So as a true (petite) citizen of the earth, I feel it is my personal duty to do more for others and leave less of a footprint on the earth. I think the Dalai Lama says it best, ” Just as we should cultivate gentle and peaceful relations with our fellow human beings, we should also extend that same kind of attitude towards the natural environment.” (Cant your hear me “OM-ing”?)

OK - so to make it easier for everyone to do something great for the environment, others and yourself; I’d like to invite all of you to an amazing event that I am lucky to be a part of!
Divas Doing Good is presenting the Green is the New Black event on August 12, 2008 (Tuesday).
It’s at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower (you know, the old Kapono’s), the party starts at 5:30 pm.

I’ll be there showing off my latest Fall 2008 line of petite denim along with some other amazing Divas, Fashionista’s Market, Split Obsession and Jessica’s Traveling Boutique. It’ll be FUN and it’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside! The cost is a mere $25, for a night of fashion shows, great food, drinks (of course - I’ll be there!), entertainment from Ben and Maila and giveaways! You can purchase tickets at the Ward Warehouse Wedding Cafe (say that 10 times fast!) and if you buy 5 tickets, you get the 6th for FREE. So round up your friends and do something good together (while partying your butts off!)

Divas Doing Good (enter your name as the “Diva”) is not a charity, it’s a lifestyle change. Their Mission Statement is “To raise awareness, to educate and nurture women, and to garner community support towards local, national, and international causes in hopes of building a brighter, more peaceful tomorrow for future generations. Our efforts will empower women to LOOK good, FEEL good, and DO good.”

So as a designer for petite women, my first task at hand is to define and clarify what petite is. As I said before, the fashion industry does not have a clear cut answer (as usual) - so it’s up to us to take a stand and make our own definition (Merriam-Webster take notes . . .cause your definition is, well, petite)

As far as my research has taken me, being petite is just a reference to height; more specifically being 5′4″ or shorter. That’s it . . .no really, that’s it. So take out your tape measure and check yourself. Go ahead, measure yourself right now. Are you 5′4″ or shorter? If you answered yes, welcome to the club!

So whether you are a size 00 or 12. you’re a petite person and you should be proud about it. We should demand that clothes fit us well because guess what? the average American woman’s height is 5′3″, so why is the fashion industry making clothes for the 5′10″ fashion model? As a petite person there is some responsibility, shop appropriately and take the necessary steps to properly tailor your clothes. And before you commit to a hem length, think about when you are wearing these pants and what shoes you’ll be wearing them with. Try it on with your shoes and get an idea of where you want the hem to fall. Every style guru will tell you to have the hem touch the top of your shoe and almost skim the floor. This will help to elongate your leg line, but it really depends on the style of the pant and you.

I could honestly go on and on about pants and how to fit them, and I will (another time). But please email me and ask questions - I can try to help you as much as technology will allow. But I wanted to put it in your mind that your not alone, as a petite woman - we should unite and demand more from this industry that we love and support so much! OK - I’m here for you . . .

Today, I thought I should talk about denim and more specifically my petite denim line, Allisonizu. It’s been a long time coming (to say the least) and I can honestly say - I’ve been through a lot of twists and turns to create a line of premium petite denim I can be proud of!

This is line that carries my own name as it’s brand (Allison is my first name and Izu is my middle name), and for me to do this, everything had to be perfect. (which is tough . . . did you all know that I am Type “A”, ie: very “A”nal or a perfectionist) So my previous line (which was due out a while ago) was not up to my standards of quality or fit - so I scratched it (cried and bitched a little), started new, found an amazing manufacturer in LA and moved forward. This whole, “picking myself up from the floor” and moving forward, actually created a better line of denim in the end.

This line, which will be out in August . . . will consist of 5 styles that I feel are essential to every petite woman’s wardrobe. The Kolohe or Skinny Jean, The Paniolo or basic boot-cut, The Luana or the higher-waisted wide leg pant, The Honolulu or dressy trouser jean, and The Peni Skirt a sexy denim pencil skirt. It’s all made from Premium Cone Mill Denim with great spandex stretch.

Through it all, I’ve always designed with me (and you) in mind - utilizing my own basic fit patterns which I created especially for a woman who is 5′ 4″ or shorter. Not only a shorter inseam (31″ and 27″) but a higher knee break, better pocket placement, re-shaping of the hips and waist, new back yoke shape and other little tricks of the trade to make you look long and lean! (loving it yet?)

So I hope you will keep in touch, cause I’ll be in touch, keeping you informed of the line, and also sharing thoughts and ideas of fashion and being petite. I’ll be here . . . .

Welcome to the Petite Lounge, hosted by “yours truly”, Allisonizu (aka: Allison Izu Song). The Petite Lounge is a safe haven where we can talk, share, complain & bitch about everything fashion, and everything petite. Let’s start to embrace being short and owning it. Ok - I’ll start “Hello, My name is Allison and I’m petite!”

This isnt an advice column, or a “how-to” manual about petite fashion, this is a place where I’ll share what I do to make fashion fit me and you can share how you’ve been dealing with being petite, in what seems to be “Giselle’s fashion world”.

I’m 5′ 2″ (ok, let’s get real 5′ 1 3/4″) and I am creating a fashion company (ALLISONIZU), completely for petite women, by a petite woman. None of this “petite small” stuff, I’m making clothes for all sizes of petite (from 00 to 10). And by the way, here’s the definition of petite (according to Merriam-Webster): a clothing size for short women. . . huh?

Trust me, I know how frustrating and confusing it is - but that’s all in the past - I’m here for you and together, we’ll get through it, looking fabulous and making our own rules as we go along. So pull up a chair (and a martini - if needed) and talk to me . . . let me know who you are and what you’re up to!

Talk soon . . .