Shopping for the short person- ME

OK- So I needed a new outfit- never a happy occasion for me- due to the fact that at five feet and half an inch- even petites sometimes don't fit. Oh at least i am taller than my sister. She is three inches shorter than I - whhooo-hooo. Ok- So It seems that the buyers for most retail stores believe that all short people are geriatric. Now this is a problem for me. I do not want elastic waist polyester pants. I want a stylish suit- or dress that falls in all the right places. Shirts sometimes are way to low cut- and the length of sleeves cause me to need to roll up the beautiful cuffs. Pants that might fit- may hang too low in the crotch- or too long in length- and if they come with a cuff or flair- then it is difficult to alter them. Interestingly most petites depts. Including Dillards, Belk, and Penneys start with a size 8 P- ok- well- some of us are 4's and 6's. So I can find my size in high end specialty stores- for a price- a big price. SO I search for bargains- and have found several solutions- one is leggings- now i may seem to old for leggings- but I can buy a short dress(shirt) from teens dept and it will often come to my knees- then add leggings or boots and presto- I am in style- and it is affordable. I have been known to order from the computer- I have several suit purchases from the net. It is not as much fun as trying on clothes- but hten finding clothes to fit is so rare. Another option I have tried is to buy capris or ropped pants and wear them as long pants. These are my creative techniques- and you can find these on sale- when Most stores do not have many small size petites in stock.