Fashion Lesson: Curvy or Petite?
In this photo, who is curvy and who is petite? The answer might surprise you!
I, Sylvia, am on the left and on the right is Katherine. When it comes to fashion terms, I am curvy and Katherine is petite. Pretty counter-intuitive right?
Typically when describing body shapes and sizes, people will often call me petite because I have a small frame. It’s understandable because petite is “small” in French. Katherine is often called “curvy” because she has a fuller frame. Technically these descriptors are completely wrong and I’m going to explain why:
PETITE
In fashion, petite sizes are entirely based on height. You are petite if your height falls under 5’3″. The reason this is a special category of sizing is because petites tend to have a shorter torso, making the length from bust to waist to hips proportionally smaller. These body sizes usually require shorter lengths as well. At 5’5″, I am not petite but at 5′, Katherine is!
When we say that our Sakura Convertible Top is a great option for petites, this means it works well because the shorter length of the skirt. The O/S (one size) is still the same size– it’s just shorter! This makes it an ideal top or skirt for taller girls.
CURVY
Curviness is not the fullness of your figure but an actual mathematical ratio between the waist and hips. The waist to hip ratio must be greater than 0.75. This means that the waist measurement must be 75% or less than the hip measurement. A common problem for curvy girls are jeans. Often times jeans that fit your hips will be very loose at the waistband.
With waist to hips of 24″-34″, my waist is 75% of my hips & I am curvy.
With waist to hips of “34-40“, Katherine’s waist is 85% of her hips & she is not curvy.
Sakura Convertible Dresses work well for ladies who are curvy (or not) because the circle skirt means the hip measurement is open and is flattering no matter what your waist to hip ratio is.
Luckily, Sakura dresses flatter all body shapes and sizes! So what words would describe your body shape?
This blog post was originally written by Sylvia Wong