Moving to the US

[eekee 182]

Yeah no it is quite easy to find small sizes and sexy underwear in the US. Most aren't walking around in granny panties. Go to Nordstroms, not Ann Taylor. Ann Taylor is for work clothes and Victoria's Secret is ####### to begin with, although they do certainly sell string bikinis and thongs there so ???

[AmyWrites 593]

As a very petite woman myself, yes, if she's thin and small, she'll have trouble finding clothes in the US. I loved shopping in Russia, even if it was expensive, it looked GREAT and feminine and like nothing I can get at the US.

So ship her clothes and her shoes!

Everything else... you can really get all else stateside.

[Dustin C 12]

My wife CAN NOT find jeans that fit her properly here in the US.

And properly fit must be seen to be understood.

Hehehe I hear you there, but my wife says that Levi's are about the only jeans that fit her well here.

[Staashi 371]

Seriously, this country has outstanding designs and clothing for petite women. I refuse to believe that a petite woman is unable to find fantastic, form-fitting clothes. As long as a woman is willing to spend a few dollars on finer fabrics and cuts, and maybe invest in a good seamstress should things need tailoring, one can have lovely clothes.

[Nasturtium 500]

There are plenty of petite sizes available, leather boots and whatnot, and tons of styles. There has yet to be a shortage of string bikini styles-- even at Victoria's Secret (which is not the only lingerie retailer out there you know). You just need to know where to look and what brands and styles within those brands work best for you. As a petite sized person in the US(shocking, I know)I am not relegated to granny panties and wide-calf pleather boots with ill-fitting pants. If you're actually petite (or your wife) which is a height-defined size range by the way, then certain stores are just going to be difficult to shop in for pants without realizing that you'll need to alter things. Banana Republic comes to mind. Their pants are long and run a bit big. No big deal. Anthropologie has several brands which run large or small depending on your sizing. J Crew runs small on their petite sizes, but fairly regular on other sizing except pants which tend to be on the thin side (which is fine if you're thin because you'll notice a better fit). Gap and ON have changed their jeans styles up and it's harder for some people to find something that doesn't look like mom jeans there. No need to panic. Gap isn't the only store on earth. You just need to find a brand or brands that work for you and achieve what you want. That can mean a lot of experimentation. Read reviews. Several retailers have reviews of clothing online and you look for people who are shaped like you and see what they said. Also many places/retailers offer free returns if you buy online, several will ship store to store, and it's not worth feeling confined to your local mall if you have issues finding outfits there.

[AmyWrites 593]

There are plenty of petite sizes available, leather boots and whatnot, and tons of styles. There has yet to be a shortage of string bikini styles-- even at Victoria's Secret (which is not the only lingerie retailer out there you know). You just need to know where to look and what brands and styles within those brands work best for you. As a petite sized person in the US(shocking, I know)I am not relegated to granny panties and wide-calf pleather boots with ill-fitting pants. If you're actually petite (or your wife) which is a height-defined size range by the way, then certain stores are just going to be difficult to shop in for pants without realizing that you'll need to alter things. Banana Republic comes to mind. Their pants are long and run a bit big. No big deal. Anthropologie has several brands which run large or small depending on your sizing. J Crew runs small on their petite sizes, but fairly regular on other sizing except pants which tend to be on the thin side (which is fine if you're thin because you'll notice a better fit). Gap and ON have changed their jeans styles up and it's harder for some people to find something that doesn't look like mom jeans there. No need to panic. Gap isn't the only store on earth. You just need to find a brand or brands that work for you and achieve what you want. That can mean a lot of experimentation. Read reviews. Several retailers have reviews of clothing online and you look for people who are shaped like you and see what they said. Also many places/retailers offer free returns if you buy online, several will ship store to store, and it's not worth feeling confined to your local mall if you have issues finding outfits there.

She's Russian. She will want to look sexy. It's hard to find sexy but not skanky clothes in petite sizes, that aren't juvenile, in the US. At least it has been for me. Out of your suggestions, Gap is the best, Banana Republic does have good clothes too, but it's better, IMO, in Russia.

[eekee 182]

Bebe and Express would be better--gap and banana republic are blah. Anthropologie is overpriced and too boho. Forever 21 has some good stuff in it even if you are way over 21.

[Martyshk 137]

Bebe and Express would be better--gap and banana republic are blah. Anthropologie is overpriced and too boho. Forever 21 has some good stuff in it even if you are way over 21.

TJ Maxx and Marshalls have all that ####### for 1/2 price though Just a couple of days ago we got couple of "S" size things for my wife all totaling less than $100. Considering the price tag on every one of those things was at least $100+ .... but that's just me, I'm cheap!

[eekee 182]

TJ Maxx and Marshalls have all that ####### for 1/2 price though Just a couple of days ago we got couple of "S" size things for my wife all totaling less than $100. Considering the price tag on every one of those things was at least $100+ .... but that's just me, I'm cheap!

I don't think stuff from those brands goes to TJMaxx/Marshalls; they actually tend to get better brands than that.

[Martyshk 137]

I don't think stuff from those brands goes to TJMaxx/Marshalls; they actually tend to get better brands than that.

Yes, eekee, you are right. Example: pair of Blank NYC jeans my wife got for $30 (original price $125). Yeah, stuff like that.

I like that store because, like I said, I'm a cheap guy I don't see the need to pay the premium for the same clothes I can get with at least 50% off.

My wife pretty much shops in those two stores and in Macy's sometimes, but Macy's has ####### mostly, to be honest.

[griffy 0]

This conversation sure is entertaining. My fiance is a petite woman. As most of you have noted, Russian woman do want to dress sexy but not slutty. I do agree that you can find good quality of clothing here but you pay for what you get. In russia some of the clothes were not of great quality but were on the more expensive side of things. I do wish we had access to more european styles of clothing. I agree that Bebe and express will be great places for her to shop. I have sent her some clothes from here and she did like them and they fit her frame just fine. Not sure how my question of how to ship turned into where to shop lol. Obviously we are not going to ship anything but clothes and shoes. Yes she loves shoes. I do believe she will enjoy her time in Nordstroms for shoes. The only issue we have had with Russian post is when I sent her stuff. At times there seems to be longer delays when she ships something to me. One of the great things about Russian woman is their constant desire to look great. I am confident she can do this in America as well. We certainly will not be shopping at target or Walmart to achieve it. Nothing against those stores, but I will not have my lady shopping for her wardrobe there.

[james&olya 1,121]

This conversation sure is entertaining. My fiance is a petite woman. As most of you have noted, Russian woman do want to dress sexy but not slutty. I do agree that you can find good quality of clothing here but you pay for what you get. In russia some of the clothes were not of great quality but were on the more expensive side of things. I do wish we had access to more european styles of clothing. I agree that Bebe and express will be great places for her to shop. I have sent her some clothes from here and she did like them and they fit her frame just fine. Not sure how my question of how to ship turned into where to shop lol. Obviously we are not going to ship anything but clothes and shoes. Yes she loves shoes. I do believe she will enjoy her time in Nordstroms for shoes. The only issue we have had with Russian post is when I sent her stuff. At times there seems to be longer delays when she ships something to me. One of the great things about Russian woman is their constant desire to look great. I am confident she can do this in America as well. We certainly will not be shopping at target or Walmart to achieve it. Nothing against those stores, but I will not have my lady shopping for her wardrobe there.

Since we are talking about shopping for clothes I would add to the conversation that most Russians also love finding bargains. Even the regular prices on clothes here are great compared to prices there but my wife discovered some second-hand shops nearby and loves looking for bargains there. I was skeptical but she has found some really great stuff there! And it is great filling her closet with high quality stuff that costs barely more than pocket change. For christmas she wanted a fur coat. She is getting two, both terrific bargains from ebay! (my wife informs me that 'ebay' is a very vile swear word in Russian! )

A Russian friend here is keeping a relative in Russia in business reselling clothes she buys here on clearance and in second hand shops and ships to her over there! I understand she is doing quite well with it!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

If her mother owns a clothing store, that's a different story, I suppose. Clothes are MUCH more expensive in Russia. And, well, "unique" is one way to put it.

Less expensive--does not exist. It WILL get there with Pochta Rossiya; it just won't get there FAST. Also I think there is more issue with things coming into Russia than going out.

All true. Alla had her wedding dress made in Ukraine and it was cheaper to ahve it hand made by a seamstress than buy one in the store in Ukraine. In general clothes are far cheaper in the USA, eekee is correct. Alla says the clothes are "almost free"

Shipping by the mail service has been the cheapest for us, we used another shipping company (forgot their name, too long ago!) to send her books and heavy things. For other things we used the post office and so did Sergey for his things from Moscow. I have never had an issue with reliablity of sending things OUT of Ukraine or Russia. I have had troubles with sending things IN by postal service.

By mail is SLOW. Don't send anything you need right away

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Since we are talking about shopping for clothes I would add to the conversation that most Russians also love finding bargains. Even the regular prices on clothes here are great compared to prices there but my wife discovered some second-hand shops nearby and loves looking for bargains there. I was skeptical but she has found some really great stuff there! And it is great filling her closet with high quality stuff that costs barely more than pocket change. For christmas she wanted a fur coat. She is getting two, both terrific bargains from ebay! (my wife informs me that 'ebay' is a very vile swear word in Russian! )

A Russian friend here is keeping a relative in Russia in business reselling clothes she buys here on clearance and in second hand shops and ships to her over there! I understand she is doing quite well with it!

OMG Alla loves bargains and sales and collects all sorts of coupons she gets in the mail. She is choosy about her clothes (who would imagine!) so her favorite "gift" is to take her shopping. She likes to be taken shopping. I do not give her $100 and say "here, go to the Mall" She keeps it interesting for me with dressing room shows and I push her cart which she piles high with stuff to try on, and buys about 2% of it.

This way she gets a lot more for the same money than if I just spent $100 to buy something the wrong size, color or style. We get a day out together. We spent the afternoon in BonTon and she ended up with two new dresses and 2 new bras for $46 which had a retail value of over $150. THAT makes her especially happy!

Alla also hits the second hand stores and has scarfed up on some great deals in NEW out of season clothes. We also have some very upscale second hand shops she likes to check out. She also piles up childrens clothes at garage sales ("Child clothes for 10 cents each piece, are these people crazy?!") She fills a suitcase with childrens clothes for about $7 and brings them to her friends with children in Ukraine. She is greeted like a rock star! We bought all their ski equipment at second hand shops and garage sales for 10 cents on the dollar (Play It Again Sports) Ice skates, roller blades ("rollers" Alla likes "to go by rollers" rather than walk sometimes) and lots of other things. Alla still has not figured out exactly this curious American habit of buying expensive equipment, using it 2 times, storing it in the basement for a year and selling it for 5% of origianl cost. She also does not understand keeping a $20,000 car outside in the snow so $300 in junk can stay in the garage.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Yeah no it is quite easy to find small sizes and sexy underwear in the US. Most aren't walking around in granny panties. Go to Nordstroms, not Ann Taylor. Ann Taylor is for work clothes and Victoria's Secret is ####### to begin with, although they do certainly sell string bikinis and thongs there so ???

Alla as no interest in VS, says it is too expensive and not good quality. She wears nothing but sexy underwear and can find it anywhere cheaper than VS.

Alla is usually a size 2-4 in the US, depends on the particular clothes and she has no problem getting those sizes in fashionable clothes, in fact it is easier to find those than the sizes 10-20 which seem to be all the rage with American women.

Our "second hand" shops here get donations of out-of-season clothes from department stores, brand new! Guess what? Most of the leftovers are very small sizes! 2-6 or so.