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Matalan Petite Review – Papaya April Ankle Grazer Jeans
I don’t shop on the High Street much, but I was browsing (monstera covered) homewares when I happened upon the petite collection at Matalan (which had launched five years ago apparently!). The range is limited, as with most petite collections, but there’s enough to provide a petite gal with a good few options for Summer.
Available in sizes 6-18, I tried on a few things in a 6 and the proportions were on the large side for me personally. However, there were a couple of pieces which were great.
I loved this green Paisley Shirt Dress which had a strong 70’s vibe. There are buttons all the way down the centre, on the cuffs of the cropped sleeves and a pull through belt. It’s a cool midi length, but it would be too long for me without heels. They aim for 5’3″ and under, so it would probably be great for the top end of that height range if you only wear flats. Add some tortoiseshell earrings and a scarf in your hair for boho chic, a comfortable heel for a great office look or flat sandals and a wicker bag for a shopping day. Or you know, if you’re trying it on in a changing room, the barefoot look works too….
The best buy I found were the April Embroidered Ankle Grazer Jeans which have the most amazing embroidery panel and pom pom trim! (you know I’m all about the pom poms). They’re a skinny fit style with pockets and were actually a really good length (22 inch inside leg – slightly cropped, above the ankle) and fit (no bagging around the waist, the waist was actually in the right place, no extra length in the crotch area which usually happens with standard sizing on petite gals).
At £18 they’re an utter bargain too. Limited sizes are left online but they had plenty in my store so it may be worth calling ahead to see if yours has them.
I paired my new jeans with the Collectif Ronda top which continued the pom pom theme and added more colour to what would make a perfect summer bbq outfit. It was such an easy to wear outfit and will be perfect for mooching around in the sunshine too.
I’ll keep my eye on Matalan from now on – I like to support companies which are trying to provide us with a targeted range; that way it’ll encourage others to do so (the same with collections aimed at tall people, too). We need more like this to jump on board and think about torso sizes, waistbands, leg length etc. We are small in stature and in number, but we’re still a target market prime for the taking. Fingers crossed for more petite lines in the future!
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For reference, I’m 33:24:33 and a standard size 6 in most shops. I’m 4’11” and wearing 4 inch heels in the main photos.
Also wearing:
Belt: Lisa belt in blue from Collectif (I had to add a couple of holes to make it fit)
Shoes: Lorena by Lulu Hun
Hairflowers: Lucina by Miss Bella’s Blooms
Bangles: Mix of Splendette, Bow & Crossbones and Vivien of Holloway -
Collectif SS19 – just add sunshine!
Hello lovelies, hope you’re all managing to wade through January and sale time has helped put smiles on your faces. I always look forward to the sales (though this year I haven’t bought much as I’ve been lucky to get what I wanted through the season), but more so as I know it’s the beginning of the new season stock which starts to dribble in.
I’ve bought a few pieces already and thought I’d share them with you, including review information so those of you wanting to buy the pieces can get some fit advice before ordering. I’ll also be doing a full run down of the whole spring/summer collection but that will be in a separate post (as there’s just too many goodies to talk about here!).
So, first up, skirts! These are the two I bought which caught my eye last year:
The Tropical Palm skirt is kind of a mix of last year’s ric rac and cactus skirts crossed with the cherry vintage skirt – a longer length and more of a half swing than full skirt, with the addition of a wide belt with holes which is fantastic. No pockets, but it hangs beautifully. I’ve paired it with the Chrissie black jumper below as it’s a bit too cold for summer tops right now and I think it works really well for brightening up wintry days too.
I love leaf prints and monstera leaves in particular, so this design screamed ‘buy me’ as soon as I saw it. The greens are so bright and add a lovely detail to the bottom of the skirt.
The skirt material has stretch and if you’re in between sizes, you should be fine to order your normal size. I ordered my normal size and there’s still a little room left for puddings – perfect! The skirt is a little longer for some with petite gal problems, but I actually like this length on me and would wear it with flats too. It’s a good length even for petites and has a zip at the back.
There is also a matching cardigan to this which I’ll be bagging to be matchy-matchy of course!
Next up is the Josie Crab Skirt – look how cute this is! Little red crabs on patch pockets and a rope tie belt for a jaunty, nautical, theme (I’m wearing it with the navy Penny top).
The material is really lovely with a nice sheen to it. I’ve chosen to tie the rope belt just at the front and in a bow, though it does fit the whole way around if you wanted to wear it differently. There’s lots of volume in the skirt and the length is good. There is stretch to the material and waistband so order your normal size. It has a zip at the centre back .
Again, there will be a matching cardigan available if you wanted to wear the whole ensemble.
Moving on to dresses (my favourite category, obviously). The Jemima Polka dot frock was the stand out dress for me at the previews last year. With its cute pastel dots on a cream background, pearl buttons, sweetheart neckline and matching belt with holes – dreamy!
The fabric is really good quality and has a linen look to it but it’s cotton – which is great as I’m always worried about showing my wares when fabric is such a light colour! It’s not at all see through so no need to worry about that.
It has deep set, side seam pockets. The only thing I would have preferred is to have adjustable straps (they are fixed), so I’ll need to move these a little for my frame but an averaged height gal will have no such issues. The buttons to the front all open, there isn’t a zip. The fabric has a light stretch so if you’re in between sizes you’ll be fine to order your normal size. I found it true to size on the bust so if you’re lucky enough to be larger than a D cup, you may want to size up. This dress is also available in black (more like a muted black as this is a pastel princess’s dream so a hard black would look too harsh).
Finally, I bought the Jade Tropical Fruit dress. You’ll recognise the print from the skirt version which was released last year. Unfortunately I can’t wear the border print skirts as they’re too long for me and shortening them would ruin the detail, so I missed out on this fabulous fun print last time. I have around 6/7 Jade dresses as the style is so flattering and snapped this one up as soon as it was released as a dress.
The fruity novelty design on this dress is so much fun! I can’t wait to wear it in the summer.
As with all the Jades, it has side seam pockets, pretty double strap detailing with a bow (the straps are adjustable, yessss!), a concealed back zip, full skirt, sweetheart neckline and a wide belt with holes. The length is great on me, it hits at mid shin (a flattering vintage length) and being cinched in with a belt is always a style I favour. The fabric is quite stretchy compared to my other Jades and this one is definitely a little looser on me on the top half, so some of you could size down in this if you’re not busty (if you are, hurrah, there’s lots of room!). I may run the sides in just a little as this doesn’t come in a smaller size for me, but I’m very glad to get my hands on it and add to my Jade obsession. I also have a shoe collection to rival Imelda Marcos, but have suddenly realised, I don’t own any orange shoes! This will need to be rectified, obviously.
Another early release is the much loved Nova Rainbow dress. I was lucky enough to buy this last year in the limited run that was produced, but it’s out again now and I know many of you missed it, so there’s another chance to bag it. This is a really special dress, with hidden pockets at the side, purple belt with holes and delicate straps which are adjustable. It is true to size and a little bit stretchy so you’ll be fine in your normal size. Spread rainbow joy everywhere!
I hope you’ve enjoyed a little glimpse of the new stock in real life pics and I’ll add my full new season stock review soon. Now, we just need some sunshine and we’re good to go!
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For reference, I am a size 6 (33:24:33) and 4’11”, usually wearing 3 inch heels in my photos.
All items above were purchased from the lovely Into The Moon (super speedy delivery!).
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Well hello there vintage guy and dolls!
A little introduction as this is my first post. I’m a 40 something, petite (4ft 11ins), pin up lovin’ kinda gal, living in a modern vintage world. I adore everything retro and vintage inspired, particularly those of the 1950’s era, though I don’t discriminate and appreciate anything beautiful and reflective of its time.
The point of this blog was to showcase the styles I love to those that are in the same boat as me – a little vertically challenged! There’s so much choice available to average sized gals, but it’s a little trickier for those of us on the petite spectrum! I also see a lot of gorgeous young things on promo ads and (not being a spring chicken anymore), I thought a place to show that you don’t have to be young or tall to wear the clothes and look and feel good, would hopefully inspire others to wear what they love too.
Hope you enjoy the blog 🙂