I wear petites when I can find them and have found them in 26-28 when I was up there at my largest. As you said, it's only an indication of height and limb-length (and waist-length for me). I have short legs and a high waist, even when I'm thin. Unfortunately, plus-size manufacturers don't seem to think short people can get fat so there's a dearth of large-size petites available.