Fit & Proportion
Why Petite Dress Pants Didn't Fit Me
In 2013, I moved to Chicago for my medical training and needed pants, but nothing petite fit.
I shop online and in stores. It was very frustrating either way.
I decided to hide under a white coat, wearing leggings, because nothing fit.
When shopping for pants, even when the tag said petite, the pants were still loose.
The crotch was long, and the legs were long.
I got a good fit at the waist with legs too long, or the right length with the wrong fit.
Online, the word says petite, but the length or inseam is hard to find.
Newer brands sell by height. Still the wrong approach.
The word "petite" is confusing. Most people think petite means skinny. Petite is a height, 5'4" and under, and within that height, legs and proportions are different.
For a long time, petite women like us were left out.
A good example is Denise, the co-founder of our brand, and me. Denise is 5'2" with a balanced torso. I'm 4'11" with a short torso. Although I am three inches shorter, my torso is short, so my legs are long for my height.
That is why our inseams are almost the same, 26 and 26.5.
This is the reason the same pants fit us both.
Height was not the only issue. It is just one of the factors.
Two things matter more, besides your waist and hip measurements: your proportion, which affects the rise, and your inseam, which is the length of the pants.
Nobody told me that.
The rise is the part of the pants from the crotch up to the waistband. It decides how high the pants sit on you.
So I stopped shopping by the word "petite." Now I shop by my measurements: my front rise, my inseam, my waist, and my hips.
Petite proportion is how your height splits between your torso and your legs. It is a type. A shorter torso means your legs are long for your height. A balanced torso means your top half and your bottom half are about even. A longer torso means your legs are short for your height. Knowing yours gives you an estimate of where a waistband will land on you. The goal when you shop for petite is a waistband that lands on your natural waist.
How do you check your proportion and measure your front rise?
- Two hands flat under your bust, one under the other.
- Where is your belly button?
- Covered by your hand? Short torso.
- At the edge of your hand? Balanced torso.
- A gap under your hand? Long torso.
- Sit on a hard chair. Measure from your waist to the seat, plus half an inch. That is your front rise.
What rise do you need? Start with your torso.
When you shop online, most websites do not show the front rise. So you estimate from your torso length.
If you have a short torso, you will likely need a mid rise. A high rise will likely reach your ribs.
If you have a balanced torso, a high rise will sit at your natural waist.
If you have a long torso, you will likely need an extra high rise. A high rise will sit below your natural waist.
Want to know exactly where the waistband will land? Measure your front rise.
An estimate gets you close. Your front rise gets you exact.
It is the distance from your crotch up to your waist, in front. You need a measuring tape.
Measure once. Then match it to the rise of the pants, and you know the waistband will land on your natural waist.
What we built
Petite clothing is a different design, and it deserves a category of its own. Denise and I designed the pants ourselves, because we know women need a simple pair of pants they can rely on and look confident in. The first pair is a high-rise straight leg in Espresso and Midnight, cut and sewn in Los Angeles from imported fabric. It is cut for a short to balanced torso, because it fits Denise and me.
If you are unsure, get the Polished Petite Playbook to learn how to measure.
Get the Polished Petite Playbook
The Polished Petite Playbook is free. It shows you exactly how to find your proportion and take your measurements, so you know exactly what to buy when you shop.
Get the Polished Petite Playbook
Written by Liz (Elizabeth), co-founder of The Petite Standard