It’s been a while, folks! Sorry for being gone for so long. But life, as it sometimes tends to do, happened. And I also haven’t been shopping much lately, which makes it a bit tricky to update a petite fashion and style blog. Still, I’ve missed you, and now that fall has fallen, it’s time to do a bit of a wardrobe update.

This month’s haul review is from brands that ought to be familiar to regular readers of this blog, if only because they’re some of the few options we Canadians have to reliably find clothing in petite sizes that actually ship here for free. I did a big shop at the sister brands of Banana Republic, GAP, and Old Navy Petite, in a bit of a wardrobe update. How did I fare? Let’s see.

Falling for fall skirts

I’m currently working at a contract role that requires me to be in-office on a hybrid mode a couple of days a week. I do enjoy wearing skirts and dresses, but most of the ones I own are only really appropriate for summer weather, and we’re heading into the fall here. As a result, I decided to pick up a couple of midi and maxi skirts to add to my wardrobe.

Midi skirts can be tricky to pull off as a petite. That awkward mid-calf length can be really unflattering if it hits at the wrong spot. It’s also a notoriously difficult length to pair with footwear; open-toe sandals and shoes aren’t really seasonally-appropriate in our Canadian winters, and midi skirts risk looking too heavy and chunky with boots. But even so, I gamely tried with a few midi-length offerings in petite sizes from the brands above.

First off, I picked up this beautiful mesh gauzy midi skirt in a deep purple floral pattern from Banana Republic. It’s a synthetic mix of nylon and polyester, which didn’t thrill me. But the colour, the a-line styling, and the lightweight fabric all looked like it would be comfortable, flattering, and a great fall skirt. Here it is depicted on the very tall model:

Skirt: Banana Republic Mesh Pleated Midi Skirt, deep purple floral, size PM, $118.80 CAD (reduced from $198)

I originally bought this in a Petite Small, which is my usual size at Banana Republic. However, when the skirt arrived, I noted with dismay that it was intended to be quite high-waisted, which I find really uncomfortable to wear. I also found that, for an a-line skirt, it was rather snug at the hip area and fell awkwardly. So I exchanged it for a Petite Medium, so I could wear it at a more comfortable lower point on my waist. Here it is on me:

I love love love the colour, and the skirt feels light and flowy, just as I’d hoped. It’s thankfully lined, which it kinda needs to be, since the outer layer is sheer mesh. It feels heavy enough for the cooler weather, while still being light and not too stiff. It even flares out at the bottom when I twirl.

On the downside, it’s a bit long for a midi skirt, closer to a not-quite maxi length. And, as mentioned above, it’s a bit tricky to pair with shoes. Open-toed shoes like the ones in the photo are generally not very practical for colder seasons, my winter boots are too chunky for it, and my Naot Chelsea boots cut off at the ankle and leave a bit of an awkward gap. Really, I ought to pair it with these Italian leather boots, which are a very old pair that I’d owned forever, but I recently had to get rid of them because I’d worn them literally to the point of coming apart. I really need to go shopping for a cute pair of sleek fall midcalf boots… any suggestions from readers?

Footwear aside, I love this skirt and it will go well with all my purple and burgundy tops that I own in abundance. This is a keeper.

I also ordered this asymmetrical midi skirt in brown denim from the GAP, in hopes that it could serve as a fall basic to pair with sweaters or shirts:

Skirt: GAP Denim Asymmetrical Midi Skirt, terra brown, size PS, $81.91 CAD (reduced from $118)

This one was a bit trickier for me to make work in person. It’s a stiffer, thicker fabric, for starters. And I also have the same footwear problem; this really requires a taller fall boot, and I don’t currently own a pair. Here it is with my Chelsea boots to illustrate:

It’s comfy and it fits well, but I’m not entirely sure how much wear I’d get out of a skirt like this, especially without the right shoes to pair it with. I’m a bit undecided on this one. I might hang onto it and use it as an excuse to go boot shopping.

Finally, there was this lace-trimmed black 100% cotton maxi skirt from the GAP, which I figured would be cool, comfy, and a good basic for summer, both at home and while travelling. Here it is on the model:

Dress: GAP Lace-Trim Maxi Skirt, true black, size PS, $54.84 CAD (reduced from $158)

On me, I actually found the fit a bit awkward. It has a weird elastic waist that makes the fabric fall a little strange. It also shows wrinkles and fluff very easily on the black fabric:

Overall, I found the maxi length and the black colour a bit heavy looking on me, oddly enough given the light weight of the fabric. I also don’t love how this pairs with my cropped cardigan. I think this might be more practical as a summer skirt than a fall one, but I’m not sure how much I’m liking black as a summer colour. This may be just a matter of styling it better, but I’m not quite sold on this one.

Dresses

I didn’t really need any more summer dresses, but I couldn’t resist picking up this cute Banana Republic flutter-sleeve dress on sale. On the model, it looked like exactly the type of dress I would love: Cap sleeved, fitted at the waist, a-line, hem just at or below the knee. Even the ditsy floral design looked like it would be nicely romantic for spring, summer, and even early fall:

Dress: Banana Republic Stretch-Satin Flutter Sleeve Midi Dress, cream floral, size PS, $128 CAD (reduced from $290)

I had hoped that this would be a lovely lightweight breathable cute dress on me. Sadly, in person, the reality was very disappointing. Here it is on me:

First off, we need to talk about the fabric: This is where shopping online can be so misleading. I should’ve read the fabric information more carefully, because it turns out that this is made from mostly viscose that has a weird-looking sheen, shows every wrinkle and line, and feels, well, let’s face it, cheap. It’s unlined, sewn badly, and looks pretty awful in real life. The ruching detail at the front doesn’t look deliberate like it does in the photo; in person just looks like someone misaligned the halves of the dress when sewing it. It also feels like the fabric would be very sweaty in hot weather, which is not ideal for a summer piece.

Honestly, for a dress that retails for nearly $300, this is a sad example of how even premium brands are becoming indistinguishable from cheap fast fashion. The quality is appallingly bad.

What’s more, it doesn’t even look good. The fit is poor. It’s way too big for me in a petite small, overwhelming my frame. It’s too long, hitting just above the ankle instead of just below the knee, as shown in the photo. The waist sits too low. It’s also too big at the bust and shoulders. This is why I order a petite size in the first place, so it won’t have these problems! And even the colour is off; in person, the white is more like a drab yellowed ivory, and the whole look is frumpy.

Needless to say, I sent this back. I’m not impressed, Banana Republic.

Tees and tops

Cropped tops have been trending for a while, especially when paired with high waisted baggy jeans. These t-shirts from Old Navy looked like they would be cute additions to my wardrobe, with a scalloped sleeve and hem detail and a waffle knit. I picked them up in two colours, a vibrant green and a deep red:

Tops: Old Navy Fitted Waffle-Knit Cropped T-Shirt, Java Fern and Red Velvet, size PS, $10.70 CAD each (reduced from $19.99)

Unfortunately, the sizing on these was way off. Usually, Old Navy t-shirts fit a bit big and baggy on me. But here I had the opposite problem, where the petite small was just teeny-tiny and far too tight on me, almost as though I were wearing clothes that had shrunk in the wash:

It’s too bad because the colours are quite fun. But these tees were way too small and fitted for my liking. I sent them back.

Next, I picked up this ribbed collared cropped short-sleeved sweater from Old Navy, in a colour that was described online as “golden glow”. It looked to be a warm rich fall yellow on the model:

Tops: Old Navy Short-Sleeved Ribbed Polo, Golden Glow, size PS, $24.99 CAD (reduced from $49.99)

In person, however, the colour could more accurately be described as highlighter yellow. It was so bright that I practically needed sunglasses to stop it from blinding me:

Other than the brightness of the colour, I actually found I didn’t hate this one. The fit is a bit awkward, with some bunching here and there, and the collar doesn’t necessarily sit as flat as I’d like, but that might smooth out over time. The only issue is the colour. It does actually also come in a nice vibrant green, but that one was sold out in my size. I’m tempted to keep the yellow one and just wear it whenever I want to stop traffic.

Then there’s this v-neck cotton tee that’s about as basic as it gets. I usually pick up GAP or Old Navy Petite t-shirts to fill this wardrobe need, because they’re some of the only tees out there that fit well on my short torso. I liked the hunter green colour of this one and didn’t have anything like it in my drawer, so I grabbed one of these:

T-shirt: GAP Organic Cotton VintageSoft V-Neck T-Shirt, deep hunter green, size PS, $24.25 CAD (reduced from $34.95)

On me, it fit fine, if a bit boxy. The fabric is quite wrinkly out of the box but it should smooth out over time. It’s a bit pricier than I usually like to spend for these basics, which often go below ten bucks on Old Navy. But it’s not too bad. And the colour works for spring, summer, or fall:

Then, I bought a pair of tops that I figured I could wear when I wanted to dress up a bit or go out on the town. While I own plenty of summer dresses for hot-weather nicer occasions, I always struggle in the colder months to find tops that can go from day to evening and pair with pants or jeans. I bought a couple of options that I thought might help fill that gap.

The first one was this reddish burgundy top with ruffled detailing and bell sleeves. I figured it could work well with jeans or pants as a bit of a dressier top for evenings or nicer occasions, while still being casual enough for everyday. Bell sleeves are tricky to pull off as a petite, since they’re hard to roll up and they’re usually too long. But I hoped that the petite sizing of this would compensate by having a shorter sleeve length. And the colour is, needless to say, just right for me:

Top: Old Navy Fitted Bell-Sleeve Ruffle Top, Reddy or Not, size PS, $19.80 CAD (reduced from $36.99)

However, on me, this just did not work at all:

For one thing, it’s unlined and entirely see-through, which is something that was not apparent from the website and I only found out the hard way once it arrived. This meant I had to layer it over a tank top, leading to awkward bunching and gaping. And while the bell sleeves were actually the right length on me and fit better than I thought they were, the top itself was shorter and tighter on the body than I expected.

But ultimately, it was the cheapness of the fabric and quality that made me decide to return this. This is a 97% polyester, 3% spandex mix, and it feels scratchy and poorly made. And the ruffled front detailing sat awkwardly and just looked weird. I liked this one a lot better in theory than in practice. It went back right away.

Still in the realm of tops that could be dressed both up or down, I picked up this long-sleeved tee with an asymmetrical shoulder and collar detail from the GAP. I thought it would fit that niche when I’m looking for a top with a bit more visual interest to dress up with a pair of jeans, without it seeming too formal. The chocolate brown colour is one I thought would work nicely on me for fall, too:

Shirt: GAP Modern Asymmetrical T-Shirt, terra brown, size PS, $36.79 CAD (reduced from $59.95)

On me, I found the fabric had a nice rich weight to it. It’s a cotton and modal blend with a little bit of stretch, and it felt buttery smooth and comfortable on me. I also liked the chocolate brown colour. And while the asymmetrical collar sat a little awkwardly, it actually looked pretty good on:

The one concern I had was that it was actually a bit tight. Honestly, the sizing of this haul has been so all over the place; some items are fitting way too big and baggy in my usual size Petite Small, while others feel too small and tight. I might have considered exchanging it for a size up, but the Petite Medium was sold out by the time my order arrived.

Anyway, I think this is pretty cute and it will fill a gap in my wardrobe, so I decided to keep it.

Button-down shirts

Next was this GAP flannel shirt that’s about as much of a fall basic as it comes. I have quite a few flannel button-downs, and they always get a decent amount of wear in the colder months, but I figured I could always use one more.

Shirt: GAP Flannel Fitted Shirt, black plaid, size PS, $81.91 CAD (reduced from $118)

On me, this was pretty terrible. I thought the fitted design would solve one of the problems I often encounter with these types of shirts being too boxy or oversized. But instead, it just fit awkwardly, too loose at the shoulders, too long at the sleeves, and the back of the hem kept flipping up:

In addition to the awkward fit, another strike against this shirt is that it’s a bit too similar to another grey-and-white flannel button down I already own. And the sticker shock was what I couldn’t quite get past. I don’t know what about this is worth over $80 bucks, especially when similar tops from sister brand Old Navy go for under $25. I found that there was nothing about this that was special enough to justify the price tag, so I decided to return it.

I also picked up this plaid shirt from the GAP that is in a lighter-weight cotton, billed as a Western-style shirt. It seemed like it would go great with jeans:

Shirt: GAP Plaid Western Shirt, blue & brown plaid, size PS, $74.97 CAD (reduced from $108)

On me, this is how it looks in person:

So, this does go nicely with jeans. It’s a lightweight shirt that I can wear either tucked or untucked, and the fit is quite good too. The sleeves are slightly long, but they’re easy enough to roll. Plus, it’s 99% cotton, with only a tiny bit of stretch from 1% elastane. A nice bonus to have a shirt in a mostly natural fabric. And it’s thin enough that it will make a good transition piece for spring or fall, versus the mostly heavier flannel plaid shirts I already own.

On the minus side, I’m not convinced that the small-patterned western check plaid is all that flattering on me. It’s quite different from my usual style, and kinda makes me feel like I should be wearing cowboy boots and attending the Calgary Stampede. I like it, but I’m not sure how often I’d wear it. For now, I’ve placed it in my “maybe” pile to decide whether to keep or return. The jury’s still out.

Fall sweaters

You can’t think of fall wardrobe refreshes without thinking of sweaters. Indeed, it’s getting to be sweater weather outside. And while I have a pretty good selection of sweaters already, I thought it might be time to pick up a couple more.

First, there was this simple cotton basic crewneck sweater from the GAP. It’s a staple piece and it comes in a half a dozen different colours. I opted to buy it in a basic black, like this:

Sweater: GAP 100% Cotton Rollneck Sweater, black, size PS, $67.33 CAD (reduced from $108)

I actually own a pretty similar sweater from Old Navy already, but it’s at least a decade old and is starting to fade and fall apart. I figured it was time for a refresh of this wardrobe basic. Here it is on me:

Overall, I’d rate this as fine, but nothing special. The fit is a bit boxy, the sleeves are a teensy bit long, and honestly, this is just okay. I tried on my old Old Navy black sweater and found I still liked that one better, as old as it is. So I sent this back.

I also bought the same sweater in a brown striped pattern that I figured would go well with jeans:

Sweater: GAP 100% Cotton Rollneck Sweater, brown and blue stripe, size PS, $67.33 CAD (reduced from $108)

Just to prove that the same item of clothing in a different colour can look entirely different, here’s how this one looks on me:

This worked so much better in the brown striped version than in the solid black that it felt like a different sweater. I don’t love horizontal stripes on me as a matter of course, but I like this sweater enough to overlook that. I decided to add this to my wardrobe.

Speaking of sweaters in multiple colours, I also picked up two of these cable-knit zipped hoodie cardigans from the GAP, one in a rich chocolate brown, and one in a wine burgundy. Both are usually good colours on me, and I could see these as being staple pieces in my wardrobe during the colder months, worn over a t-shirt or tank top:

Cardigans: GAP 100% Cotton Cable-Knit Zip Cardigan, terra brown and noir red, size PS, $81.91 CAD each (reduced from $118)

Here they are on me:

The fit is good overall, worn both open over a t-shirt or zipped up. I love the burgundy red one, despite already owning a bunch of other tops and sweaters in this colour. So it’s hard to justify keeping it, but then, I can always use another purple sweater, right?

The chocolate brown is also nice. It’s a colour I tend tend to wear less often, but I think it’s nice for fall.

The sleeve length is actually a bit too long on me, even despite these being petite-sized. But I found that rolling the sleeve once worked fine. Otherwise, these fit great on me, with the cropped length hitting right at the top of my jean hem. The cable knit has a nice rich feeling to it that is cozy enough for fall and winter without being too thick.

My only quibble is that the zipper feels a little cheaply made, and on the brown one it seems to stick a bit. But otherwise, I actually found myself quite liking these. I’m definitely keeping the burgundy one, and I might keep the brown one too if I’m feeling splurgey.

Finally, there was this cherry red cropped cardigan from the GAP. This actually is available in a dozen or so different colours, including ones that I usually would lean towards like navy or burgundy. But, just to change things up, I opted for this brighter red. It seemed like it could be a nice bright piece to add a little bit of a festive feel as we get into winter:

Cardigan: GAP CashSoft Crop Cardigan, modern red, size PS, $62.43 CAD (reduced from $89.95)

On me, however, this was just wrong in every single way:

The fit is terrible. It’s boxy, sits weird at the waist, too long on the sleeves, and too short on the body. I’ve noticed this effect with the cropped top trend lately; it’s unusual for me, with my short torso, to find tops to be too short. But sometimes, they just hit at that weird spot that has a shortening effect overall. Furthermore, the colour is way too tomato-red for my liking in person, as opposed to the cooler bluer red in the website photo. This is not a flattering colour on me.

And we need talk about the awkward way the buttons gape instead of lying flat when this is done up:

The buttons just pull weirdly and refuse to lay flat. And it’s not because it’s too tight, either. This sweater is actually a bit loose on me, if anything. It’s just badly made. Needless to say, I instantly returned this one.

Cozy petite pyjamas

Finally for this haul, some pyjamas. As someone who works from home and spends a lot of time just lounging about, I do tend to wear out my PJs pretty regularly. And it’s actually quite tricky to find pyjama pants in petite sizes. So I picked up a couple of new pairs.

Pyjama pants: GAP Adult Softest Flannel PJ Pants, red tartan and navy plaid, size PS, $35.40 CAD each (reduced from $64.95)

I find that the GAP is one of my most consistently reliable sources for petite-friendly pyjama pants, and these ones didn’t disappoint. Both pairs are 100% cotton, cozy, comfortable, the right length on me, and, best of all, they have pockets!

Okay, so they’re just pyjamas. But when you’re petite like me, finding the perfect pyjamas is actually pretty exciting. These may be my favourite items from this haul. They’re almost certain to be the most worn.

Haul summary:

Overall, I love fall shopping because I find that the season tends to have some of my favourite colours, fabrics, and styles. This haul wasn’t amazing: It had a few hits, quite a few misses, and far too many pieces that looked nice on the website but, due to poor quality, fabric choice, awkward fit, or inconsistent sizing, ended up being disappointing in person.

Ironically for a short-torsoed petite, I am not loving the crop top trend as much as I expected. Ironically, I think it works better on women or girls with longer torsos, who can use it to pair with high-waisted pants to show some skin at the midriff. At 46, my midriff-baring days, such as they ever were, are long behind me. I find that many cropped tops are an awkward length on me, ever-so-slightly too short and often cut either too boxy or too fitted for my liking.

On the bright side, I got a couple of new great sweaters and cardigans, some midi skirts that will be nice when I finally find the right boots, and a couple of cute tops and tees. I also refreshed my pyjama collection with a couple of new pairs. So I count these things a win.

To my readers, what do you think? Any favourites? Any thoughts?