Wide-leg jeans and pants continue to be popular this season. I’m often asked if I think petites can pull them off—and yes, I do! I’m not for styling rules, but if you’re looking for ways to appear taller in wide-leg pants and jeans here are a few things I keep in mind when styling them:
Ways to Make Your Legs Look Longer in Wide-Leg Pants/Jeans
- High-rise styles will make your legs look longer.
- Choosing a longer inseam that falls to the ground over a pair of heels gives the illusion of length. These can be heeled boots, pumps, or sandals.
- If you want to wear a shorter inseam and wear them with flats, choose a nude or light-colored shoe (like slim white sneakers). I choose ballet flats, slim sandals, and sneakers similar to Converse when I wear them with flats.
- Choosing a slim top that is either tucked in at the waist or cropped to the waist will highlight leg length. Ending your tops at your hips will hide the smallest part of you (your waist) and make your legs look thicker and shorter.
- When it comes to the inseam on a pair of wide-leg bottoms you can wear either cropped or full-length. Cropped you want them to land either above or just at your ankle bone (for me, that is a 24-25″ inseam. Full-length styles you’ll want to end at the bottom of your foot (for me, that’s 27-28″ – if I want to wear the pants with heels, I go for a 29″inseam). You can see examples of cropped wide-leg pants styled in this post.
Affiliate links are included in this post.
Wide Leg Pants/Jeans Outfits
My Sizing: I’m 4’10”, and my bust, waist, and hip measurements are 32″, 24″, and 36″. My inseam is 25″ (the measurement from the inside of my leg to my ankle bone). The clothes shown are unaltered and show how they fit me right from the store. I list my sizing beside each item to help you compare when shopping online. When referencing my true size that is often the smallest option available at a brand or petite xxs/00/24. I wear a size 5 shoe.
Emmett Wide-Leg Pants
The Emmett pants from Madewell have a 27.5″ inseam in petite, making them great for wearing with flats for most Petites. Overall, these pants are true to size, but I find them to stretch out some with wear, so you may want to size down to accommodate the stretch. I think this is a great pair of pants for wearing casually and possibly to work, for those who work in a casual workplace.
Top Petite XXS | Pants Petite 24/00 | Bag | Flats tts
Abercrombie 90s Relaxed Jeans
I’ve included Abercrombie’s 90s Relaxed Jeans in short and extra short. In extra short these jeans have a 27″ inseam and in short they have a 29″ inseam. I wear extra short with flats and short with a low heel. The first example is with the short inseam. I styled them with a top that is cropped, but also see-through so you can still see my waist. I chose a wedge heel that has a nude slim, toe strap to keep the look light at the feet. The short and extra short inseams tend to sell out quickly at Abercrombie, but they are always releasing new washes in these styles, so keep an eye out for restocks!
Jeans 24 Short | Top XXS | Camisole Small | Bag | Shoes tts
I paired the extra short inseam jeans with light, nude ballet flats and tucked my top in to highlight my waist.
Jeans 24 Extra Short | Bag | Flats tts | Top XXS
Abercrombie Loose Jeans
The Loose jeans from Abercrombie are similar to the 90s Relaxed Jeans – but they’re just what their name implies – loose. They have an 11″ rise and a 29″ inseam in short. There is extra room throughout the entire fit, so they will drop down to your hips a little bit as you wear them. Since this style bunches some due to the loose fit, I prefer them in the short length with heels. I went with a top that is cropped to the waist of the pants and undid the bottom button of the top to keep the waist of the jeans visible. I went with the same nude, slim, toe strap wedges for height.
Top XXS (you may want to size up, it gapes at the buttons) | Jeans 24 Short | Bag | Shoes tts
-Brooke
