Austin Reed Women's Petite Stitch-down Pleated Skirt

Sometimes you cannot be too sure about shopping online for clothing -- I have returned a lot of stuff from other online retailers because the clothes fit so poorly or looked nasty-cheap once they arrived. But I have been nicely impressed with the quality of the fabric and workmanship of the Austin Reed line, not to mention the fabulous deal I got at Overstock. I chose the pleated skirts because I hoped they would fit tight enough in the waist without being too tight in the butt. Sometimes the yoke (just below the belt) can be too tight and make your butt look even bigger, but yoke on these skirts drape respectfully. Regardless of whether I go for regular, petite or wide petite sizes, clothes seldom fit because I am different sizes for jackets (14WP), shirts (14 Reg), pants (18 P) and skirts (16 Reg or P)! I have literally shopped for entire days and not found a single thing that fits or matches. For some reason only very well-tailored (expensive) suits seem to fit me right, especially if I have gained some weight. But I can never afford them when they are well-stocked, and my size is rarely available by the time they make the extreme mark-down rack. You can imagine my glee when I found a line of expensive suiting with the exact same fabrics available in such a variety of sizing! I also bought an Austin Reed jacket, straight skirt and pants, all of which fit perfectly, too, except the pants because they weren't availble in petite sizes in the color I wanted. The jacket fits perfectly INCLUDING the shoulder seams, which is in my experience, a miracle. At last I have a couple of very very nice interview outfits -- and yeah, I lost my job, too. So I could never have afforded suits like these if it hadn't been for Overstock!

I read other reviews prior to placing my order. Based on those reviews I ordered one size up from my usual size. I should have gone two. I've worn this brand before, and I thought I'd be okay. I like the quality, but I don't like "playing" with sizes. Even with the good price, I'm too busy to try on then make arragements to return items that don't work out.

I ordered this as a gift for my daughter, who is in her mid-20s. She loves it. It's professional; she wears it to work with a sweater or short jacket. Based on previous reviews, I ordered a size larger than I normally would have. It was good advice which I am glad I took because this skirt does run small. My daughter is 5"3" and the length in the petite size fit her perfectly; no hemming needed.

I read the reviews and noticed a common recomendation to order 2 sizes bigger. I normally wear a size 6P and took the advice of ordering a 8P. Skirt fits like a glove and is flattering.