Petite Pain: The Problematic Reality of Being a 5ft4 or Shorter Female, and Where to Find Clothes that Fit.

Petite Pain: The Problematic Reality of Being a 5ft4 or Shorter Female, and Where to Find Clothes that Fit. 

By Charlotte Oakley-Deville

In a world where ‘inclusivity’ is such an important project, this isn’t usually associated with heights. However, if you are on the shorter side, you’ll know that daily life, shopping, and society often ‘fall short’ of suitability for us.

What’s more shocking? The average height of women in the UK was 5ft4 in 2022. This qualifies as ‘petite’, suggesting the majority of clothing (‘main collection’ or ‘regular fit’ ) is unsuitable for women of an  ‘average’ height. 

Shopping and styling are sports that require a hard graft, training in a compendium of hacks, and extreme patience for petite women. It wasn’t until last year when I tried on 34 pairs of jeans before finding a pair that fit me that I realised the extent of this. 

Online shopping is often no-go, leg lengths swallow our entire feet, leggings and trousers are rolled up at the bottom, many of our clothes are safety-pinned or sewn, shopping on Vinted is a huge risk, arms and straps gape, and you can spend almost the same amount on clothing alterations as you did on buying the piece in the first place. 

Beyond clothing, daily life comes with its hurdles such as having to ask strangers to reach something on higher shelves at the supermarket, or standing on a chair to reach the top shelf of the kitchen cupboards. We’re also exhausted by the height-related jokes: “are you sure you're tall enough to go on that ride?”, “I’m surprised you can reach the pedals in your car”, “do you want the kid’s menu?” … 

Anyway, the good news is we can often buy the same clothing and shoes for a fraction of the price from the bigger children sizes, and retailers are expanding their ranges to suit us. 

Here are the best places to find petite styles, with a particular emphasis on jeans following hours of research and try-ons. 

M&S

Already a favourite, Marks and Spencer recently moved further up in my estimations when I noticed they stock both ‘short’ and ‘extra short’ lengths in jeans. Although these are hard to find in stores, they’re usually well-stocked online and available to order to store. Ankle grazer styles from the main collection are also the perfect length for petites.

Many more of their main collection dresses, trousers, skirts, tops, and other pieces also now have petite counterparts. 

Uniqlo 

The saving-grace at Uniqlo is their alteration service that specialises in shortening the length of selected bottoms, including jeans. 

The best part? This is FREE of charge for pieces over £19.90, or £3 for cheaper pieces. 

You can get this done in-store when purchasing an item or bringing bottoms in with labels attached and your purchase receipt with you. You can also request alterations when purchasing items online, so they’re made to fit before you receive them. 

F&F (Tesco)

If you told me a couple of years ago that F&F would be one of my favourite places to shop, I would never believe you. However, the pieces here are great quality, well-priced, and their styles often exceed those designed by large clothing brands. For petites, F&F is another place where you can find jeans in ‘short’ lengths. 

Zara Kids

Zara Kids had to get a mention as these pieces are of equal sophistication, quality, and price to much of Zara’s womenswear. I am 5ft2/3 and the leg length of their age 12-13 bottoms fit me perfectly, for reference. Unofficially, their aged 12-13 pieces equate to a size 4-6, and age 13-14 to a size 6-8. 

Other commonly recommended destinations for petite jeans include: Levis, Reformation, ASOS, Arket, Abercrombie and Fitch. 

So from painful to powerful, it’s time to step into jeans that truly fit and make some noise to urge shopping experiences and society to shift towards suiting our smaller sizes.