When it comes to fashion, having a petite frame has its challenges. And when you’re shopping for the best petite jeans? It’s even tougher. While jeans shopping is hardly recognised as a joy for any body type, it’s even more tricky for short women.
Often, being petite is relegated to something of a Champagne problem. The general consensus? That surely you can just buy regular jeans and get them shortened? Or cropped jeans and they’ll fit you as full-length? No. It’s a hard no. A) you shouldn’t have to, and B) chopping a foot of fabric off your brand new jeans purchase is wasteful (and hardly sustainable).
What type of jeans are best for petite?
GLAMOUR UK’s Social Media Creative Producer Chrissie Moncrieffe is 5ft 2″ and swears by these three pairs of petite jeans. “They’re the perfect length and on-trend shape, and they all feel like an elevated version of ‘regular jeans’ – which is an easy way to upgrade an everyday outfit for me,” she says. Read more about how we test here.
- Best petite mom jeans: Sandro Trompe L’œil High-Rise Mom Jeans
- Best petite wide-leg jeans: TRF Baggy Balloon Mid-Rise Jeans
- Best petite jeans for women: ASOS DESIGN Petite Dad Jeans
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Our advice? If you need a new pair of jeans and are under 5’3”, get out your tape measure to check the leg length of any prospective purchase. Many retailers have a dedicated petite section, but if they don’t this is your best bet for finding a good fit.
Remember to also check out the model’s height before adding anything to cart. Often online clothing stores use the same model for a batch of products, meaning jeans that would be perfect on you look like pedal-pushers on someone who is 5’11”. And, don’t forget, petite doesn’t have to equal size 6 or smaller, either; bodies come in every height and size combo – don’t ever feel like you’re the odd one out.
So where to find the petite jeans we rate? On the high street, ASOS has a whole world of petite options (171 pairs of jeans for your perusal, to be exact). We stan the ASOS DESIGN Petite Dad Jeans in summer-ready ecru and DTT’s Petite Molly High Waist Wide Leg Cargo Jeans, because contrary to popular belief, petite people can wear more than slim-fitting and straight styles.
Topshop Petite jeans are also great, with styles ranging from light blue slim jeans to high-rise jeans, bootcut jeans and some of the best white jeans for shorter women we’ve come across. It’s official: shorter women can definitely pull off looser, flare jeans or baggy styles – it’s just a question of keeping your look (and the jeans) in proportion with your body.
Looking for more? Alongside the best petite clothing brands, we’ve also got the best jeans for women (including Good American, Agolde, Everlane and more), and found the best high-waisted jeans, high street jeans, boyfriend jeans, mom jeans, plus-size jeans and low-rise jeans.