If You’re Petite And Cheap, Shop J.Crew’s Kids’ Line. We Did.

Can’t afford an entire wardrobe from J.Crew? If you’re petite, you’re in luck. I bought about $400 worth of J.Crew stuff…from the kids section. For myself. A comment in this month’s Lucky piqued  my interest: If you’re petite, the article said, you can shop Crewcuts for cheaper than regular J. Crew. Game on: We ordered up a ton of size 14s. Also on the horizon as per WWD, Stella McCartney’s newest Gap Kids line is due out March 25.

For fair comparison and effect, I tried (one can only try) to pose like the 10-year-old models on JCrew.com.

The verdict?

This cardigan ($49.50) and tee ($34) fit great on my small frame. The skirt ($32.50) was a little short, but mostly looks like what it is: a tutu. I think Carrie Bradshaw was the only grown woman who could ever pull this trend off, so I’ll pass.

This dress ($62) is adorable. If you have a very small chest, it will fit you, but might be a little short if you’re over 5’3″. At the very least, it could be a really cute tunic or beach cover-up, and at $62, it’s pricey for a kid, but a lot less than many of J.Crew’s dresses.

That jacket ($54) is perfection as it’s fitted and cropped at the same time, and the tee ($16.50) underneath fit too. The shorts, ($36) however, were tiny, and as one co-worker pointed out, looked more like Spanx than shorts. (Thanks a lot.)

Here are four little lessons learned from our little experiment:

1. If you wear an XS in women’s tees, you can buy them from Crewcuts for less. The ones I tried were made from the same slub material as the Women’s tees, but up to 50% cheaper. They don’t accommodate breasts, though (see item #2).

2. Tweens don’t have boobs, butts, or thighs. So if you’re going to try to squeeze into Crewcuts, clothe your least womanly parts instead. I have thighs, so the bermuda shorts above were way too small.

3. Check the sizing chart. The measurements are basically correct, if you take 2. into consideration (those shorts zipped up, but were in no way presentable).

4. The kids’ knit jackets are actually kind of amazing. I’m keeping this one and this one.

If you can’t fit into kids’ clothes, no worries: head over to the J.Crew sale and get 25% off dresses today. See more sales and deals, and check out our online sample sales to plan your week.