Finding well fitting professional pants always has been a challenge for me. Most pants fit like a garbage bag: they're huge on me! They're almost always way too wide, and if I am lucky enough to find pants that aren't -- they are way too long! So, that means - going to the tailor and spending more money on hemming the pants (painful for my wallet).
Well, I recently came across Petite Professional, a website with a very cool concept: professional pants specifically designed and created for petite women under 5'3" - awesomeness! It's a wish come true for every budget-minded petite professional woman.
Dechen Lhewa, Founder of Petite Professional
I had the chance to talk to the big brains behind these small pants, Dechen Lhewa, about her inspiration for starting Petite Professional.
Why did you start Petite Professional?
Petite Professional came into existence because I wanted to cater to women like myself who have such a difficult time finding petite pants that fit. As a 5’1” petite woman, I had to get all my pants hemmed. I would shop in large retail companies that offer petite pants, but those pants were still too long. Buying pants became such a chore because after buying the pants, I had to find a tailor, wait for another week or so, and pay the tailor (adding to the cost of the pants), before I could finally wear the pants. As a petite woman who is budget conscious and does not enjoy such delayed gratification, I realized that no one was really catering to petite women like me. As a result, Petite Professional was launched.
How did you get the idea to actually start a website to sell professional petite pants?
I wanted to set up an online business because that is the best way to reach the most number of petite women. Of course it is also cost efficient. While it is an online business, I also realize that women like to try on pants before buying them- petite women in particular feel this way because they have had such a difficult time with finding pants that fit. To address this, I schedule appointments at private venues in the Boston area so women can try on the pants. Additionally, I hold booths at festivals within the New England area. (All festival appearances are announced on the website and also by email.)
When did you start Petite Professional, and how is it going so far?
Petite Professional's Black Pants
While Petite Professional was established early this year, the website was launched over the summer. So far we have gotten a very warm reception! When we attend festivals, there are so many petite women who walk into our booth with a big smile on their faces, just thrilled to see our petite pants. The response to Petite Professional has been very positive and it’s because petite women who don’t fit into the petite pants made by the large retail companies are left to fend for themselves, so they are extremely happy to learn about us.
How are professional women responding to your website?
Petite women are responding positively to our website. We get comments from our customers asking for a permanent location so that they can stop by. One of the challenges has been to get the word out about the company over the internet, which is why blogs like ExtraSmall.Me play such an important role in connecting petite women with small businesses that cater to them.
Where do you order your petite pants, or do you make them?
Our pants are made in India by our tailors who are highly skilled in making pants for petites and also specialize in custom tailoring pants. Our pants are stylish, comfortable, and expertly made. What makes Petite Professional different is not just the style and comfort, but also because we include the inseam in the sizing of the pants. We currently carry petite pants sizes 0P to 6P with inseams between 26 to 30 inches. (Additional sizes will be introduced this winter.) So someone who usually wears a size 0P would also have the option of choosing their inseam length. Our size labels look like this: 0P X 26, indicating that the pant is a 0P with an inseam of 26 inches. Our sizing eliminates the pain of getting pants hemmed and our customers can enjoy their pants as soon as they lay their hands on them!
We are currently offering the Classic line of pants that comes in Black, Khaki, and Black Stretch. This winter we will introduce a new line of petite pants with additional sizes, so keep an eye out!
I would like to thank Pelpina for interviewing us and also would like to invite all ExtraSmall.Me readers to visit the Petite Professional website and to join our email list for special coupons and discounts!
Thank you, Dechen! I think you're making a lot of petite women very happy :)
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[...] That's why I was very excited to receive a pair of black pants from Petite Professional. This pretty new website was started out of a desire to find well-fitting petite pants. I recently interviewed the site's founder, you can read more about her here. [...]
[...] of black professional petite pants, which I'm very happy with, you can read the review here. I also interviewed the big brains behind the website, Dechen Lhewa, about her business and her desire to find [...]