I won’t go so far to say that the best jeans for petite women are categorically misunderstood, but I will say finding the right silhouette can often feel like casting a net into the void. An indigo abyss where dressing room disappointment is a core memory, and online ordering has about the same success rate as rolling a pair of sixes. What’s a 5’1 girl with an unrequited love for jeans to do?

I always start by looking at the inseam length—something between 25 and 31 inches is ideal. Next, Marianne McDonald, creative director of Citizens of Humanity says the fit through the hips and waist is of utmost importance. “If that’s off, the entire jean looks off.” “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,” she adds.

Still Here cofounder and creative director, Sonia Mosseri, a kindred spirit, stylish and petite with a piercing eye for quality and detail, shares her own pearls of wisdom for shopping denim: “Most fits can work on most bodies with the right styling.” “I am super petite and love an oversized look for myself,” Mosseri adds. “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.”

It’s a sentiment that resonates deeply, and over the years I’ve come to love the ineffable cool of puddling hems and their permanent grime marks. Many of my petite colleagues tell me they take their jeans and tailoring in for alterations—I’d rather play it safe and stick to cropped fits that naturally have shorter inseams tend. If you find yourself wanting more, the below seven pairs are what I’d buy right now.

Vogue’s Guide to the Best Petite Jeans for Women

Agolde Arc Jeans

The way I see it, being moved by a pair of jeans is as close to nirvana as you can get. I felt that ecstatic euphoria the minute after I fastened the top button and walked over to the mirror. Effortless in every sense of the word, they sit relaxed on the natural waist, and a little loose in the legs. A sharp crease down the sides gives them a subtle curvature, like ballet arms at ease. If you ask me, they need little more than a white T-shirt and sun-warmed skin to feel complete, but if I were to style them out, I’d keep the flip-flops and throw on a beautiful knit (perhaps this one from Casasola for texture), or slip into a pair of ballerinas (something like these from Khaite) and a slouchy leather blouson from Nour Hammour. There are three washes—Orten, pictured, is my pick: the faded, white-flecked blue feels lived in in the best way, and by pure grace, the 26-inch inseams skims the floor without ever touching it.

Still Here Sport Jeans

There’s nothing to debate: Still Here cofounder and creative director Sonia Mosseri knows what jeans we want before we want them. She has the details in the Sport Jean—drawstring toggles, super soft cotton, a no-waistband waist—perfectly dialed. The fit, she tells me, is “inspired by track pants and the versatility of vintage performance wear.” Far from athleisure masquerading as denim (my bête noire—just pick one), Mosseri says you can cinch the drawstring toggles, or leave them loose for a more wide-leg fit; I pulled the toggles taut to wear them as a genie pant. (It also helps with the length!) Go with your usual size, as I did (24) or one up if you want an even more relaxed fit on the hips. I find the low-rise waist benefits from something shorter, or at the very least, tighter, up top to balance out the proportion; I’m wearing it with a layered long-sleeve from Leset. In addition to white, the Sport Jean comes in a classic blue, as well as “Pear”—the Bosc varietal of the fruit rendered in 100% cotton.

Mother The Half Pipe Ankle Jeans

Who, but Mother, to restore my faith in barrel-leg jeans? These sit easy on the hips without being too dramatically curved for everyday. Styling matters: a fitted top (I’m wearing one from St. Agni) is helps to balance out the proportions, and while I don’t mind the flip-flops in this instance, I think a little heel would cleaner, longer line. I often strike out on sizing with Mother, but I’m wearing my usual here (24) and would recommend the same. These are a regular length, but don’t miss their suite of petite styles if you’re looking for other bestsellers; there’s a range of bootcut jeans, high-rise jeans with raw hems, flare jeans, etc. made petite-friendly.

Mother

The Half Pipe ankle jeans

Citizens of Humanity Winslow Jeans

No, I won’t be revisiting my glory days of Saran wrap skinny jeans any time soon—but after years in looser silhouettes, tilting the proverbial axis towards something slimmer feels like a welcome recalibration of the scales. These are billed as boyfriend jeans, with a true-to-size mid-rise fit and a tapered leg that falls right below the ankle. A good style to pair with a crinkled leather loafer and a stack of Dorsey paracord anklets. Can I say, they even look a little sexy? I love them with a belt and this boyish, layered long-sleeve. I could’ve been a California skater girl in a past life, because damned if I can’t help but crush on a guy who looks like he spent the better half of his twenties skating backyard pools and ripping down double blacks. The whiskers on the Pacifica blue (pictured) on are immaculate. Nine other washes are yours to consider.

Citizens of Humanity

Winslow mid-rise straight jeans

Agolde Ren Jeans

Here’s a paradox that might puzzle you, too: If your torso is longer than your legs, high-waist jeans should, in theory, elongate them for a more proportional look. Right? Not always. I’ve found that when jeans sit too high up on the ribcage to be comfortable, it’s as annoying as knee placements visibly on the shin. (There’s enough to stress about in a day—why leave the house in ultra-high-rise jeans only to wish you were in a skirt by the end of it?) Agolde’s Ren hit the sweet spot of being high-rise without being high-maintenance. They’re made of a rigid, non-stretch cotton that I imagine will get softer and more relaxed with wear. The slightly longer inseam than the Arc means they could benefit from a little height; I’d do a leather boot (something like these Khaite Arizonas) for everyday wear. Of the 21 washes, I’m wearing “Journey”—a medium-blue that can do no wrong.

Agolde

Ren high rise wide leg jeans

Tibi Sid Jeans

There’s a certain degree of confidence you need to pull off a more directional shape, and Tibi’s Sid Jean give me that. They have dramatic, balloon-like legs with snaps on the inside that allow you to adjust the hem—I have them clipped on the highest here. The pant is offered in two lengths (S and R), I’m wearing the short. My colleague and denim muse for this look, Madeline Fass (who is 5’3!) has these in a dark indigo; if I had to pick one wash only, I’d choose the white and wear them all winter with a long black coat and hair tucked into the collar.

What hasn’t yet been written about Levi’s 501s? It’s denim that inspires poetic prose about American heritage and the virtues of non-stretch cotton. It’s denim that’s fished out of consignment stores, whisked across borders, and resold by vintage dealers at a premium. The only thing worth adding to the record is that, in all this, I serendipitously found an ankle-length version that works for me. I can wear them for the 10-minute walk to my local bakery to pick up a rye sourdough; I can wear them for the half-hour bike ride to Williamsburg to eat gelato, and I can wear for the seven-hour flight to visit my mom in Italy. I can wear them on a sunny day and on a rainy one. I’m not precious about what happens to them, and that is the most liberating thing you can ask from your clothing: to look good, not in spite, but because of all the wear.

The difference between regular and petite sizes

Marianne McDonald, creative director of Citizens of Humanity, says designing for petite frames is all about respecting proportion. “It’s not just scaling down, there needs to be a thoughtful approach to the entire pattern [to maintain the design’s integrity]. The inseam is obviously shorter, but we also adjust the rise, pocket size and placement, and even how the leg shape breaks.”

Karen Phelps, creative director of Agolde, echoes this approach: “The rise and the leg shape really set the tone for how a jean feels on the body. For example, a high-rise that hits just right can elongate the leg and define the waist, while a subtle taper or flare can create length and movement.”