InStyle Magazine's "Top Brands" for Petites

Last night I had a pleasant surprise when a sweet reader (thanks so much, Thu!) and the ever fabulous Anh of 9to5chic shared some snapshots from February 2011's InStyle magazine:

I had a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart seeing the petite blogging community get some positive press. If you haven't joined the Alterations Needed forum for petites yet...I love Kelly's forum for asking and answering questions on fit, reading recommendations, and also buying or selling (or requesting) petite-friendly items. It's a great way for bloggers and non-bloggers alike to join in on the fun.

That aside, I had a few eyebrow raises reading through the top suggested brands for petites. Keeping in mind that "petite" is being used here to indicate short (under 5'4") versus small overall, I'm still not sure how InStyle whittled the world of petite offerings down to this eclectic list.

Topshop and BCBG? Although I like both (I am a huge fan of Topshop's tiny size 0P), both retailers' petite lines are extremely limited and difficult to find/purchase. Anne Klein? Suiting starts only at 2P, plus their website was impossible for me to navigate for petite items. Target? I guess they do have Merona petites, but my orders were always too "blah" to blog about.

Where is the petite-favorite Ann Taylor? Or Talbots? And my boyfriend's first reaction: "Gasp, where is Theory?" Lol! I realize brands like Theory and H&M don't have petite lines and would never be glorified as petite brands, but they retain the top spots in my heart as awesome brands for tiny ladies.

Readers - What do you think of the recommended brands? What are your personal favorite brands for petites?