Home PeopleHoboken Girl of the Week Hoboken Girl of the Week: Chi Li {of Petite Dressing}

Hoboken Girl of the Week: Chi Li {of Petite Dressing}

by Nicole
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For every woman that has a seamstress on speed dial, this one is for you. Far too many of us know the dreaded feeling of walking into a dressed room, knowing you’ll leave disappointed that nothing fits quite right. The hem is too long, the hips are too tight, and of course, there’s the waist gap. This week’s featured Hoboken Girl is busy making a difference for a group of women whose fitting room woes go well beyond those of most of us – we’re talking the petite section. Even the size of the department itself is small, making finding the perfect fit all the more challenging. Enter Chi Li. She is the founder of Petite Dressing, a clothing shop and style blog designed specifically for women under 5’4″. Petite Dressing offers tons of fashion tips and high quality petite styles at affordable prices. All of the apparel is hand-picked by stylists and each clothing item is tried on by petite models to ensure that these fun-sized ladies look their best. We chatted with Chi to find out more about her fashion-filled life, about Petite Dressing, and of course about some of her fav spots in Hoboken.

What inspires her

My background is finance, but fashion is my passion and dream since childhood. It is quite common that petite women spend hours in department stores or shopping malls and can’t find many items that fit them. The reason is that regular sizes are made for women above 5’4, which means sleeves and pants are likely too long for petite girls. The department stores have been shrinking their petite sections in the last decade, which left petite customers with very limited choices. My motivation is to provide a solution to this under-served market, which is a huge market.

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About her goals for the year

Our goal is to launch in-house design of our own brand. Currently, our first customized order of petite-sized cashmere sweaters and cashmere dresses are in production. The supplier provides the same yarn to some high end European brands – so expect top quality.

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Hobbs Inc

Read more: Hoboken Girl of the Week: Stephanie Manganelli {Stowaway Collection} 

A “typical” day in the life

I normally start my day around 6AM. Getting my toddler ready for daycare is the first morning task, after which I have a quick breakfast {normally cereal and almond milk}. Then, I check emails and process orders for the day’s shipments. Next, I will focus on creating content for our blog, Instagram, and Youtube. Social media is critical to an online business, and staying engaged with our customers on social media enables us to be in the know of customer needs and how to best serve them. I also spend an hour or so on learning everyday – whether it’s e-commerce marketing or SEO, it is a constant learning process. Some days, I will attend fashion or media events, to meet other professionals in the fashion business and also to stay current on the fashion trends. At night time, after I get my toddler to sleep, I try to squeeze one hour for meditation or yoga, to de-stress and mentally prepare for the next day.

The highs of my job are when our effort is recognized, for example, when our customers tell us how happy they are with their purchases. The lows are when the opposite happens.

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The highlight of her career {so far…}

The highlight so far was when we received over 10K followers on IG all likes on Facebook within a relatively short period of time — this proves the market demand and keeps us going.

How she spends her days off

As an entrepreneur, it is hard to say that I really ever have days to be completely off, because I will always still be checking emails, writing blogs and thinking about our website. When I need to relax or refresh, I plan a spa day or brunch with girlfriends.

Her tips for success to anyone trying to pursue the same career

Number one is to be persistent, as your effort and investment may not see an immediate return but you need to keep working hard and never give up. Number two is to manage your time wisely. Having a start-up means you inevitably have to do a little bit of everything by yourself to some extent. However, being able to hire the right resource to help and know when and how to delegate tasks to others is important.

Read more: Hoboken Style – Mint Market

And now for some of her Hoboken favorites

Favorite restaurant:

Zack’s

Favorite boutique:

Mint Market

Favorite thing overall:

The warmth of people living here. We moved here from Manhattan one year ago. It has the energy of Manhattan, but the bonus is that it is also laid back and relaxing. People are fun, loving and helpful.

Favorite thing to do in Hudson County:

We went to the cherry blossoms in spring, which was beautiful. Excited to do some apple or pumpkin picking in the fall.

Favorite outdoor spot:

On the piers.

Favorite place to work out:

I am a yogi, so I have explored different yoga studios in Hoboken {thanks to HG’s guide!} Currently I am going to Asana Soul yoga studio and I love it. 

Something that should come to the area:

More restaurants and shops on the West Side [of Hoboken]!

Read More: Asana Soul Practice in Hoboken

 

Visit Petitedressing.com for some amazing petite styles and follow @petitedressingnyc on Instagram.

 

Want to be featured or nominate someone as an upcoming Hoboken Girl of the Week? Email hello@hobokengirl.com your story! 

RMA

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