By Andrea McVeigh

Hot on the heels (albeit a modest heel) of the Tall Girl clothes article which proved popular with our leggy readers, we asked for your tales of shopping success and ill-fitting woe when it comes to petite fashion.

And once again you didn't let us down. If there's one thing that gets Sugah gals talking, it's clothes!

We asked you what you think are the best shops for petite sizes and to name and shame the shops you avoid. And of course, along with your words of wisdom you made us giggle by sharing the pitfalls of shopping for shorter sizes.

Editor Katrina and Trends Ed Andrea - two sergeants in the Tall Girl Army - had their say in the leggy debate so we asked Sugahfix Editorial Assistant Claire Toner for her perfectly proportioned perspective.

"As a petite girl, I actually find that buying dresses is my biggest struggle. Nine times out of ten I have to get dresses taken up whether they are minis or maxis and this kind of ruins the excitement of getting a new dress.

"I find the petite ranges in Topshop and Miss Selfridge provide a great fit when there is something I like, but they both offer such limited ranges that inevitably I buy from the standard collection and spend more money to have things taken up.

"There are loads of shops I can never buy from even though I love the clothes including Warehouse and Zara. I would LOVE if New Look brought out a petite range."

We were swamped with similar complaints and one of your major concerns was that the makers of petite collections seem to think you're all skinny, elfin types.

"Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeze," ran one comment. "Let the designers of petite ranges *stop* assuming petite = stick insect. Just 'cos a lady ain't tall don't mean she don't got curves!" Amen to that sista!

Aisling Carroll (5'2") says she never buys petite. "Then again, I'm short but not 'petite'. Petite assumes you're a wee dainty tiny thing rather than someone who's short but decidedly average. Some shops do 'short' sizes in trousers (M&S, Next) but they've got pretty awful trousers."

Not all ranges cater for shorter girls with big hips, thighs or bums, so if you get the length right it's often the case that clothes don't fit in other places.

And the sizes between shops vary wildly, with Next offering generous sizing while Topshop's sizes often leave you wondering if they are designing for 5-year-olds!

It can be hard to get petite lengths in bigger sizes and a lot of designers assume you diminutive dames all spend your days wearing cute pixie dresses and twee floral frocks.

"I've never met a petite range I liked," says Eunice Yeates. "Jeans are typically from Banana Republic or Gap. Most petite lines I've seen are very 'old lady in a department store', so I tend not to bother with them. Shirts, tops and T-shirts are almost always 400 miles too long for me. I live in jeans, basically. I'm not elfin, I'm just not tall."

One of our favourite petite fashionistas, Christine Morrow (5'4", size 8), shares Eunice's pain. "I don't go for perfect fits - my mum's next-door neighbour takes up my jeans! Gap is my favourite for more fitted jeans but the next-door neighbour takes up any others.

"Topshop and New Look are good but so is the Rusty Zip vintage store on Botanic Avenue, because vintage clothes tend to be shorter and smaller. For a shoe size 4, I go for Irregular Choice and Topshop or Red or Dead for boots."

Those school Home Economics lessons didn't go amiss as it seems that many of you are having to customise your own clothes.

"I sew, so I always take up trousers/jeans myself," says Jeanette Blair (5'3" and a size 12). "Jackets weren't a problem when I was thin, but now I'm porkier non-petite ones in larger sizes look as if you have left the hanger in - shoulder problem!

"I'm on the cusp when it comes to kids/adults shoes, so if a shop does funky or classic kids shoes (Clarks is great for ballet flats/loafers, Barratts has some passable-for-an-adult designs, boys' hiking-boots in any outdoor shop) they are 0 percent VAT rated, therefore cheap as chips. And yes, I am aware that wearing boys' hiking-boots kind of disqualifies me from being a fashion maven regardless of height!"

Top marks to Jeanette for providing useful advice and making us laugh with her witty wordage. And hey, hiking boots are very 'in' this season, especially when teamed with a floral dress or ripped jeans - grunge is back after all!

The shoe issue certainly makes shopping difficult, as Wendie Gregg, who takes a size 2, pointed out on our Sugahfix.com facebook page. "If you can afford Louboutins et al no bother in a 34! Otherwise it's Barratts (in administration) or Zara do the odd size 2."

Hannah McDonald agreed and gave us a great point to ponder too. "Shoe sales organised by size - a great idea in theory. But why do they always seem to put the size 3-4 rack up top? The closer you get to the ground, the larger the shoe size! #unsolvedshoppingmystery."

Good point Hannah!

What are the best shops or brands for short girls? You have your say:

Siobhán McKenna: "Always find Zara a nightmare for petite clothes. Topshop/Next/ASOS.com have decent selections. I usually but find it hard in places like Topshop to get anything half decent over a size 10 - they make huge assumptions that if you're petite you are skinny!"

Hannah Wilson: "Jeans are nightmare to find! I've found Levi's Curve ID are really good as they measure you to find the best fit and length."

Emma French: "Topshop/Next/ASOS are always great! River Island hard to beat for short length denim."

Jennifer Mewha: "I find that I have to go up a size in petite trousers/jeans in most shops like Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and River Island. I'm normally a size 10 but they seem to make them smaller all over instead of just the legs! Also, many of the petite jeans are still too long for me. Next is probably the best but they don't always have the styles I really like. Really frustrating at times!"

Wendie Gregg: "I'm slim and petite. I take an 8 in Topshop, jeans are bang on size and quality. ASOS petite I found poor quality for the price - boo. I bought a few maxi dresses for my hols in Lanzarote in Littlewoods Petite - great length and true sizing."

Louise Vance (size 6, 5'2"): "I've a 28" leg length but most of my shoes have a five inch heel, so I need about a 32" leg. This means that all petite trousers are too short for me and most standard ranges that stock size 6 don't do trousers tiny enough in the waist to fit me. It's a total nightmare."

Claire Smyth: "I'm 5'4" and the only place I can get short enough jeans is M&S. Thankfully it isn't as frumpy since Danni Minogue and crew got involved!"

Top Left Photo: ASOS Petite Dress

Bottom Left Photo: Marks and Spencer Petite Jeans