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

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, if you can only buy one pair.

The Best Petite Jeans If you Get Just One Pair: Pistola Lennon High Rise Boot

The Pistola Lennon High Rise Boot is my favorite pair of jeans at the moment. The kick-flare style is easy to style with any shoes and is flattering on everyone. They 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).

They look great all day and don’t stretch out in the knees or hips like so many pairs of stretchy jeans do. The wash I own is the Caravan wash which is the perfect blend for everyday: light and casual but not too light.

I wear a size 26 in these, and I’m currently wearing a 26/27 in most other styles, so I’d recommend sizing down if you’re on the fence.

These are also available at Nordstrom, ShopBop, and Anthropologie.

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 Ankle Straight Jean

If you’re looking for the best true straight leg jeans, Abercrombie has them. I own multiple washes in the Ultra High Rise Ankle Straight Jean and have loved them for almost 4 years. They have a super high rise, they hit right above my ankle bone, and they fit through the butt and thighs while feeling relaxed starting at the knee. I always recommend this pair to someone who’s branching out of the skinny jean world.

These come in two different fits: regular and curve love. The curve love fit has a little bit of room in the hips and thighs and fits perfectly if you have muscular glutes or thighs. And the best part? They also come in 5 different lengths. I wear the “short” length and I’m 5’1″ for reference. They also come in an 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 wear skinny jeans at all these days (you can read my thoughts on branching out from skinny jeans in this post), but if I do, they’re a pair of white skinny jeans from Madewell. They’re comfortable, fit true to size, and come in a petite length.

Madewell skinny jeans are available on Madewell.com along with Nordstrom.

The Best Flare Jean: Abercrombie Ultra High Rise Stretch Flare Jean

Back to Abercrombie we go for the best petite flare jeans. I absolutely love the Ultra High Rise Stretch 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 5 lengths. I own a size 25 Short in these jeans (this picture was last year before I got pregnant, so I’ll likely need to order a bigger size for this fall since I’m not back to that size)!

These are available at Abercrombie.com.

The Best Kick-Flare Jeans: Pistola Lennon High Rise Boot

I mentioned the Pistola Lennon jeans at the beginning of the post, but I could rave about them for hours. They fit right out of the box without alteration, and hit right at my ankle bone, which is ideal for a kick flare jean. The Kick Flare style is especially flattering on petite frames since it accentuates curves without being too fitted and doesn’t overwhelm a petite flare with a leg that’s too wide. This style is super versatile and you can wear it with any pair of shoes

These are also available at Nordstrom, ShopBop, and Anthropologie.

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: Agolde Harper Jeans

I just discovered the Agolde Harper jeans and now I’m wondering where they’ve been all my life; I feel like they were made for me. They have room in the back for a muscular booty, the waist fits perfectly (they are technically a mid-rise, but they fit more like a high-rise on me), and they hit the floor when I wear heels. While this may not be ideal for you and you may need to get them hemmed, I like to have at least one pair of jeans that pairs well with heels so I’m not going to hem.

The dark wash is nice without feeling super dressy, and I appreciate that they’re fitted on the top and then relaxed down in the leg. They really do feel like they were tailor-made for me. I have a size 26.

You can buy the Agolde Harper jeans directly from Agolde, or you can find them at Revolve, ShopBop, Nordstrom, and Tuckernuck.

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 (on sale for the Anniversary sale!).

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