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shops who sell XS size clothes in Amsterdam

angela88
February 13, 2010 6:47:52 PM CET

When I arrived here I was amazed by the difficulty I have finding clothes of my size (european 34). In many Dutch shops the smallest size you can find for women is 38 (S, that is way too large for me). In shops like H&M and Zara sometimes you find clothes in XS sizes but you have to be lucky and usually there is not so much choice as in other countries like Italy, where sizes 34 and 36 are very common and easy to find (but if you are above a (european) 42 it becomes hard to find clothes). The only exception I found are the shops of killah and miss sixty, where they have plenty of stuff in XS and S sizes. Of course I know that on average Dutch women are taller and bigger than Italian women. But I see also many Asian women here in Amsterdam who look like they have an XS.
Does somebody know which are the best (not too expensive) (adult) clothes shops for people who have sizes like 34 and 36?
I can go to the children department for jeans or a miniskirt, but I have hard times in finding formal clothes or other kinds of clothes for adults. Any suggestions?
Deleted Member
- 7373 posts
February 14, 2010 1:01:12 PM CET

Mango? Even their XLs are barely a size 40 (I found out the hard way).

I think you'll find most of us have the opposite problem...because the larger clothes get the LONGER they seem to get...without getting any wider.
FransDuits
- 312 posts
February 14, 2010 1:34:18 PM CET

smaller than S is tricky. sorry but you have to check every shop then. shopping for clothes here is an extremely frustrating experience for me but sometimes it's unavoidable. [i'm size S]

i think the Asian women all have their formal clothes tailor made in the old country. every year they go home and bring back clothes and food.

well now just circle round and round like the rest of the sharks every weekend and maybe you will see something agreeable.
angela88
February 14, 2010 6:42:59 PM CET

porquinho2 (Feb 14 2010, 12:34 PM) said: > original post
smaller than S is tricky. sorry but you have to check every shop then. shopping for clothes here is an extremely frustrating experience for me but sometimes it's unavoidable. [i'm size S]

i think the Asian women all have their formal clothes tailor made in the old country. every year they go home and bring back clothes and food.

well now just circle round and round like the rest of the sharks every weekend and maybe you will see something agreeable.

I perfectly agree it means that next time I go to Italy I'll do compulsive shopping my ex neighbour (Vietnamese and size 34) came back from her holiday in Italy with a suitcase full of new clothes.
osita
- 2279 posts
February 14, 2010 7:43:50 PM CET

M&S Mode is a national chain that does upto size 50(ish, I think). Link

C&A and Etam both carry a small collection of clothes in larger sizes. If you have a bigger budget, look at the Witteveen collection in V&D department stores.

*Edit* I just noticed this was a topic about 'smaller than Dutch' clothing. My advice is definitely for more voluptous ladies
Deleted Member
- 7373 posts
February 15, 2010 9:33:25 AM CET

osita (Feb 14 2010, 07:43 PM) said: > original post
M&S Mode is a national chain that does upto size 50(ish, I think). Link

C&A and Etam both carry a small collection of clothes in larger sizes. If you have a bigger budget, look at the Witteveen collection in V&D department stores.

*Edit* I just noticed this was a topic about 'smaller than Dutch' clothing. My advice is definitely for more voluptous ladies

Har! Yeah, I had to read twice too!

That being said, I've been bombarded with itty-bitty clothing for the past month now at the H&M sales racks. And I wouldn't go my the number on the label...some of that stuff looked practically infant sized...
angela88
February 15, 2010 11:08:30 PM CET

Canucky: I'm infant size actually I'm 1,55 tall (or better short), this is why I'm looking for these sizes of clothes
sabetsu
- 588 posts
February 16, 2010 4:15:56 PM CET

I don't know if this helps, but a lot of stores I have gone to, especially some of the brands they sell at C&A, are not a true size. That is, I've tried on my size (42) and it's... well, NOT a size 42, it seems to be at least two sizes too small. This is more common with shirts and such though. If there's one near you, you could try some of the size smalls which are smaller than they are labelled (the styles from last year tend to run very small as it was a "skinny" fashion year with skin tight clothing being very popular).

If you do find any stores which sell shorter pants (I'm 1,60m) do let me know.
angela88
February 16, 2010 8:17:49 PM CET

For the lenght of the pants I think that the only solution is to go to the kledingreparatie and shorten them (like I do). The inconvenient is that it's quite expensive. But I think it's quite impossible to find shorter pants if you are 1.60(even the size 34 is made for people that are 1.70-1.75 even if it's extremely rare to find people of that height that can enter that size). I see that Chinese clothes on average are shorter, in the sense that a 34 is good for people that are 165. But not so much. If you know a cheap kledingreparatie also let me know.
sabetsu
- 588 posts
February 17, 2010 6:58:46 AM CET

angela88 (Feb 16 2010, 07:17 PM) said: > original post
For the lenght of the pants I think that the only solution is to go to the kledingreparatie and shorten them (like I do). The inconvenient is that it's quite expensive. But I think it's quite impossible to find shorter pants if you are 1.60(even the size 34 is made for people that are 1.70-1.75 even if it's extremely rare to find people of that height that can enter that size). I see that Chinese clothes on average are shorter, in the sense that a 34 is good for people that are 165. But not so much. If you know a cheap kledingreparatie also let me know.

Does no one know how to sew these days? Hemming pants is oh so very easy and everyone knows someone with a sewing machine... I know I do...

I just prefer to buy my pants short if possible.
Deleted Member
- 7373 posts
February 17, 2010 9:29:23 AM CET

sabetsu (Feb 17 2010, 06:58 AM) said: > original post

Does no one know how to sew these days? Hemming pants is oh so very easy and everyone knows someone with a sewing machine... I know I do...

That's an interesting deduction...

I flunked home ec myself. And I know one woman...in Leiden...
sabetsu
- 588 posts
February 17, 2010 9:51:40 AM CET

I don't know your situation here, but I'm sure if you have a husband or boyfriend, his mom or grandma or aunt or somebody must have a sewing machine. A friend, mom of a friend, grandma of a friend? Most Dutch I know are very open to meeting people and helping them if they are friends of a family member they know they can trust.

Just put the pants on and have someone mark them with chalk or pin them up and then pin them the right way and sew them up. Very easy.
Deleted Member
- 7373 posts
February 17, 2010 10:51:36 AM CET

sabetsu (Feb 17 2010, 09:51 AM) said: > original post

I don't know your situation here, but I'm sure if you have a husband or boyfriend, his mom or grandma or aunt or somebody must have a sewing machine. A friend, mom of a friend, grandma of a friend? Most Dutch I know are very open to meeting people and helping them if they are friends of a family member they know they can trust.

Um, no...I'm not on speaking terms with the inlaws.

Not complaining (rather relieved, actually!)...just trying to point out that your situation won't necessarily be everybody's just because it's yours...

(Sorry, not meaning to nit-pick...just one of my pet peeves. Just like me assuming you must have a job or live near Amsterdam because I do...There are a diversity of expat realities here, you'll soon find out!)
pearl
February 17, 2010 5:14:49 PM CET

There is one shop specializing in small and petite adult women's clothing in Amsterdam. It has the unlikely name 'Exesse' and their website says it is on Cornelis Schuytstraat. It is expensive though. I visited at their previous location and enjoyed the styles they carried.

The alternative for me, at 1.57 in height, is to order from Lands End (usually UK or sometimes Germany) or Talbots (USA), both of which have extensive petite lines. Lands End UK right now has an awesome sale. I found pants this weekend for an unbelievable 3 euro. Their delivery is fast and cheap (about 7 euro to NL). On some pant styles, they will hem them as you choose for no extra charge.

C&A is good for smaller pants but they are strangely too short for me. Failing that, I look for places that carry Italian and French imports.

Another potential source of small clothing, if you want to go to Den Haag, is Penny Wise, a seller of high-end women's second-hand clothing located a short distance from the Royal Palace. I'd guess the international residents contribute to the smaller sizes that are available.
sabetsu
- 588 posts
February 17, 2010 7:26:13 PM CET

canuckywoman (Feb 17 2010, 09:51 AM) said: > original post
Um, no...I'm not on speaking terms with the inlaws.

Not complaining (rather relieved, actually!)...just trying to point out that your situation won't necessarily be everybody's just because it's yours...

(Sorry, not meaning to nit-pick...just one of my pet peeves. Just like me assuming you must have a job or live near Amsterdam because I do...There are a diversity of expat realities here, you'll soon find out!)

Oh, I wasn't assuming you had a husband or were on speaking terms with them, but I also said you probably have some friend who knows somebody with a sewing machine. However you may not feel comfortable asking to use it, and I understand this. Besides, if you came here as an expat you're probably not as cheap as I am...
Deleted Member
- 7373 posts
February 17, 2010 7:36:59 PM CET

sabetsu (Feb 17 2010, 07:26 PM) said: > original post

Oh, I wasn't assuming you had a husband or were on speaking terms with them, but I also said you probably have some friend who knows somebody with a sewing machine. However you may not feel comfortable asking to use it, and I understand this. Besides, if you came here as an expat you're probably not as cheap as I am...

No, I came here for a Dutchie too...
angela88
February 17, 2010 10:05:41 PM CET

Sabetsu: I really suck at sewing . My mother always did it for me and I never asked her to teach me XD..maybe next holiday I should.
Pearl: my problem is that I don't like buying clothes on the internet because I want to see them first on myself (I even don't buy clothes in shops where I can't try them). Anyways thanks fr the tips.