August brought us riots and the depressing news that half of the UK could be obese by 2030. For the riots we suspect that greed, lawlessness / lack of discipline and a ‘broken society’ are the causes. Could it be the same factors that lead to obesity?
From my Petite Perspective I would put the cause as low self-esteem. The expectation of ‘all our school leavers going to university’ or us being ‘a size zero’ is just too high whilst everyday people are constantly reminded of these, and other ideals on the TV, in magazines, newspapers on the internet,.....and become wannabe’s and wannahave’s as they become frustrated with their own lives.
The fashion industry too has a lot to answer for. For years we have been exposed to tall, superskinny models, airbrushed images, size ‘O’ celebrities. At fashion college students are actively taught to distort their sketches making the whole body, especially the arms and legs unnaturally long. This may make the figure look more elegant, however, it’s very easy to design clothes that will look good on this body shape. To me this is cheating, unrealistic and not good for societies moral, especially the 25% of women that are petite, who, even by eating half a lettuce leaf each day, won’t come anywhere near achieving this distorted body shape. This is one of the reasons why I model my own clothes because petite models are not only scarce, they only seem to come in size 6 or possibly 8, which is unrepresentative of the majority of petites.
I have seen many petites that arrive at my studio lacking self esteem. They have little chance of relating to fashion and have had minimal choice of clothes to fit, so much so that they have had little experience exploring and understanding what styles and colours actually suit them. Many have become tough and thick skinned about how they look. The first thing they realize at my studio is that anything they try on seems to magically fit. My studio has been likened to ‘being in a sweety shop’. I see their faces light up as shopping for clothes becomes fun! I use my knowledge and experience to steer them towards styles that will suit their colouring and body shape, whether they are thin or large, pear-shaped, top heavy, extra short, apple shaped or perhaps have a medical problem that affects their body shape and perception.
For a designer brand my prices are reasonable and all manner of petite can leave my studio with garments that create great looks making them feel fabulous. A recent visitor from Portnockie, Scotland who recently visited my studio sums it up by saying “Your (Karen Gillam) clothes are even better than they appear on the internet, I’m so glad I came, I’ve had great fun and really benefitted from the personal service, I’m absolutely thrilled with the clothes I’ve bought, I’m going to enjoy the new me!”
So if you are petite - treat yourself to a ‘real pick-me-up’ and visit my studio in Newbury to view my collection of petite clothing. To book your appointment call 0845 0035049. The first 10 people to book and/or anyone who has travelled more than 20 miles will get a 10% discount. Please quote ‘petite perspective’ to qualify.
