About one minute into my trip to the new Paige Denim store in the West Village yesterday, I was a little miffed. Not because some guy muttered something about “artfully destroyed jeans” to me as I walked in, but because I went there specifically for the Petites Line, which takes up about 1/16 of the store.
Which brings me to my greater question: Why exactly are jeans so incredibly long? My “petite” jeans I bought yesterday came with a tag that reads, “This collection offers perfect proportions for the petite. Rather than simply cropping the length, this garment has been rescaled and tailored to accomodate [sic] the woman who is 5’4” and under.” Which is interesting, seeing as how the average height for the female American woman is 5’4” (and that statistic doesn’t take into account all the still-growing teenage girls who probably buy more jeans than all the rest of us combined).
It’s not that I’m naive about these things. I stare at and mull over fashion for a living, so I am fully aware that most designs are intended for people that don’t even exist. But you’d think that such an ordinary item wouldn’t be subject to the idea that everybody’s 5’10 and 85 pounds (and I won’t even bother to present the argument that making people-size jeans would help the cost since less fabric should equal less money – my petites are always the same price as their foot-longer counterparts).
So does anyone have the missing piece of information to this mystery? Because it would really help my weekend.
Tags: denim, Jeans, Paige Denim, Shopping
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Thank you!!! Every time I buy a pair of pants now, I have to hem them. I’m 5’6″ so, too tall for petites, but apparently much too short for “average.” It irritates me when I see all the options in sizes and inseams that men have.
I have the opposite problem — jeans are the only pants long enough for me! I have the hardest time trying to find work pants that I can wear with heels. Oh, and I’m 5’8, so it’s not like I’m absurdly tall.
That so strange when I was reading that post I didn’t understood actually I have a hard time finding jeans because they are all not long enough. And I’m not super tall I’m 5″9 and I have to said that work pants are absurdly hard to find that why I wear skirt and dress to work. But seriously wear you shop for jeans because I check a lot of stores and they or pretty short just at Tommy Hilfinger, calvin klein I looked like a took my little sister pants and a won’t even talk about the stores like H and M it make me mad.
Excuse you!
As a 6 foot tall woman, who is not 120 lbs, but a normal size 6, I find this post extremely offensive. I rarely find jeans my size- Manufacturers only assume that because I am so tall, I must have model proportions and not have a butt at all. There are petite sections to countless stores everywhere- Have you ever seen a “tall section” in clothing stores? Sometimes yes, but rarely no.
Please stop complaining, when you have a world of options available to you.
I am lucky. I live in Hong Kong. The retailers sell their jeans with free alteration. Customers can have their jeans narrowed by 1-2 in. at the waist and shortened as much as you like for the length. Too much shortening upset the proportion, though.
i agree with everything in this post…buying jeans is just an excruciating task when you’re not a tall, thin barbie.
Chill out, #54. All Natalie’s saying is that jeans aren’t made to fit an average-height woman and that this doesn’t make sense as jean-buyers probably tend to be about this height. It IS weird that average-size people have to buy specialty-size jeans. Nobody’s denying that it’s probably hard for you, over on the other end of the height spectrum, to find jeans too. However, you lucky super-tall girls make up a pretty small part of the population, so it would make more sense economically that manufacturers wouldn’t cater as much to your needs.
This post was a complete waste of space, as are the majority of comments implying jeans should be cut for dwarfs. Why complain about getting alterations on jeans? (especially since it is typically free) The average woman is closer to 5’6″ and the average pant inseam is 34.5″. Women tall or short have different length legs. It just makes sense to have extra denim oppose to not enough. Maybe next I will post a story about shoes not having long enough laces. But then again who wears shoes with laces..?
to #58: the average height in US is just under 5′ 4″ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height#Average_height_around_the_world)
also, for myself personally, most things over $200 I buy (like jeans or more expensive things like jackets or dresses), I do expect to take to my tailor to tweak slightly. I used to think that if I spend enough money I shouldn’t have to fix it to fit me better because shouldn’t it damn well fit already? Then I realized if I spend that much money, what’s another $10-$50 to make the clothing feel like a custom fit? I realize I am not exactly a fit model body (only 5’5″ with legs on the shorter side) so its worth the little extra cost.
God these comments are annoying, unless YOU are the fit model, your proberly not going to find a pair of jeans that fit you or everyone perfectly. Unless they are magic jeans, or you are in the film the sister hood of the traveling pants.
if you’re 5’4 and want to have a perfect pair of jeans which means don’t need to hem, then may i kindly suggest you to buy cropped denim like Siwy Hannah.
btw, Kate Moss and Sasha Pivovarova are both 5’4 and they swear by Siwy Hannah too.
oh, Kate Bosworth is only 5’2 and i think her fav jeans are by Topshop Petite.
anyway if you don’t like above brand, you can always fall back on cropped jeans.
kate moss is 5’4? that i dont believe!
too long?
you must be kidding.
as a 16 yr old 6’2 jean shopper, i find it nearly impossible to find jeans that cover my ankles.
First of all, tall people, stop whining. Clothes are designed for your bodies, because tall is the ideal. If, like me, you are five feet tall, weigh 100 lbs, have a 22′ waist and 37′ hips (let’s not even get into the 32C bras that are almost impossible to find), nothing is made for you. Clothes will never fit you right, even petites, unless you sew them yourself. Shoulders are wide, sleevers too long, dresses that are too snug at the hip and BAGGY at the waist, forget about bathing suits, and pants that fit your ass are huge on your thighs and legs. Stop complaining about pant length. Clothes are made with you in mind because you’re better than short people.
ugh guest #64 quit it. I’m 5’10″ and its quite hard finding jeans that doesn’t make me look like i shopped in the kids section.
It’s all about finding brands that are diverse. I’ve basically stuck with Lucky Brand Jeans. They have different inseams (30, 32, 34 and even 36 inch inseams). The jeans are pretty good and while it still is kinda expensive they have two big sales a year where I get two jeans for $100
you want great jeans you gotta do the research. I work with denim so I know
I wish stores offered professional hemming servies :( I don’t know if they do in America, but they don’t usually in Sydney
#62: yes, Kate Moss is 5’4.
see here: http://www.celebheights.com/s/Kate-Moss-1495.html
I for one am very happy they are making jeans longer. I am 6’2 and 155 lbs which is on the lower end of average for my height. I am, however, not very happy about how the idea behind people of height are somehow overweight as well. I have a pair of 41″ long jeans from Lucky and they are a 34″ waist. I have a 30″ waist. Am I supposed to gain twenty pounds to fit into them? Or am I doomed to forever have to choose between a waist that fits, and pants that are long enough?
So, in summary, mass production fashion designers are completely clueless. Either that or they want as all to have tailoring backgrounds so we can do proper construction for them.
“First of all, tall people, stop whining. Clothes are designed for your bodies, because tall is the ideal. ”
But they are not manufactured for our bodies. Trust me. I’m 6’1″ so nothing (darts, waist, pants length, shoulders, etc.) is in the right place for me. Being less-than-rich, I sew.
As for jeans, I swear by Wrangler men’s Pro-Rodeo– they make your ass look great and come in all lengths.
5’10 (size 4)and have been tall & skinny for my entire life. I used to have to suffer with high-waters year round. Then I discovered designer jeans and realized that there was a whole culture for tall people!
Your tailor should be your best friend not matter what your height/ size.
There aren’t enough jeans for tall people!! As someone who is 5’10″, the jeans STILL aren’t long enough. They should make 37 inch inseams for us and petite inseams for you. But you’re definitely mistaken in thinking jeans are made for my height…they’re not!
Everyone’s body is different, no matter your height. You can have two women 5’2 or 6′, same weight, but their legs will be of different lengths for instance, or their hips wider, buttocks fuller or not…things that may draw extra fabric up, making pant legs shorter once on the body, for example. Bottom line is that our bodies are as different as fingerprints sometimes(exaggerating-but you get the idea). Better to have more fabric than not enough. #70: I agree with you 100%…everyone benefits from having a tailor not just for jeans but for everything you wear. As for men having it easier, I beg to differ. Many of their slacks are purposely NOT hemmed and extremely long. Men face a lot of the same issues, like where their pant hem/cuff hits their shoe heel and where it “breaks” on the top of their shoe. They also deal with buying bigger size pants to accomodate their athletic thighs and have to get the waist and crotch taken in. Happens ALL the time! So, they TOO have issues. Just accept yourself and make the clothes fit YOU, not the other way around :)
I love Mavi. They come in 30,32 and 34 no matter what the waist size. I hate when companies assume short people can’t be a larger size and tall people a smaller size.
kate moss is not 5’4″ , c’mon people….get it together!
I’d just like to point out that there are some of us on the other end of the spectrum. I AM one of those people who are 5′ 10″ (5′ 11″ actually) and weigh 110 lbs. (that’s an exageration but I am on the slim side, and am built like a prepubescent boy) and it is IMPOSSIBLE to find jeans that are long enough, considering I need a 37″ inseam for it to touch the ground. I know, I shouldn’t complain, but all of you short people can always hem jeans at a tailors. it’s kind of hard to make short jeans grow longer.
I feel your pain, at 5’1 it is almost a prerequisite to get my jeans tailored, and despite how much I love jeans its kind of become a chore, a much hated one at that. When I worked at G-star, they on the other hand provided length 28 jeans, so I didn’t get them cut at all! For a steep price tag though, I guess its worth it because I’ve not bought anything since. Highly recommend G-star for those vertically challenged folk.
With so many people left out at both ends of the spectrum, I wonder how big the middle of the market really is.
On the tall end of things, there’s a line launching this fall that will have inseams *starting* at 34″. Pretty good considering the “tall” sizes in stores usually stop around 33″ or 34″. For the moment, TallGirl occasionally has styles that don’t look like mom jeans. In the UK, there’s Long Tall Sally, but 34″ and 36″ are usually the longest you can find.
http://www.signature9.com
I love Alloy for tall jeans–yeah, they’re for teenagers, but I go for the black skinnies which are nice and flattering.
i can’t ever seem to find jeans that are long enough. you can make jeans shorter but you can’t make them longer. have you ever heard of getting jeans tailored? take advantage of being cute and petite, not tall and gangly.
I am just under 5’7 and had to buy AX short jeans this weekend. And I can still wear heels with them.
I am 5´7 and jeans almost always work out!!! :) but I do wonder sometimes how shorter or taller women deal with that. European brands like zara, are way too long even for me, I think those are meant for girls that are like at least 5´9. In the other hand I have a butt and I always struggle with that, I end up buying jeans that are a bit big on my waist just so they fit my butt :( everybody body is so different!
Hi! I work for a company who makes denim jeans for international brands (and no i am not from China!!), the reason why is because it’s easier for production people to do just one length of pants instead of so many. anyways, those who are always looking for longer length of jeans , try looking at SASS&BIDE. They come in different lengths (XL, XXL, XXXL which stands for XTRA LONG).
Laughing out loud at all the nasty back-and-forth over short versus tall people… personally, I’m 5’7″, not so very tall I suppose but in the area I live (in the Southwest U.S.) nobody seems to carry jeans for anyone over 5’4″. One wash and they’re high-waters, or “flip flops only” or sometimes even have to turn into cut-off “housecleaning days” shorts. I love Lucky and Paige denim (NON petite ;) ), they are actually long enough. T-shirts never cover my waistline… I don’t want to look like a Britney wannabe every time I do laundry!
AND, I will have to share the first commentator’s complaint, I have a small size 25/26 waist BUT a large rear, so nearly every pair of pants I find is saggy in the thighs and loose in the waist OR cannot fit over my butt. However, ya can’t fit everyone perfectly… that’s what we get for living in a society where we insist upon skin-tight clothing. ;)
I would recommend Topshop jeans, they’re cheaper than designer and you can get them in leg lengths 29, 30, 32, 34, 36 I believe. definitly the best range on the high street.
The gangly tall gals should go to the Big and Tall store. Most of use cute women are between 5’2″ and 5’6″. cute!
post#74: truth is hard to swallow but Kate is indeed 5’4. c’mon all models lie about their heights.
This is so frustratingly hard to read I had to stop. WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND for you people? Jeans are long because you are supposed to hem them to fit. Hemming is not that big a deal, guys. Christ.
but guest 87, did you miss the comments about how hemming jeans makes them totally lose their proportion? also, certain styles, like bell bottoms (if you really want to wear those) aren’t hem-able at all specifically because they were designed to remain their length. plus, is it really fair to have to have extra time and money built into the design of your jeans just because everyone else does it that way?
finally, it’s really frustrating when people comment only to vent the attitude they don’t have the guts to give people in real life. please refrain from commenting altogether unless you are honestly joining and furthering the conversation, not just asking a question that was answered over a month ago.
I’m 5’9″ and its not only hard to find jeans that are long enough, but when you do you can hardly wear them with heals!! It’s impossibl…
Truth be told, the jeans manufacturers have production minimums to meet and only larger companies cut jeans in mutliple lengths. So they pick an average length assuming the consumer will shorten their jeans.They tend to cut either 32″ or 34 ” on average and most brands tend to cut the longer length. However they fail to take into consideration that this only works with straight leg fits in which the knee and bottom opening are the same. At 5’1″ and an owner of a jeans brand I know this all too well. I can nver buy a flair leg jean only to hem it and the fit is completely changed at 27″ inseam Also true, most jeans designers fit on models with averge height of 5’8″ in size 26 waist or 28 depending upon the brand and tend to not consider the average persons height( 5′ 4″ )to the industry standard. I will even go as far to say that some jeans designers only want ” model types ” to wear thier jeans.
uggh first of all how hard is it to get a pair of jeans hemmed?
designers of course are going to make a pair of jeans longer since solving the problem for short people is simple, hemming. if they were short inseams how is a tall person going to wear it?
second its called stacking, you stare and mull over fashion for a living and you never seen jeans stacked? guys do it moreso than ladies but i have seen girls with stacked jeans
Some of us have the opposite problem…
In case you’re like me and looking for long jeans:
http://tinyurl.com/pq63xk
xxx
Ya know, I feel ya on the whole, “jeans too long thing” but for once, let us tall gals have SOMETHING our way!
For those of us who can’t afford designer everything, we deal with uber short waistlines and sleeves that hit 3″ above our wrists on a daily basis. Any idea how hard it is to buy a winter coat or blazer w/ long enough sleeves? Or something that fits correctly in the shoulders and bust but whose waistline doesn’t fit around ones ribcage?
Oh and BTW – Big & Tall stores? Laughable! FIND me a decent one! At size 4, I’m not big enough to wear Lane Bryant and EVERY department store has a petite section with smaller proportioned versions of the same dresses available in the rest of the store. When do you ever see longer versions of things in department stores?
I’m 5/10 and a size 4 and I would like to know what stores you go to,because every time I go jean shopping all the jeans say long and xtra long and I have to let the hem out and they’re still to short.I guess you could say I’ve been waiting for a flood all my life.
Perhaps they suppose the jeans looks better in a stiletto or some form of heel adding height to the woman and thus requiring more jean. If they are fashion jeans, this is most certainly the case. Would you really want a lot of women dressing them down with a Nike shoe rather than dressing them up in a Manolo Blanhik?
I used to rely on Gap for my jeans, and now I can’t even seem to find a pair there. I’m a size 14, which obviously means I’m 6 ft. I’m almost 5’8, and the jeans are still hanging off my feet! I currently own 2 pairs of jeans I wear on a regular basis, and one of those are falling apart at the seams (literally) I’ve had them for so long. I understand the higher end boutiques catering to the tall and thin, but I would think that companies like Gap would be kinder to a wide variety of proportions.
One more thing, HOW are you tall people not finding jeans long enough??? I’m not short, but even the “regular” lengths hang off my feet! American Eagle, Gap, Banana Republic, try those out for long jeans. Of course, by the sound of a lot of these comments, some of you don’t shop at commercial stores.
I think it is pretty clear that tall and short people have difficulty in finding clothes to fit. There really needs to be more dedication to tall and short people. Hemming jeans is a huge pain. I hate hemming. Why is it such a big deal for a manufacturer to just make different lengths to accomadate short and tall? I would certainly spend more money buying jeans if I didn’t have to hem them but because I do I just stick to what I have for a long time. Short people shouldn’t have to hem just because it is easier for the manufacturer who sells jeans for hundreds of dollars.
I use to be able to shop at GAP and get the ankle jeans to fit almost perfectly and I’m only 5 ft. However for some reason now, even the ankle sizes are hanging off my feet. I don’t know what happened but I’ve been living off of like 2 pairs of jeans for some years now because I just can’t seem to find a pair that is short enough.