I have trouble finding clothes in person and am limited to Forever 21, Delia's and Charolette Russe online. Are there any great inexpensive stores you've discovered work for your frame?
I buy petite jeans from Ann Taylor - Size 4, 5'0. I still have to get them altered, but at least the patterns are closer to fitting my body. They also have stuff for curvy bodies! That are also small! Hooray!
I'm 4'11" and generally a size 2 for bottoms (and because brand sizing is inconsistent, I actually mean 0-4) and S-M for tops (because unfortunately for me a lot of petite sizing assumes flat chest). I haven't found anything that really works for me, either /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
The petites at Ann Taylor and Loft are nice, especially if you're looking for dresses (but I've had bad experiences with inconsistent sizing within the brand - I have size 2 shorts in two styles and the sizes are very different). You have to look for sales to get good deals, though.
Some of my friends who are more petite like Uniqlo (if you have access to one or are willing to buy online). H&M and Express might also work.