She Magazine

Nancy’s Petite and Modern Missy (Lake Geneva)

Published:
By Kris Kochman

It’s hard for a woman to leave empty- handed when she visits Nancy’s Petite and Modern Missy in downtown Lake Geneva.

The store is filled with tempting items, from cocktail dresses to dress-for-success office wear. The store offers clothing in fabric from denim to chiffon, along with a wide array of accessories.

This season, visitors will find plenty of ruffles as the fashion pendulum swings back toward a feminine look. Animal prints and a touch of glitz are also hallmarks now. And there’s plenty from which to choose when adding that exclamation point to your fashion statement whether with a unique beaded handbag, eye-catching jewelry or a touchable scarf.

Unique pieces available

Nancy Quickel has operated Nancy’s Petite and Modern Missy for the past 18 years in Lake Geneva. Two and a half years ago, the store moved from Main Street to its larger location at 233 Broad St., doubling its space and adding a broader range of regular-size clothing.

Nancy’s carries petite and regular sizes from 2 to 16. Women 5 feet 4 inches and under generally wear petite sizes.

“I carry probably the largest petite selection in the Midwest,” Quickel said.

Quickel, who wears petite sizes, saw a need for a store aimed at petites in Lake Geneva. A former home economics teacher, she got started in the fashion business after her children were grown. Her husband sold women’s clothing and she started accompanying him on his travels.

Quickel is drawn to unique pieces that customers won’t commonly find elsewhere.

“I try to find things you’re not going to find at every department store and every mall,” she said.

Customer favorites include Ming Wang knits — “wonderful for travel,” Quickel said — Vanilia Italian jeans and Conrad C, a petite line from Canada.

Cartise is one of their fashion forward lines of clothing created by a French designer.

The fall color palette

Quickel understands that women want their clothing to flatter their figure, whether they are dressing for a day at work or for a special occasion. She suggests that women keep an open mind about what clothing styles look best on them, and she doesn’t believe in rules that limit certain body types to particular jacket styles. What’s important is balance.

For example, a petite woman might think she will be overpowered by wearing a longer jacket. Not true, said Quickel. She just needs to pair it with the right bottom piece, such as a slim pair of pants or a shorter skirt.

Jackets are in style in a variety of silhouettes and lengths. Fabrics range from special occasion satin to weekend denim, as well as traditional wool blends for the workplace.

Look for a fall clothing color palette with hues of browns, purple and red, along with black, Quickel said.

Women love their black clothing basics, but Quickel likes to add a splash of color.

“I know what colors people look good in,” she said.

Personal attention offered

Quickel and her staff are happy to share women’s special occasions as they search for just the right outfit as mother of the bride. Likewise, they are ready to assist when women are seeking the perfect pair of blue jeans — which can be just as challenging. Quickel said age doesn’t matter when it comes to wearing fashions such as the “skinny jeans” now in style.

“It’s all about body type,” she said. “Every pair fits somebody.”

Nancy’s offers blue jeans in boot cut and straight leg styles, along with skinny jeans. Most are in darker denim hues — some embellished with rhinestone accents. Brands including Not Your Daughter’s Jeans offer a design that flatters the figure of mature women.

Quickel said she and her staff are proud of the personal attention they offer to guide women when selecting clothing and accessories.

Are there any rules for petites?

“In my opinion, I don’t like big, bold florals on a petite,” she said.

But petites can wear almost any of the hot trends for fall, including bolder styles in jewelry. Quickel said chunky jewelry complements the open necklines in clothing that are popular. Heavier fabrics now in style also lend themselves well to bigger, bolder jewelry.

Scarves offer another option for filling in the open necklines. Styles range from long, skinny scarves that are more like a piece of jewelry to more heavily textured pieces.

Store:

Nancy’s Petite and Modern Missy

Address:

233 Broad St., Lake Geneva

Phone:

262-248-8820

Hours:

10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday