Petite Fashion Influencers Over 40

There are a large number of young, petite fashion influencers out there and I enjoy seeing their trendy looks. However, there's a limit to what I think I can get away with now that I am of a certain age. These petite fashion influencers over 40 are fantastic at showing us how to be stylish and on trend without overdoing it.

Dianne B. - Instagram - @dianne_instyle

Dianne is a Personal Sytlist who shares mid-priced outfits focusing on styles for women over 50. Dianne loves making fashion simple, accessible and fun. She doesn't state how tall she is but she's obviously petite.

Elvie - Instagram - @elvieinthecity

Elvie is 5' 2" and focuses on finding stylish clothes that are fitting, flattering, comfortable and affordable. She typically features clothes from Amazon and Walmart.

Leslie Kerrigan - Instagram - @lesliekerriganstyle

Leslie is 5' 1" and a photographer who loves to shop. She believes fashion should be fun at any age. She shares everyday fashion for women over 40 with a mix of trends and classics.

Valarie Linnen - Instagram - @midlifeposhcloset

Valarie is 5' 1" and shares elegant and classy fashion for women over 40.

Leslie - Instagram - @petiteimpact

Leslie showcases active and fitness wear while looking sophisticated and cool.

Michelle Averitt - Instagram - @poisedpetite

Michelle is 5' 0" and helps women over 40 look stylish and stay on trend without being too trendy.

My First Petite Ave Order Review

Petite Ave is a subscription styling service for petite women under 5’ 5. Although, I don’t consider someone 5’ 4” petite, the fact that there are two companies that cater strictly to petites is exciting and mind blowing to me. I was very successful with my Short Story order so I had high expectations.

I am still on my quest to find leggings since I didn’t receive any with my Short Story box. I requested casual every day sweaters and leggings with the price point of $50 - $100. The ordering process mirrored StitchFix and Short Story with questions about your sizing, price points and style. I assumed that this information would be saved in my profile however, when I went back into my account I didn’t see it.

There is a $25 styling fee that is deducted from your total if you decide to keep at least one item, similar to StitchFix and Short Story. I was a little surprised to see that the estimated delivery time was one month, but it actually took two weeks. A nice feature they include is a preview of the items in your first order, so that you can review and approve them before they are sent. There were six items in the preview and I approved half of them. I chose not to accept the items mostly due to the color, since I have too much black. You are encouraged to give feedback as to why you don’t want the items and the stylist will use it to find other options.

The clothes arrived in a basic shipping bag but everything was wrapped nicely. I received six items - 3 sweaters and 3 pairs of leggings. All of the items were within the price points that I chose and most of the colors were spot on.

The length of all three leggings were too long which I was a little disappointing. Two of them were dressier than expected, one faux brown suede. The third legging was green cammo which I’m not a fan of. The quality of all three leggings were high and I could tell that they would last a long time.

The sweaters were high quality as well but I didn’t love the fit for two of them. One was a lightweight cowl neck which looked too baggy. The other was a long blue sweater that I felt wasn’t worth the $98 price tag.

I decided to keep one pair of leggings that are black with a subtle python type design. They are a little too long but I can get away with folding them under and I like how they fit overall. I’m also keeping one sweater that is purple, short and form fitting.

Sweater and Leggings I Kept

The checkout process was easy and a large shipping envelope is provided for drop off at the Post Office. You can also choose various time frames for your next shipment or skip it.

Although I am not keeping as many items as I did with Short Story, I will definitely try Petite Ave again. With any subscription styling service, it take a few tries for your stylist to get a sense of your style.

My First Short Story Box Review

I was so excited to order my first Short Story box. My expectations were pretty high since they are a clothes subscription box service specifically for petites. I’ve been getting ads in my feeds for a very long time and finally took the plunge. The weather here in New Jersey has turned colder and I realized that I don’t have enough every day sweaters and leggings. I work from home and I’m trying to make an effort to not look so “shlubby” every day.

The ordering process is very similar to Stitch Fix, which I have used frequently in the past. You will need to invest about 15 minutes to answer the initial questions regarding your sizing, price points and style which will be saved in your profile. One big tip, you need to know what your inseam is so that your pants length will be accurate. You can even upload photos of yourself so that your stylist can get a better idea of what styles you like.

I was very impressed that the box came in two days and the presentation was bright and cheery. Similar to Stitch Fix, a note from your stylist is included along with photos and descriptions of each item. A very special touch in your first box is a measuring tape, which I think is genius. I didn’t own a real measuring tape for clothes (how is that possible for someone 4’ 11”?) so I thought it was the greatest thing ever.

I requested casual every day sweaters, leggings and pants in the middle price range of $50 - $100. The items were well under $100 and I received 6 items - 3 tops and 3 pairs of pants. My stylist sent a pair of skinny jeans, straight leg jeans and trousers. The tops included two sweaters and a long sleeve blouse.

To my surprise, every item fit me perfectly! Never in my life have I tried on so many pieces of clothing that fit in one sitting. The length on all three pairs of pants were perfect, as if they were custom made. I can count on one hand how many times I haven’t had to take up my pants. I know you can relate. All three tops had the perfect sleeve length and I don’t need to fold them underneath. I think this is a first for me.

I would have kept everything but I decided to keep the skinny jeans because the fit is so  comfortable and they feel like butter. I already have similar pants to the other two but I really liked them. I also kept the two sweaters and returned the black blouse since I already have too much black. The sweaters are super soft and have cute touches like button sleeve details and wide flowing sleeves.

The check out process is super easy and they include a large envelope for returns which can be dropped off at the Post Office or you can even schedule a pick up.

I really enjoyed the whole experience and will definitely order another box after the holidays. Note that you can skip and reschedule the deliveries whenever you want.

If you decide to order a box, share it with us!