite women and she doesn't think she'll ever use anyone over 5'5" for her clothes. Fit models, of course, are shorter (and are not as hard to find). I would *LOVE* to just call up an agency, tell them that I am doing PR work for a petite designer and see what they say!

I *DO* find it interesting that companies are VERY WILLING to use very petite celebs in marketing campaigns though.

You just said it. It's because they're CELEBS.

 

[penny609]

a few petites...
Elin Jakobsdottir who was obviously smaller than the other models at Veronique Leroy s/s 07 don't know if you call her a "petite" She's listed as 1m73 but guess she's a little below. Even smaller, Madara Malmane. Some great eds but don't know if she has done shows...
Then you have Felicity Gilbert who is even smaller than Kate Moss (Felicity is 1m67). She did some shows, editorials, etc.

 

[writergal28]

This thread hasn't been active in a while. Anyway, I'd just like to point out that I've recently posted a few things on petite fashion events and designers, but they've received relatively little attention. Perhaps many people here don't want to be proved wrong?

 

[Eurasian Mélange]

^ It's a fashion forum, so I guess it is biased and there are many people that have nothing to post other than put-downs and indirect insults. Did you see how quickly the thread dropped once I quashed the myth that all petite women are curveless and child-like?

 

[writergal28]

^ It's a fashion forum, so I guess it is biased and there are many people that have nothing to post other than put-downs and indirect insults. Did you see how quickly the thread dropped once I quashed the myth that all petite women are curveless and child-like?

Yeah. And nobody bothered to reply to that post.