A Petite Perspective on New Arrivals at Old Navy

There are some try-ons where photos tell you almost everything you need to know, and then there are outfits that really need to be seen in motion. This is one of those times.

Stephanie does such a good job explaining the clothing when she tries things on, pointing out the fit, fabric, length, and little details that you might not notice in a photograph. So instead of pulling still photos from this Old Navy try-on, I decided to let you see the videos.

I think they’re much more helpful, especially with dresses, wide-leg pants, and skirts where the way the fabric hangs and moves can completely change how you feel about an outfit.

A quick note before you start watching: the videos are set to autoplay, but the sound is muted automatically. If you’re somewhere you can listen, click the little speaker icon on each video to hear Stephanie’s commentary. And if you’re sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, your fellow patients will thank you for leaving it muted. Lol!

Stephanie is 5’3″ and usually wears a size small or size 2-4, although sizing varies depending on the cut. I’ve included the size she’s wearing with every outfit so you have a better reference point.

A Pinafore Dress With A Little Fall Personality

I wasn’t sure what I would think about a pinafore dress until I saw this one on Stephanie. The brown color immediately makes it feel like fall, but layering it over the button-down shirt keeps it from looking heavy.

The video is helpful here because you can really see the shape. It has a straighter, easy fit instead of being tight through the waist and hips, and the front pockets give it a casual feel. On Stephanie’s 5’3″ frame, the XS fits great and hits her right above the knee.

The Same Cropped Shirt With Flare Jeans

Here is exactly why I like seeing the same piece styled two different ways. The white cropped shirt looked cute layered under the pinafore, but with jeans you get a much better idea of where it actually hits on the body.

It falls right around the top of Stephanie’s jeans, so you get the look of a cropped shirt without having a big section of your stomach showing. That’s an important distinction for me because “cropped” can mean anything from slightly shorter to where did the other half of my shirt go?

The flare jeans also make more sense on video. You can see how the leg falls from the hip and how much flare there actually is at the bottom. The darker wash keeps them looking a little more polished than some of the very casual flares we’ve been seeing.

A Floral Dress That Moves Beautifully

This is one of those dresses where a still photo wouldn’t tell the whole story. The swing dress shape is meant to have movement, and you can see that much better when Stephanie walks and turns.

The XS fits loosely through her middle rather than following every curve, so this could be a nice option if you don’t want anything clingy around the stomach. The ruffled neckline and floral print give it a feminine look without making it feel overly fussy, and I love that it has long sleeves to cover the arms.

Petite gurls will want to take note of the length. It hits Stephanie’s above the knee, so taller women should definitely check the garment measurements before ordering if short dresses aren’t your thing.

I’d also wear this later in fall with tall boots, which would change the whole look.

An Easy Brown Shirt Dress

Brown is going to be everywhere again this fall, and this is an easy way to wear it without having to put together several different pieces.

What I like most after seeing the video is the relaxed shape of this long-sleeve dress. It isn’t cinched tightly at the waist, so it has that easy shirt-dress look and doesn’t appear restrictive when Stephanie moves.

She’s wearing the Small, and you can see that she has room through the body and sleeves. That makes the video particularly helpful because an oversized or relaxed dress can sometimes look much bigger in a product photo than it does on an actual person.

If you like defining your waist, you could always add a belt. I might also try it with boots once the weather gets cooler.

Burgundy Is Making A Very Strong Case For Fall

This might be my favorite color combination of the try-on. The burgundy skirt with the plaid cardigan feels unmistakably fall, but the white tee keeps the outfit from becoming too dark.

One thing the video shows really well is the volume of the poplin skirt. It isn’t a narrow midi that hangs straight down. It has fullness and movement, so you need to like a little volume through the lower half. On Stephanie, the longer skirt paired with the shorter cardigan also creates a nice proportion and keeps all that fabric from overwhelming her petite frame.

The cardigan linked above is similar rather than the exact one Stephanie is wearing, and I always want to point that out rather than have you order it expecting an exact match. I’m not sure if the exact cardigan has sold out or hasn’t hit the website yet.

You could also take the cardigan off and wear the skirt and white tee while the weather is still warm, then add the layer later. Those are the kinds of fall pieces I find much more useful in August and September than buying a heavy sweater we’re not going to wear for two months.

Wide-Leg Trousers You Can Actually See From Every Angle

Wide-leg pants are one of the hardest things to judge from a retailer’s photo, especially if you’re worried they’ll swallow you whole.

Seeing these wide-leg trousers on Stephanie gives you a much better idea of the scale. They’re definitely wide, but the fabric falls fairly straight from the hip rather than ballooning outward. The higher waist paired with the tucked-in white tee also helps lengthen her legs.

I like the long camel wrap over the black-and-white base because it softens the contrast and adds a little more interest to the outfit. It’s also a good example of something we talk about all the time: petite women don’t necessarily have to avoid long layers. The key is keeping the clothing underneath fairly streamlined so the whole outfit doesn’t become one big wall of fabric.

Why I’m Showing You Videos Instead of Just Photos

I’ve always tried to give you more than a retailer’s product description because you can read that anywhere. I want you to know what something looks like on a real woman, what size she’s wearing, where it hits, and anything we notice that might affect your decision before you spend your money.

That’s also why I liked Stephanie’s videos for this try-on.

You can watch the hem when she walks, see how much room she has through the body, look at the pants from the side, and hear her thoughts while she’s actually wearing the clothes. Those little details are hard to capture with one carefully posed photograph.

Of course, Stephanie and I are built differently, and your body may be different from both of ours. Fit is personal. Use her height and sizes as a reference point rather than a promise that something will fit you exactly the same way.

But hopefully, seeing the clothes move makes deciding what might work for you a whole lot easier.

To GOD Goes The Glory!

Verse Of The Day

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.