I'm 5'4"—Here’s Where to Buy Petite Clothes That Are Actually Chic

I'm five feet, four and a quarter inches. And yes, that quarter makes a difference—at least to me. Once you get to five feet four inches, you’re officially entering petite territory, and for most of my adult life I wanted absolutely nothing to do with that.

In my mind, petite was the afterthought market. Like, Oh right, some people are shorter—I guess we should make them some clothes, too. I didn’t want to be relegated to some special section with fewer choices. I wanted to be thrown in with the wolves. Give me the regular clothes, and all the selection that brings, and I’ll figure it out.

And I did.

My pants were almost always too long; my jackets sometimes hit a little looser than they probably should; my jeans pooled around my ankles. But I think at some point I just accepted that this was how clothes fit. I hemmed things. I rolled them. I wore giant jeans and called it fashion—which sometimes it was.

Then recently I tried on a pair of petite pants. They fit perfectly.

Not perfectly for petite pants, but perfectly in general. The rise was right. The length was right. Everything seemed to land where it was supposed to land on my body. It was a completely new and—not going to lie—really nice experience. Was it time to accept reality, lean in and explore the petite section?

What I started to realize is that good petite clothing isn't just regular clothing with a few inches chopped off the bottom. It’s about all the other proportions too. The rise, the inseam, where the knee hits, length of torso, even the sleeve lengths! I spent years blaming my body for things that were actually just landing in the wrong place.

And, here’s the best part: the petite world is far better than the one I invented in my head. So many brands get it, and the options are far more endless than I thought.

Nelle Atelier is an interesting one because the clothes are actually designed around women under five feet four inches, rather than being an abbreviated version of something else. The denim feels really current and cool, unlike what I thought petite sizing would be before I tried it for myself.

Mother also does petite denim well. It’s not just a shortening of the inseam—the rise and knee placement are also adjusted. Frame, Ann Taylor, Paige, Reformation, Levi’s, and J. Crew are a few other brands that offer stylish denim.

Ann Taylor was actually one of the brands that helped bring me around to this whole petite thing. I’ve found both pants and jeans there that fit me really well—not in an "I can make these work way," but in that slightly shocking way where the length and proportions are just right from the beginning. No negotiation required.

While some brands aren't specifically designed for petite sizing, many still fit a five-foot-four-and-under frame exceptionally well. Toteme, Dôen, Rohe, and Ulla Johnson come to mind. Vince offers amazing trousers and Maria McManus comes highly recommended for their cropped items. I have pieces from all of them and they remain in my closet because they fit my body well.

With all these choices, I think it may actually be time to surrender. Hi, my name is Larissa Mills and I’m petite.

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