What’s a short girl to do?

Short jeans: The Long and Short of it

Struggling to find a great pair of short jeans?

When the average woman in America is 5’4”, why are all the cool jeans made for those 6’ Amazons? Really, who has a 35” inseam?

It’s hard being short in the world of fashion jeans today.

Yes we have staples and masking tape for those quick hem jobs,

we could make a quilt with all the hems that we’ve hacked off, but that’s no comfort when you want to look great right off the rack.

7 Tips for the not so tall.

• GREAT SKINNY STYLES. You’ve been seeing everywhere are often shorter in length, a big plus for you. If they’re still too long, scrunch them up around the ankle it’s the chicest way to wear them.
• STRAIGHT LEGS ARE BACK… with a vengeance and they look great cuffed up (just be sure that your cuff is not too wide). Pair them with heels or a nice pointy toed flat that will visually extend the length of your leg. Straight is also easy to hem.
• WEAR THEM LONGER, just slightly, about ¼” from the ground with your heels on, it will maximize your leg length.
• LENGTHEN YOUR LINE. A vertical fade or crease down the center of the pant leg adds visual length and slimness to your leg.
• CLEAN, DARK WASHES. Finding them isn’t so hard these days! A uniform color from waist to hem will make your legs look longer and has the added benefit of making you look slimmer.
• AVOID SUPER LOW RISES. A mid rise with a slight upward tilt at the back waist is another great leg lengthening trick.
• KEEP IT SLIM, stay away from wide legs and trouser styles with heavier hem details. They will add bulk to your shape making you look shorter and wider than you really are.

Cut it off

If all else fails, pay to get it shortened! It’s worth the $10 – $15 extra. There are 3 tricks to choosing a jean that will shorten well without losing it’s cool..

Choose a flare leg style, once you shorten it 2-3” you’ll be left with a great looking boot cut.

Pay attention to where the knee breaks. Most designer jeans place it fairly high so it will still work with your shorter proportions. If it’s lower, it may be too low for you, throwing off the proportions of the jean.

Make sure that wash and sand-blasting are not placed too low. They will look all wrong after you hem. Don’t, however, worry about details at the hem. A good tailor will be able to preserve the original hem.

Off the rack

…we’re not talking petites here; those are usually the frumpy styles that you wouldn’t be caught dead in. Some of our favorite fashion forward brands offer styles in shorter lengths check out our short list.

Even if the shorter length is sold out in the store, you will find it easily on the web. Try using the narrow your results tool on zafu; it will point you to those styles that offer a short length. Check out over twenty cool cool brands that we have which offer you the choice of short lengths.

Revel in your size

It’s not so bad. You always have enough leg room on the airplane, you get those lovely kisses on the top of your head, and you can demurely ask that cute guy in the grocery store to reach the top shelf for you. Now you can always look great doing it!