It’s again that time of year: Fall is in the air. That’s right, after a summer full of heat waves, cooler temperatures are finally here, leading to thoughts of pumpkin spiced lattes, a rewatch of Gilmore Girls, woollen scarves, and cozy sweaters.

Uniqlo often gets cited as a petite-friendly brand, despite not actually carrying petite sizes. Probably, this is partly due to people assuming that, since it’s a Japanese brand, the sizes must be petite-friendly. (Not necessarily true, by the way, since the North American sizes differ from the Japanese ones). And partly because it often has cropped or shorter styles of clothing, and offers free hemming on many of its pants.

However, as a short-torsoed petite, I have found that Uniqlo is more miss more than hit for me; their oversized clothes and “unisex” (read: men’s-sized) stuff doesn’t work on me at all, while their smaller-fit items are often not cut for hips or curves.

However, I do occasionally get lucky with sizing, and sometimes their stuff goes on tempting sales. This month, I decided my wardrobe could use a couple of new sweaters for fall. So I headed to the Uniqlo in downtown Montreal to try on some options.

First, the season’s most popular trend: Nautical horizontal stripes. You’ve probably seen them everywhere, on literally everyone. We spent a few days in Amsterdam last month and it seemed like every second person was wearing a navy-and-white striped top or sweater.

I’m usually wary of horizontal stripes as have a widening visual effect, which can be brutal on us petites. Horizontal stripes might look fashionable on a tall leggy model. But on me, it often has the effect of making me look like a squat blob. Not particularly flattering.

However, as much as I’m not usually a trend victim, I had to admit that the look had possibilities. I tried on this striped cotton-knit crewneck striped sweater that comes in three different colours: brown, off-white, and navy. Here it is displayed on the taller models, who range from 5’5″ to 5’9″:

Sweater: Women’s 3D Knit Cotton Crew Sweater in Brown, Off-White, and Navy, size S, $49.90 CAD

And here it is on 5’1″ me:

Of the three colours, I actually found myself liking the off-white the best, and the navy the least. This was a bit surprising, since I usually prefer darker colours like navy blue. But I found that the navy blended in a bit too much with my jeans, making me look wider at the hip area. The brown wasn’t bad, but the white and navy felt more classic and versatile.

In terms of fit, obviously, on me, it’s longer and a lot less cropped compared to the fit on the model, hitting at my hip area as opposed to at the model’s waist. In a size small, it’s a bit oversized: The shoulder is a drop style with no seam, so it’s not that obviously too wide on me. But the sleeves are a bit too long and I had to roll them a couple of times to compensate:

This is a frequent problem with regular sizes versus petite ones: A lot of the proportions are ever-so-slightly off. But even despite the imperfect fit, I found myself liking this sweater enough to pick one up in the off-white colour. Feel free to call me a fashion victim; I don’t care.

The next thing I tried on was this soft 100% cashmere turtleneck in olive green:

Sweater: Women’s Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater in Olive, size S, $129.90 CAD

The fit, on me, was sadly pretty awkward:

I really wanted to like this, since it was so soft and cozy. The length was almost just right. And the sleeves, while too long, were easy enough to roll. But the chest area pulled awkwardly, not being cut for enough curve at the bust. The shoulder seams were cut too wide for my shoulders. And the fabric just sat and pulled weirdly.

In short, due to poor fit, it didn’t look expensive. And for me to spend $130 plus tax on a cashmere sweater, it really kinda needs to look expensive. I put this one back.

Next, I tried on a couple of cardigans in my favourite burgundy purple. First was this washable merino crew neck one:

Sweater: Women’s Merino Crew Neck Cardigan, wine, size S, $59.90 CAD

Being a good 8 inches shorter and significantly wider at the hips than the model, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this actually fit me quite well:

Despite the sleeves again being too long, the overall fit of this sweater was far better than the cashmere turtleneck. It fits me close to the body, the length is actually really petite-friendly, and in a small, the proportions were pretty decent. Machine-washable merino is super practical to care for and wear, so I decided this needed to come home with me. (Though I wouldn’t wear it with those loose paperbag pants like the model. That style would never work with my curvy hips. But anyway.)

Encouraged by the fit of the cardigan, I tried a very similar one, also in merino, also in the same wine colour, only this one was ribbed:

Sweater: Women’s Merino Ribbed Crew Neck Short Cardigan, wine, size S, $59.90 CAD

I thought I could expect them to fit the same. The reality, however, was quite different.

Unfortunately, this one was cut much narrower at the bust, and gaped and pulled unattractively when closed. I think they meant this style to be worn open over a shell or tank top. But I wasn’t going to buy it without at least having the option to wear it on its own. Unfortunately, I think this would only work well on someone with a smaller chest area than mine, as it really isn’t curve-friendly. I put it back.

Haul summary:

So is Uniqlo petite-friendly? Well, that depends. Petites come in all shapes and sizes, as we know. Uniqlo’s clothes are sometimes cut shorter or more cropped than other brands. And, especially if you’re very slim and have a straight up-and-down body type, you might have good luck with their styles. Those of us who are curvier will still struggle, as even Uniqlo’s larger North American sizing isn’t really cut to accommodate curve.

What’s more, their clothes are still very much tailored for average-height women, which means that inseams, pants, skirts, torso lengths, straps, dresses, and coats will be too long on most petites. And while some pants can be hemmed in store for free or a small fee, many of their items simply aren’t easy to alter.

I’ve had slightly better luck finding tops at Uniqlo than I do in other regular-sized stores. I did manage to pick up two sweaters in today’s haul, both of which fit me not too badly, with the sleeves rolled. However, Uniqlo still doesn’t fit as well as brands that offer true petite sizing. My review is a bit of a mixed bag.

But you gotta love washable merino. If only someone made it in petites.