Long pants for a short woman

December 6, 2021 7:10 AM

I'm at my wit's end looking for well-made full-length pants for petite women. The scourge of ankle pants must be stopped.

I'm 5'1" and need a 28-29" inseam with a 26-27" waist. Banana Republic's Sloan pants fit me very well, but almost everything BR has is ankle or cropped length, and I already own the few "slim wide leg" full length pants they have. I wanted to try Saint & Sofia's Runway and Apartment pant styles, but my size in the 28" length is constantly sold out in the colors and styles I want.

Here's what I'm looking for:

Non-denim, business-casual appropriate
Pull-on is OK as long as they do not have a gathered elastic waist all around (prefer a zip fly)
Must have side pockets, back pockets are nice but not a must have
Neutral-ish colors (gray, black, olive, burgundy, subtle patterns)
Straight leg or wider, not skinny/legging style
Fall/winter weight
Not from Loft (their pants assume the wearer has toothpick thin legs and I have thighs) or Old Navy (very cheap-feeling)
Under $200

I would really love somewhere with a storefront so I can go try them on and avoid the online return process (I'm in NYC) but if it's online only I can deal.

Please help me cover my ankles!

posted by Fuego to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

Best answer: I think BetaBrand may check most if not all of your boxes. There was a thread some while back about looking for more affordable dupes of BetaBrand pants, and that's here, since it might be of additional interest.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:20 AM on December 6, 2021

Best answer: Uniqlo is my go to for nice, well made work slacks.
posted by bleep at 7:23 AM on December 6, 2021 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: For those asking about getting regular sizes tailored--it's iffy. I've tried and the regular sizes do not fit my proportions well in multiple ways--it appears that there's there's more than just the length that makes a petite size petite, at least when it comes to brands such as Banana Republic and J. Crew and the like. At a certain point the alterations needed start to cost more than the pants themselves.
posted by Fuego at 7:27 AM on December 6, 2021

Best answer: Uniqlo offers free in-store custom hemming on their pants. They may also have the toothpick fit problem, but worth trying.
posted by veery at 7:50 AM on December 6, 2021

Oddly enough, try Kohl’s. For some reason they are the last bastion for reasonable mid rise full length petite straight leg pants and jeans. The quality varies, though, so it’s best if you can try on in store.
posted by Mizu at 9:53 AM on December 6, 2021 [5 favorites]

Express pants (online) come in petite and short options. Keep and eye out for sales.
posted by Crystalinne at 9:58 AM on December 6, 2021

These seem to fit a number of your Criteria: L.L. Bean Women's Perfect Fit Pants Fleece Backed Straight Leg

Non-denim, business-casual appropriate - CHECK

Pull-on is OK as long as they do not have a gathered elastic waist all around (prefer a zip fly)
Must have side pockets, back pockets are nice but not a must have - NOT A ZIP FLY, BUT THE WAIST ISN'T VISIBLY GATHERED AND HAS SIDE POCKETS

Neutral-ish colors (gray, black, olive, burgundy, subtle patterns) COMES IN BLACK, NAVY, GREY AND BROWN

Straight leg or wider, not skinny/legging style - STRAIGHT LEG

Fall/winter weight FLEECE, SO THAT COUNTS AS WINTER WEIGHT

Not from Loft (their pants assume the wearer has toothpick thin legs and I have thighs) or Old Navy (very cheap-feeling) NOT LOFT, L.L. BEAN

Under $200 - $55

I would really love somewhere with a storefront - NOT A STOREFRONT
posted by Julnyes at 10:31 AM on December 6, 2021

My parameters are virtually identical to yours. I LOVE Ann Taylor (not LOFT)'s trousers. They have a full-length version in petite.

I have a pair of "tropical wool" slacks from them in black. Twelve years and hundreds of wears later, they still look brand-new. They fit me like a glove off-the-rack. They are extremely flattering even through minor weight fluctuations and look professional and put-together.

I think you are looking for the Trouser Pant in Seasonless Stretch. They have many other full-length trouser styles as well.

They do have brick-and-mortar stores to try items on.

Best of luck - I share your frustration with the ankle pants trend!
posted by aquamvidam at 11:18 AM on December 6, 2021 [2 favorites]

almost everything BR has is ankle or cropped length

tall-size cropped trouser lengths are usually close to petite regulars, no tailoring required. tall ankle might be an inch or two too long for you but it's worth checking those too.
posted by queenofbithynia at 4:25 PM on December 6, 2021 [1 favorite]

My mom (4' 11") always used to shop in the JC Penney petite section. They have nice work pants. I haven't been there since before covid, but I also always liked their Worthington line in regular sizes. All of the pants I ever bought there had pockets, which is a major plus. Also washable. If Penney's isn't your cup of tea, I think any mall department store would sell workwear in petite sizes. Good luck. Pants shopping is the worst.
posted by DEiBnL13 at 9:23 PM on December 6, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've been wearing these Lee trousers for years, although not in petite sizes -- the inseam on them is too short for me (I have really long legs). They *are* proper petite cut trousers. Available many places as well as online. Most colors are a nice weight 98% cotton twill, but a few are blends, although still cool-weather weight. Full size pockets.
posted by jlkr at 7:42 AM on December 7, 2021

Response by poster: Thank you for the recommendations. I've ordered a pair of the Betabrands and Lee pants and plan to visit the Uniqlo near me in the near future. so I've marked those as the best answers. Unfortunately, no JCPenney or Kohl's near me, and the LL Bean pants are on backorder, although they look incredibly comfortable and I may revisit the idea of ordering them in January. I've previously tried Express and the quality is hit or miss, and Ann Taylor often shares the toothpick leg problem with Loft, as they are the parent company and have similar sizing. I'll update again once I receive these and see how they fit!
posted by Fuego at 7:13 AM on December 8, 2021