Petite Trousers That Fit Without a Trip to the Tailor

For years the petite section was where trends went to be diluted, a few black slacks with the hem taken up and nothing else. The shift now is that brands draft petite trousers from scratch, moving the rise, knee and pockets so a wide leg does not swallow someone at five foot three. Good American even states its petite cut is designed for frames 5'4" and under, which is the kind of plain detail that used to be missing. DKNY's textured crepe straight leg is the sensible starting point, while the Good American wide-leg ankle pant shows the wider shape working on a shorter body. Start with these two and judge everything else against them.

The REISS Juniper is a grey wool-blend barrel leg with deep pleats, the most fashion-forward shape here. The Jones New York Serenity is its opposite, a pull-on straight leg with pintucks that reads tailored without a zip.

Every petite wardrobe needs one trouser that disappears into the week and one that announces itself after six. Kasper's Claire is the first kind, a mid-rise straight leg with a tab waist that belongs to the long line of office trousers descended from the 1980s power suit. The Lauren Ralph Lauren velvet straight leg is the second, a cotton-blend stretch velvet that borrows from the old idea of velvet as eveningwear and moves it into ordinary dressing. Velvet is kind to petite frames because the pile catches light vertically and makes the leg read longer. Wear it with a fine knit rather than anything shiny, or the whole thing turns costume.

Calvin Klein's high-waisted pull-on wide leg is fluid viscose, so it moves rather than standing away from the body. The Lauren slim ankle is the cleanest line here and the easiest with a loafer.

The single test that decides whether a petite trouser works is where the hem falls with the shoe you will actually wear. Wide legs want to graze the top of the foot in a small heel or a flat, while slim and ankle cuts should stop just above the ankle bone so the leg keeps its length. Rise matters almost as much, and a high rise on a short torso is usually the more flattering choice because it moves the visual waist up. What I would skip is any trouser that only fits after major alterations, because that is precisely the problem a petite cut exists to solve. Buy for the hem first and the fabric second.