PETITE SIZE CLOTHES
Shorter expat women in the Netherlands often have trouble finding clothes to buy in this country of tall Dutch women. Read on for options of stores that sell petite clothing…
To be successful in the clothing retail industry, a business not only needs to offer the right fashions but to stock them in the right size runs appropriate for its customer base. Such size runs are typically in the shape of a bell curve, where the retailer buys more of the key sizes and less units in sizes at either end of the spectrum.
TALLER DUTCH PEOPLE
Here in the Netherlands, the bell curve is shifted to the right when compared to most other countries since the average Dutch women is over 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall. By comparison, the average British woman is 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) and the average American woman is 5 feet 4 inches (162.5 cm). What it means is that a shorter Dutch woman would be average height in the USA or UK.
As you can see, the need for petite sizes in the Netherlands is not the same as it in other countries. It presents little opportunity for retailers to increase their sales by offering shorter lengths, especially since it would have to come at the expense of stocking more longer length clothing.
In general, petite size clothing is targeted at women who are 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) or shorter. For trousers and jeans, petite sizing typically equates to an inseam of 26-28 inches (66-71 cm) compared to the average length of 30 inches (76 cm). In the Netherlands, the standard length of jeans and trousers for most fashion retailers is 32 inches (81 cm). Retailers that have a sizable denim and trouser business (for example, America Today) usually carry multiple lengths, but even in these stores, the shortest length is typically a 30-inch (76-cm) inseam.
PETITE SIZE RETAILERS
Alas, there are some brands and retailers either located in the Netherlands or that ship to the Netherlands and offer a petite size range…
THE GAP – Although they have no physical stores in the Netherlands, they have an EU webshop with a sizable petite clothing assortment.
G-STAR RAW – This Dutch denim brand is one of the few that offers women’s jeans with a 28-inch (71-cm) inseam. They have lots of stores in the Netherlands including Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Breda, Haarlem, The Hague, Leiden, Rotterdam and Utrecht.
STEPS – This Dutch women’s clothing retail chain offers trousers down to a 28-inch (71-cm) inseam. They have 50 store locations across the Netherlands including Delft, Eindhoven, Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Nijmegen and of course the 4 big cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht).
SUPERDRY – This international clothing brand offers jeans with inseams down to 28 inches (71 cm). In addition to the Netherlands Superdry webshop, there are stores in The Hague, Rotterdam (Hillegersberg), Leiden, Amstelveen, Haarlem, Utrecht, Breda and Tilburg.
MANGO – This international fashion clothing chain has jeans and trousers down to a 28-inch (71-cm) inseam. Shop online or in store (over 40 locations in the Netherlands).
C&A – This large Dutch clothing chain is another that offers ladies jeans and trousers down to a 28-inch (71-cm) inseam for the petite shopper. You can find them on all the big shopping streets and malls in Holland.
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