We Don’t Shrink Clothes. We Build Them from Scratch.

P’tit Affair’s petite grading is different. We'll tell you all about it.

Most brands get petite fashion so wrong. And honestly? I don’t even blame them.

Petite fashion isn’t their core focus, it’s a side gig. A tick-box offering.

They’ll shorten the hem, raise the waist a little, and call it petite. But anyone who’s ever bought one of those so-called petite pieces knows: it doesn’t fit. Not really.

At P’tit Affair, we don’t shrink standard clothes.

We build every size from scratch for petite women, and only petite women.

The Problem With “Shrinking” Clothes

When brands create petite clothing, they often just scale down their standard patterns, sometimes shortening sleeves or hems, and occasionally shifting the rise. That’s it.

But the assumption that petite women are just “shorter” is where it all falls apart.

In reality, we’re proportionately different. Our shoulders, arms, bust, rise, and thighs sit in totally different places. That means shrinking a size 10 to create a petite 6 simply doesn’t work, because the proportions weren’t right to begin with.

What grading is and why does it matter

In fashion, grading refers to the process of creating a full size range from one base pattern and usually a size 8 or 10. It’s a mathematical system that works… until it doesn’t.

Because for petites, conventional grading misses the mark entirely. It doesn’t consider how our bodies carry weight, how our clothing moves with us, or how a few centimetres in the wrong place can make a piece feel awkward or completely unwearable.

I had to scrap the “Professional” Grading

When I started building P’tit Affair, I hired a professional grader. Someone who followed all the rules and used industry-standard formulas.

And it was a disaster.

Not because they weren’t good at their job, but because the system wasn’t built for us.

For petite women like me (I’m 5’0”) and the many others I spoke to, tried fittings on, and designed for, the outcome was clear: this process wasn’t going to cut it.

A petite woman is always petite, whether she’s a size 6 or a 16. The whole chart had to reflect that. So we scrapped it and started again. From scratch.

Yes, it took longer. Yes, it meant more rounds of sampling and testing. But it also meant that the fit finally felt right.

What makes P’tit Affair’s Grading different

• Every size is designed from the ground up for petite proportions
• We fit-test on different body types, not just one “petite” sample size
• Our size 16 is just as thoughtfully cut as our size 6
• We design everything to move with you, not restrict you
• And yes, we consider hormonal fluctuations and bust comfort too

We’ve thought of the things most brands never have to, because they’re not building their brand for us. But we are.

Because It Shouldn’t Be This Hard

If you’ve ever left a shop feeling frustrated, or worn something that just didn’t sit right no matter what you tried, it’s not you.

It’s the design.

You’re not difficult to dress. You just haven’t been dressed properly.

That’s what P’tit Affair is here to change.

We don’t shrink clothes. We build them from scratch so you never have to settle again.

The Revolution Is Tailored. And Petite. And Female.

Every piece in our collection was created with intention, tested on real petite women, and designed to fit and flatter you without a tailor on speed dial.

Because real sustainability starts with pieces you love, wear often, and feel good in.
And that begins with the right fit.