Article: Where to buy petite jeans in Australia: eight options compared
Where to buy petite jeans in Australia: eight options compared
If you are under about 163cm, most jeans in Australia are cut for someone taller than you. The waist fits, the leg puddles at your ankle, and you are left choosing between rolling them up, paying to have them taken up, or going back to the shops.
Here are eight places to start, compared on the two numbers that decide whether a pair fits a shorter leg: the inseam, and the height the range is cut for.
Petite jeans in Australia at a glance
| Brand | Best for | Inseam | Cut for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEVENI | Jeans cut for a shorter leg, with no hemming. High-stretch and soft denim | 27 inches skinny, 29 inches wide leg. The same on every size | Shorter women | Online only. Sizes XS to XL |
| Target Petites | A petite cut you can try on in store | Not stated on the product page. Target's fit guide says around 72cm | Under 163cm | Rise and knee position are adjusted as well as the length |
| Abrand Petite | Abrand's signature fits, shorter | 30 inches (76cm), 94 High & Wide Petite, size 26 | 163cm and under | Cut 2 to 2.5 inches shorter than their regular length |
| Vine Apparel Petite | Petite in a wide size range | Not stated on the product page | Under 163cm | Sizes 6 to 26 |
| Cotton On Petite | Everyday petite denim | 80cm on every size, Petite Low Rise Wide Jean | Under 160cm | That style is rigid denim with no stretch |
| Just Jeans Petite | The most fits in petite | Varies by style | Not stated on the range page | Petite in bootcut, straight, slim and wide leg, and in their Curve range |
| Uniqlo hemming | Hemming to your exact length | Your choice, hemmed in store | Any height | Free lock stitch hemming above a minimum spend, a small fee for blind stitch |
| A local tailor | A pair you already love | Whatever you ask for | Any height | Around $30 a pair, and a second trip |
Figures from each brand's own website, October 2026.
How much shorter is a petite inseam?
Every petite range here is cut for women around 160 to 163cm and under. Of the wide legs we compared, Abrand states 30 inches and Cotton On 80cm, about 31.5 inches. Target and Vine Apparel do not state one on the product page.
Two brands can both say "petite" and be two inches apart, so the number matters more than the label.
Does the inseam change with the size?
Check before you buy. Some brands state the inseam for one size only, and if the leg grows as the sizes go up, a size 14 can end up longer than the number you read.
Ours does not change. A DEVENI wide leg is 29 inches in an XS and 29 inches in an XL, because a size XL customer is not taller than a size XS one.
How do I know which inseam I need?
Measure a pair of jeans you already like the length of, from the crotch seam straight down the inside leg to the hem. Our guide to inseam walks through it in two minutes.
If that number is 27 or 28 inches, start with a 27 to 28 inch skinny or straight. Wide legs can run an inch or so longer, because the hem is meant to skim the top of your shoe. Our wide leg fit guide covers where that hem should land.
Is it cheaper to hem a regular pair?
Sometimes it is. Uniqlo hems for free above a minimum spend, and a local tailor charges around $30 a pair. If you already own jeans you love and they only need a couple of centimetres off, hemming is the simple answer.
It stops working on wide legs, flares and anything with a raw or worn hem. Taking up the leg changes the length, but the knee and the width of the leg stay where they were cut for someone taller. One of our customers called it "ruining the way the jeans finish around the ankle."
Jeans cut for a shorter leg avoid the problem, because the hem lands where it was designed to land.
What about short and curvy?
A shorter leg with a wider hip is the hardest combination to fit. Look for a curved waistband, which stops the gap at the back, and stretch through the hip and thigh. Vine Apparel's petite range goes to a size 26, and Just Jeans has petite in its Curve range.
Every pair of DEVENI women's jeans has a curved waistband, cut for a smaller waist with room through the hip and thigh. One customer, at 5 foot 0, wrote: "I normally have a lot of issues with gaping at the back of the waist. (I have an hourglass shape) but these fit perfectly."
Why do shorter women choose DEVENI?
DEVENI is clothing made for shorter men and women, designed in Australia. Our women's jeans come in two cuts: a skinny with a 27 inch inseam, and a wide leg with a 29 inch inseam, cut so the hem skims the top of your shoe on a shorter leg. The inseam is the same on every size, and the denim stretches through the leg.
The fit is what brings people in. The comfort is why they end up wearing them every day. One customer at 151cm wrote that it was "the first time I could wear a pair of jeans without alterations", and called them "extremely comfortable with the perfect amount of stretch." 7NEWS featured them as the jeans you can actually squat in.
