The Very Best Petite Jeans (the best brands & styles

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I own over 40 pairs of jeans and have tried on countless more. These are the best petite jeans no matter the style or fit you want.

I’m definitely a denim girl. Jeans are the most practical item in my wardrobe because I can wear them in any season and for any occasion. A dressy lunch with friends? Jeans and a cute top. Casual day running errands with the kids? Jeans and an easy tee.

But as someone who’s very petite (I’m 5’1″), finding jeans that fit correctly can be a challenge. Over the last fews years, I’ve found a handful of great styles that fit without needing alterations. I hate having to take things to the tailor, so for that reason, every single pair of jeans I included below is un-altered and ready to wear. Note, if you’re a little taller or shorter, they may hit on you at a slightly different length.

I hope these suggestions help all of you petite ladies find a great pair of jeans, no matter what style you’re searching for.

Before we get into every style (there are many), I want to link my #1 pick for the best petite jeans for women, if you can only buy one pair.

The Best Petite Jeans If you Get Just One Pair: Frame Le Pixie Slim Palazzo

When I find a pair of petite jeans that hit just right without any extra work, I want to shout it from the rooftops. Enter: Frame’s Le Pixie collection. These jeans are designed specifically for petites–no hemming required, no drowning in fabric, no “almost but not quite” fit. Just really good denim that feels like it was made for us (because it was)!

The Frame Le Pixie Slim Palazzo are a dream if you love the wide-leg look but usually feel overwhelmed by too much fabric. The palazzo cut is flowy and elongating, but the petite-friendly inseam means you actually get to wear them with flats and heels without tripping over yourself (these are also a favorite in my roundup of the best wide-leg jeans). I have them in both the light wash, and they’re the kind of jeans you can dress up with a blazer or throw on with sneakers and still feel chic.

These same jeans come in a tweaked style with a modern pocket in a beautiful rinse color (pictured below). If you’re after a darker wash, these are the ones. The modern pocket detail adds a tailored feel that I love, and the clean dark denim is so flattering. They’re polished without being stiff, which makes them a great “wear all day” jean, and they work just as well for the office as they do for date night.

Use code TERILYN15 for 15% off at Frame. Their jeans are also available at Anthropologie, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s.

The Very Best Petite Jeans (for every style and fit)

Okay, now let’s break it down by style.

The Best Straight-Leg: Abercrombie Ultra High Rise 90s Relaxed Jean

If you’re looking for an easy, everyday straight leg jean, the Abercrombie High Rise 90s Relaxed is my go-to. I spent the past couple months trying to find the best straight leg and these are the winners. They have a classic straight fit (not too wide, not too skinny), a flattering high rise, and just the right amount of ease through the leg so they feel relaxed without being baggy. I have them in the medium marble wash and feel like this color goes with so much.

Like most Abercrombie denim, they come in both the regular and Curve Love fits–the Curve Love adds extra room through the hips and thighs for a more tailored fit if you need it. They also come in 5 different lengths, which is a game-changer if you’re petite or tall. I wear the 26 Short and I’m 5’1? for reference, but they also come in extra-short.

Read my full review of the best Abercombie jeans (with a side by side comparison) here.

I believe you can only purchase these jeans directly from Abercrombie.

The Best Skinny Jean: Madewell skinny jeans

I rarely reach for skinny jeans these days (you can read my thoughts on branching out from skinny jeans in this post), but when I do, my top pick has to be the Wit & Wisdom Ab’Solution Sophie Ankle Skinny Jeans. They’re petite-friendly, insanely comfortable, and the sculpting fit makes them extra flattering (which is hard for skinny jeans to do in my opinion).

These skinny jeans are sold at Nordstrom and directly at Wit & Wisdom.

The Best Flare Jean: Abercrombie High Rise Flare Jean

Back to Abercrombie we go for the best petite flare jeans. I absolutely love the High Rise Flare Jean and get compliments on them every time I wear them. Like the name states, these are an ultra high rise. The flare begins at the knee and flares out dramatically toward the bottom.

I love that they’re stretchy and comfortable, and like the straight jeans linked above, they come in 3 lengths. I own a size 25 Short in these jeans!

These are available at Abercrombie.com.

The Best Kick-Flare Jeans: Mother Hustler Ankle Fray

I could rave about the Mother Hustler Jeans for hours. They fit right out of the box without alteration, and hit right at my ankle bone, which is ideal for a kick out jean. They look great all day and don’t stretch out in the knees or hips like so many pairs of stretchy jeans do.

This was a hard pick because I love the Pistola Lennon High Rise Boot almost just as much for the same reasons. The Mother jeans have my heart, but the Pistola Lennon jeans are more affordable, so that’s something to factor in when deciding which pair you want!

The Kick Flare style is flattering on everyone, especially petite frames since it accentuates curves without being too fitted and doesn’t overwhelm a petite flare with a leg that’s too wide. Both the Mother and Pistola styles have a smidge of stretch, which makes them super comfortable, and there’s actually room for my muscular booty (many styles of jeans flatten me out in the back). This style is super versatile and you can wear it with any pair of shoes. I think of these jeans as a brand off of skinny jeans – like true “mom jeans”. If you’re unsure how to style them, read this post on 5 shoes to wear with mom jeans.

In terms of sizing, I’d say to size up in Mother, but Pistola runs TTS!

The Mother jeans are carried by Mother and Bloomingdale’s! The Pistola jeans are also available at Nordstrom, Revolve, and Shopbop.

The Best White Jeans: Madewell

The best white jeans? Easy, Madewell. Well, actually not that easy. I tried on 15 different brands of white jeans before finding Madewell, but since then, I’ve never looked back. You can read my full blog post about the best white jeans here, but the short story is that Madewell makes a few different styles of white jeans and I own + love three of them. The shade of white is perfect, they don’t make me look bigger than I am (a problem I ran into with some other brands), they’re not too thin (i.e don’t show cellulite) and they come in petite lengths. Winner-winner!

See all of my favorite white jeans for petite ladies linked in this blog post.

The Best Wide-Leg Jean: Frame Le Pixie Slim Palazzo

I mentioned the Frame Le Pixie wide-leg jeans as the ones I’d invest in first because they truly stand out. The proportion is spot on: wide and flowy without feeling oversized, cropped to the perfect petite length, and incredibly elongating. I have this style jean with the raw hem, and for a dressier take, I have the Le Pixie Slim Palazzo Modern Pocket in Rinse which has the same fit I love but with a darker wash and subtle tailored pocket detail. They’re sleek, polished, and easily go from the office to dinner out. Don’t forget to use code TERILYN15 for 15% off at Frame.

You can read this guide for how to style wide-leg jeans. Frame jeans are also available at Anthropologie, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s.

If you’re looking for a pair of wide-leg jeans with a little more oomph, try the Joe’s Jeans Trixie Cuffed Trouser High-Rise Wide-Leg Jeans pictured below. They have a large cuff at the bottom which adds fun interest and is very trendy this year. I wear a 27 regular in the Trixie.

Wide-Leg Budget Pick: Kut from the Kloth Meg Jeans

While I love the Agolde Harper jeans, they’re pricey. Thankfully I discovered a great pair of wide-leg jeans that are more affordable during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale: the KUT from the Kloth Meg jeans. These are under $100 when on sale and around $115 at full price (even cheaper directly from KUT here). They’re stretchy and comfortable, and they look amazing in real life (and in photos).

They’re already cropped, so they work really well on petite frames. This style comes in petite, which I didn’t realize at the time. I’m wearing a 2 regular below, but I know a 2P would fit even better length-wise. Size down if you are on the fence, since they do stretch out.

As far as I know, you can only buy KUT from the Kloth directly or Nordstrom.

Best Bootcut Jeans: Joe’s Jeans Provocateur

For a dressy date night, I love a bootcut jean with heels or pumps. They’re dressy and dramatic and give me the “long legs” feel that can be hard to achieve at 5’1″. My favorite pair is the Joe’s Jeans Provocateur. The length is ideal for heels (but will require hemming if you wear them with shorter shoes), and I think a bootcut style looks best on petite frames when paired with heels.

I have a size 27 regular, but I recently learned there’s a petite. I think this length works really well on me with heels though, so I’m sticking with regular.

You can order these jeans directly from Joe’s, and Nordstrom (sometime they are on sale for the Anniversary sale!).

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