5'3"ish? Here's Your Fall Denim Guide
Contrary to popular belief I'm V short. I'm 5'3" and 30 something yrs old and have spent way too much time over the past decade trying to find the perfect pair of jeans. Here's the thing that I think a lot of 5'2" - 5"4 gals will agree on: many time's we're too tall for petite styles and 99% of the time we're too short for regular styles; it's a lose lose situation. Add on having a long torso (me!) and you're literally sh*t out of luck, ESPECIALLY with the new high waist denim trend. I've chatted with a lot of you about this on IG stories and decided to put together a list of my tried and true favorites for this season. For this post I'm specifically going to hit mom jeans, boyfriend jeans, and high waisted skinnies BUT if you're looking for a regular skinny jean my go-to has always been J. Brand's cropped styles. They don't sit as cropped as they do on the tall models (obvi) but they hit the ankle perfectly and are super flattering on us petite gals.
Mom Jeans
best petite 'mom jeans' - FRAME denim le original
When it comes to "mom jeans" aka high-waisted straight leg styles, I've always found it difficult to find something that fit my short legs and my decently round booty. For a long time I wrote the style off as being just for tall girls with no curves until I was gifted a pair of FRAME jeans in the 'le original' style. The fit on these babies is perfection. Yes, the waist isn't as high as I would like for my long torso but overall they make my butt look fantastic and the length is perfect. You know what I think it is? Just like the J. Brand's I mentioned above, the le original is a cropped style, so it hits perfectly at the ankle for us shorties. Tip: look for raw hems because you can always cut them even shorter if you need to and not have to mess with a tailor OR if you're looking for an ankle length jean buy a cropped style.
Btw- the style I'm wearing above is 30% off on Shopbop!
Boyfriend Jeans
The perfect boyfriend jeans for petite girls: Citizens of Humanity
BF jeans are hard not only in length but the overall style is meant to be oversized and a little baggy which typically doesn't highlight a petite frame in the best way. Enter: Citizens of Humanity Liya High Rise Jeans. Technically they are a classic style BUT I swear to you they stretch out after one wear and turn into a mini boyfriend jean that doesn't overpower you. I love them so much (and get so many compliments when I wear them) that I just bought a second pair in a different wash. Tip: don't be afraid to cuff or roll 'em. It looks great with heels and can help if they may be too long. (Did mention I hate getting things tailored?!)
Citizens of Humanity Liya Jean on Ashley of Everyday Pursuits
High- Waisted Skinnies
High waisted skinnies for a long torso and petite legs have been by far the hardest to find... so much trial and error. The key for a long torso is a rise of 11" + which is not very easy to find. Most denim brands including the typical go-to for this style, Madewell, consider high rise to be 9.5" - hah! It's crazy! From what I've found - BDG (Urban Outfitters) does all their high waist in 11" and the brand ROLLAS makes an incredible ultra high waist style called the scorpion that is 13" and they're absolutely amazing!
I would LOVE to know if there's any styles you guys are loving out there that maybe I haven't tried. In my book, you can never have too many pairs of great fitting jeans! xo - Ash