I’ve never liked the idea of having to look for the “best petite jeans.” I may be all of 5’1” (5’2”, ambitiously, on a good day) but the label has always had an off flavor to me, like sour milk, or fruit gone bad. It’s too one-dimensional; too definitive of how I should shop for denim, when in reality the path I take is a slow and sinuous one. It winds through euphoric highs and spiritual lows, mapped out via a string of open tabs and scenic store visits. Experimentation is encouraged, patience is rewarded, and luck is everything. Jeans find you, not the other way around.
I’ve admittedly lost track of just how many pairs of jeans I’ve tried on in the last 12 months—some long, a few loose, others too tight—but I’ve collected many pearls of wisdom along the way for getting it right.
For starters, I always start by looking at the inseam length. Somewhere between 25 and 30 inches tends to work best for my height. Next, it’s the fit in the hips and waist I’m concerned with. “If that’s off, the entire jean looks off,” Marianne McDonald, creative director of Citizens of Humanity tells me. “The rise should hit at the most flattering point of your torso; not too high that it overwhelms, and not too low that it shortens the leg.”
Still Here co-founder and creative director Sonia Mosseri—a kindred spirit, stylish and petite, with a piercing eye for silhouette—has her own thoughts on the matter: “Most fits can work on most bodies with the right styling. I am super petite and love an oversized look for myself,” she explains. “I don’t mind when my jeans are dragging on the floor.” Her favorite pair is, in fact, three sizes too big. “They sit much lower than intended, allowing for a perfect bagginess in the leg and a generous six-inch drop in the crotch.”
Mosseri’s perspective is one that resonates deeply, and in the time that’s passed since I last worked on this story, I’ve come to realize there’s no such thing as the “perfect” jean—whether it’s labeled petite or not. There’s only what makes you feel good in the moment. For now, that’s these seven pairs—with a few extras, because I like options.
A true low-rise that works for my proportions is a rare thing to find, but as fate would have it—and by that I mean, a chance invite to visit Aflalo’s showroom—I happened upon the Verne. This turned out to be more than just another pair of jeans in my closet; rather, something that would reshape the contours of my relationship with denim entirely. In this case: my wariness of a tailor.
Everything about these jeans made sense proportionally when I tried them; I just needed them to be, you know, shorter. Putting their fate in the hands of a stranger with fabric shears was both scary and exhilarating, but with the blessing of Emily Pero, Aflalo’s brand chief, I went with a raw hem. It took the tailor all of five minutes to pin and snip them; it was with the best decision I made all September.
It’s the details that might go unnoticed that I love most about these jeans: the gentle whiskering at the hip, the faint crease that draws the eye from the knee to the ankle, the frayed hem that grazes the top of the foot… I’ve been wearing them with flip-flops and ballet flats, but I know they’ll look good with some kind of boot later in the winter, too. The Verne runs true to size, if not a little generous. I’m wearing a 24 and usually have it belted.
