A (Petite) Week of Outfits: Caitlin Abber

OMG how am I so late to this short rave. Yes to Levis #501’s forever. Winter tip for those of us shivering in New England = just replaced my Burton kid snowboard pants from pre- pregnancy ages ago, for a pair of Helly Hanson’s, kid size 14. Tons of colors, a generous waistline that has side velcro to adjust for layers and relaxed bellies. Under $100. (The adult ones are 3-4x that amount). I think the key with snowboard pants is they make them shorter as to not drag under the board / skis. I’m not snowboarding these days, just walking the dog in the February arctic tundra, and attending protests. xox

I’m 5.4 and I find that empire waist dresses elongate my torso and my legs a lot

Unrelated but Caitlin where is your blue rug from? I love it!

Love to see a fellow shorty wearing a voluminous skirt! Great set of outfits!

Love your style, Caitlin! I am 5’1 too and always believed trenches were just not for us short women, but I’ve been proven wrong today! <3

Old navy online has affordable jeans and pixie pants in petite lengths and they last me a whole school year or more of wearing/washing weekly. Their ankle length regular sizes are actually also short people friendly.

Who else..? I feel like Toby would be a great candidate if he’d like? Leggings > jeans suggests sensory sensitivity that I think actually a lot of us experience, neurodiverse or not.. And is a change of wardrobe for a new life phase relatable or … ??!! X

So cool! So wise! So fun! Rocking these fits and that blonde hair! You make me excited to turn 42! Yay!

Loooove her style. So good.

I’m a petite plus, and have found Lane Bryant’s short and petite length pants, especially their jeans very flattering and just the right length. I go for cropped and ankle pants too…find the wide legs flattering and lengthening! One of my go to outfits is a pair of pants ( usually black or jeans) a fun T, and a duster length cardigan! Very flattering, lengthening and versatile…You can dress it up or down! I’ve always been comfortable with my height!

Caitlin you are the coolest! Every single outfit is amazing. I a 5’2″ and so appreciate all these tips. Also I have brown hair naturally and have been more or less fine with that for the past 39 years… however all of a sudden this last month, have been feeling so incredibly called to go blond. This post felt like validation from the universe I should just do it! Could you share where you get your hair done?

Thank you for this post. I’m 5’0” and have recently had the most luck at the Gap. Petite sizes are not in store but there is a wide selection online.

Absolutely gorgeous! This 5’1” lady feels so seen lol. She makes a CASE for a red lip, too!

I also wear makeup everyday and always a red lip. I love the jeans and open black jacket combo. It looks so chic.

Thank you for sharing your lovely perspective, Caitlin! I’m inspired by your accepting approach. I’m 5’1″ and I also love Levi’s jeans (28 inseam for me). I’m wondering if you all have recommendations for clothing brands for people who are petite in height but larger busted on top? I find it so hard to find clothes in general because of this mismatch. Would appreciate any of your recommendations!

Fellow 5’2 mama fan-girling over Caitlin! She looks incredible and love her sage advice surrounding fashion, beauty and parenting. Tip for other petites: Abercrombie jeans are ELITE! They have 4 inseam lengths – I go for the “extra short” for cropped styles, “short” for floor skimming with flats, and the “regular” length when I want to wear a small heel or boot.

Subscribing to the Short Story box (https://my.shortstorybox.com/) was a game changer for me! I did not do it for very long, but I was able to find pieces that I have used and will be able to use for years. A blazer that looks professional and fits well? Check. A midi skirt that ‘s actually midi on me? Check. If you hate the buy-online-return loop, try Short Story.

Thank you for this post as a 5’0″ shortie! I love her style!!

HA! I read the last description right after getting a call in the middle of conducting an interview — it was the school nurse, telling me my kindergartener had just thrown up at recess. So much of Mom Life is universal.

As another short one I decided to make myself a winter coat. Finally a coat that fits. Not nearly as hard as it seems and so many compliments from strangers. Worth giving it a go.

Nelle Atelier jeans have been a game changer for me! Woman owned, small business. Not inexpensive but for the perfect pants, I finally felt worth the splurge. I LIVE in mine. A forever pant for me.

Caitlin’s style speaks to me – clean lines, bold colours, some menswear-inspired pieces – this is generally my own style, too!

I loved this week of outfits! I really appreciated her approach to being relaxed and confident, using clothes to express vitality and an excitement to be alive. I’m 37, and unfortunately, not yet a mother, but I still fight these impulses to dress more like a “grown up”. Last night I tried on a top I purchased (final sale ugh!) and realized it is fuuully a crop top. Debating what to do now but I think I might just say fuck it, be fun and provocative because I’m not dead yet!!

I’m 5′, so this post is everything! I feel like the Levi’s 501 tip has just changed my life.

Another 5’2″ inch shorty here! i’m currently rocking my son’s hand-me-down jeans (old navy, LL Bean) from when he was in middle school (boys size 12, they even have the inside elastic band belt). I love how they fit me and how they feel on. I don’t know if I’m winning any fashion awards, but i’m cool with that.

can we get a hometour for caitlin’s place, too!? love all of this.

Every single outfit knocks it out of the park but I especially love the last look. All my 70s campus fashion dreams come true. <3

She looks cool as heck!! What a stunner. Love these quotes: “Everything is for you if you want it to be for you.” “I like showing skin, and being a little fun and provocative, because I’m not dead yet, you know?” And after seeing it recommended many times here, this is convincing me to get that VioletteFR lipstick finally.

OBSESSED. The outfits, the overall attitude – I love this one so much!! I have a similar body type and feel really inspired to embrace it and have fun getting dressed/putting on makeup! As a mom of a two-year-old, I needed this haha

As a 6’2″ woman, I was reading this and nodding along– not because I relate to clothes being too long, but because I can empathize with nothing ever fitting right! This line: “One tricky thing about being petite is that coats are impossible to find” is me, with one word changed: “One tricky thing about being tall is that coats are impossible to find.” We have so much in common, while honoring, embracing, and loving our differences! (That said, it’s easier to hem than it is to add fabric! ;)

I love this attitude about being petite. Reminds me of my friend Becky and her book: https://goodreads.com/book/show/17707624-i-d-rather-be-short

So fun!! Love this one. So many fun lines. But Caitlin, we gotta know the hair routine! What hair color/style do you ask for at the salon and how do you maintain it? It looks amazing.

“Everything is for you if you want it to be.” 100000% YES. I embrace that so much now, as a middle aged woman who has no effs left to give. I too am petite and also don’t follow the rules (since they were mostly made by men, duh). Quince has good options,as does J. Crew. Also, a good tailor is GOLD — they can help you make anything look the way you want it to.

Yay, I love this! She’s so chic! “I’m like, I’m short! There’s no hiding it!” – same! I’ve spend years not caring about the “rules.” I’m short and curvy. Will a cropped wide leg jean make me look short and wide? YEP, bc I am short and wide. I constantly see “you can only wear that if you’re tall and thin” and ladies, not true! I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen comments that women my size shouldn’t wear barrel pants. I LOVE barrel pants.

Love her style and attitude! It’s also refreshing to see one of these posts about someone who doesn’t already have a giant social media following. Feels more real somehow!

Thank you, thank you for featuring a petite fashionista! I’m 5′, and I totally relate to the woes of trying to find clothes that are flattering and fit right! What a babe! Definitely taking some pointers for myself. First off, putting makeup on even on the days I don’t leave the house. That’s so true, I feel so much better when I do it, but I find I don’t do it that often if I feel like I won’t be out and “seen.” But my daughter will see me, my husband will see me. I’m alive, isn’t that a good enough reason to dress up for the occasion?

I have solely worn Madewell petite pants for the last year or so, and find that they fit really well, the quality is solid, and it’s easy to pick up basically new ones on poshmark. On a separate note, as a petite size 10, I appreciate when petite-focused things don’t just assume everyone short is a size 2/XS

Mommy you KNEW I was coming!

My eight-year-old daughter is also obsessed with bunnies. She’s had a bunny lovey since she was a baby, and we always joke that because none of us can remember who gave it to her—or how it even appeared in our house—it must have come with her out of the womb. The bunny is white (now gray), and my daughter insists it was made from one of my ribs. All of that to say, I feel like we’re kindred spirits… and maybe I should also get a bunny tattoo on my ribcage.

For Uk petite ladies, Hobbs has gorgeous winter coats. I’ve never felt more confident in a shinier coat until I found one that fits my shoulders and sleeve length appropriately.

Fellow petite – where are people buying short/cropped sweaters or tops that work with high waisted pants? I thrift all of mine but i’d love to find something that works with high waisted things since i’ve transitioned mostly to those

Fellow shortie here! Don’t sleep on the kids department at Zara. While shopping for my own kids, I’ve found that tops and sweaters and even sweatpants in the largest size fit great, and they often have smaller versions of items in the Women’s section. I’ll often cruise the boys section at Gap and Target, too. And if you’ve got petite feet, order kid shoes! Get those Sambas at a discount, friends. For more grown up shopping, I’ve had luck with Uniqlo and Buck Mason.

She’s gorgeous! And such a healthy way for her daughter to grow up. <3

I’m 5’3” so I almost always have to hem my pants. I buy my pants from thrift stores and sometimes if I’m lucky they’re already hemmed up. I wear cropped pants all the time. Love them!

Caitlin — where do you go for your color? The blond is perfect.

FINALLY!!! As a 5’0 gal, I’ve been waiting for a petite week of outfits!! Caitlin seems soo cool too :)

This post is such a gem! I am petite and love a cropped jean and own a thrifted trench. I feel like I just got the gift of a personal stylist. Going to recreate many of these outfits! Thanks Caitlin!

The comment about bleaching her hair and then thinking “oh, there I am” really landed. I’m meant to have short hair, but every few years I feel compelled to grow it out. When I inevitably cut it off, I always end up looking in my hairdresser’s mirror and thinking “oh hi, it’s you again.”

Love her style and vibe 😎

My petite brand recommendations: Longway California (currently on a production break) Designed by a petite woman, everything fits SO GOOD. LNDR 6/8 crop for workout leggings. Maeve colette crop. I would love to see featured: Kris Galmarini who is the designer (and cafe/retail shop owner) of aforementioned Longway. Brooke Baldwin. Natalie Kuhn. Lacey Phillips.

I really loved reading about Caitlin’s week. We don’t have the same style or body but h I attitude of joy and acceptance is so inspiring! There is nothing cooler.

She is beautiful!!!

Okay. Wow. Hi. We love herrr!

5′ 0″ shortie here! After a year of looking for straight 90s black jeans, I finally found a pair from the Gap. Love em. They’re cropped, so I ordered the regular size, and they fit like normal length :’) They also have a petite option, which will actually fit like a crop. https://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=7891210022502&locale=en_US&vid=1

Cute! I’m 5’6″ but this is inspiring me to bring my red lipstick into everyday.

I love this! As a fellow 5’2″-er who has had a pair of Levi’s 501s in her online cart for WEEKS I must know what inseam Caitlin wears for them to still be cropped. The ones linked have a 30″ inseam! So long.

“Everything is for you if you want it to be for you.” Words to live by!

So, so chic! That trench is 🤌 I hear you on aligning the outside with the inside; you look great as a blonde 🫶

I always read these and think about what it’d be like to be featured myself. It’d be like one of those Instagram accounts that mimics sexy supermodels in alluring poses, but as a regular human. My feature would have things like “And this is me taking my kids to school, wearing knock-off leggings from Amazon that don’t bind at my waist! (Not that you could tell, because I make sure my shirt is long!)” and then “This stylish puffer jacket was a hand-me-down from a friend and I wear it all winter long. In my house. Because I’m cold all the time.” Don’t get me wrong–I love reading these posts. I just always feel so unfashionable and frumpy. (And then I tell myself that I really *make* these leggings and long-sleeved workout shirts.)

When I was younger, I shopped the Junior rather than petite depts to avoid the ridiculously odd sizing for small frame but C cup women. Vintage shops and a stellar seamstress is where I land now. Teen sized sneakers and boys socks. Oversized layering pcs, sometimes the men’s section. Once I stopped shopping in a petite dept only focus I found far more options. And inseam challenges is no lie!! Love the looks and the joy dressing for vitality- big yes!!

As a sometimes petite, sometimes not 5’3″ woman I really appreciate this. I too have found brands that work for me (Reformation, Banana Republic, AYR) and have made friends with my tailor. When you find the things like those Levis that work for you it feels like magic.

You know the movie 13 Going On 30? Well I feel like the little girl dreaming of growing up, except instead of being 13 I’m 25 and instead of 30, Caitlin is making 42 look like the DREAM! What an incredibly stunning person, in every possible way

Ah, yes, the record-scratch, instantaneous life pivot we all do when a child throws up. Here’s to more mom moments (and pivots) in such hot boots!

Sisters, I am A TALL and this profile resonated SO MUCH! When I tell you the AGES it took me to understand exactly this sentiment: “I’m like, I’m short! There’s no hiding it! It’s okay, it’s great! Everything is for you if you want it to be for you” NAILED IT! Thank you! I’ll put those words into actions with my TALL daughters!

You are so cool. Just, wow. I bow down.

I really really hope we petites get some good clothing brand recs in this thread. I need this escape for a bit.

I absolutely love this! I’m also very short and I wear cropped pants too. I’m not trying to hide that I’m short at all. Ha! So much inspiration here. I’m wondering if anyone has ideas for tights/nylons that go all the way up your thighs(so you can wear that Uniqlo skort above) but that don’t have a gusset/crotch? Or just stockings that go up that far that you can use with a short garter belt? I basically cannot deal with anything other than cotton, but all my thigh high tights don’t ever go up far enough for shorter skirts. Thanks!

Caitlin is so cute! I have a crush!

love your style, Caitlin!

you are rockin’ every fit ;)