How To Style Mom Jeans For Short Women

How To Style Mom Jeans For Short Women

When it comes to denim, I’m regularly asked a lot of questions, as you know I’ve been working with the fabric for over a decade, and I have a separate website dedicated to denim – The Jeans Blog. One question that I have been asked a lot recently is how to style mom jeans for short women.

My Instagram inbox is home to fashion advice, so I thought I would actually put together a blog post with my tips on how to wear mom jeans if you’re on the shorter side, and actually make them look flattering.

We can of course pick up any mom jeans and wear them, but the key is getting the silhouette and styling right, so that it flatters your petite frame instead of overwhelming it. For reference, I am just touching 5ft 4, and I have a longer torso and shorter legs, wearing a 26″ inseam in a full length skinny jean.

I have included two different shoes here on the same outfit, so you can see how to wear mom jeans with different footwear, and I’m going to talk you through each look below each set of photos. But I’m including some tips just below for you on how to wear mom jeans for short women. I hope you enjoy the blog post and please let me know if you have any questions!

Key tips to remember for styling mom jeans if you’re short:

• Always go for a more cropped and tapered hem.
• Pick a slimmer leg silhouette.
• Try to wear them with leg lengthening heels.
• Go for a mid to high rise that hugs the hip area nicely.
• Pick a mom jean that has some stretch to it.
• Pick a shade of denim that complements your skin tone.

The reason I say to go for a cropped and tapered hem is because it’s more flattering to those of us ladies that have shorter legs. The cropped length and a slim fit silhouette means that you can add length to your legs and show off their shape, rather than cover them up with excess amounts of fabric. Drowning your lower half in wads of denim will do your petite figure no good.

Heels that are lengthening to your legs are the perfect pairing for slim fit mom jeans. By this, I mean heels that don’t cut you off at the ankle. A nude pump if you have a lighter skin tone, or darker shades if you have darker skin, are perfect for lengthening those pins. Avoid any contrasting colours, especially if they contain an ankle strap. That will shorten your appearance.

The rise of a jean is very much dependent on your torso length and height. If you are very petite or have a shorter torso, you want to pick a mid rise as it will appear higher on your frame. If you have a longer torso, a high rise will be perfect. You want to make sure that it hits below the belly button. If it’s too high, it will make you look short if you’re tucking tops into the mom jeans.

I say to opt for a mom jean that has some stretch to it because you want to make sure that it’s hugging the hip area nicely. There’s nothing worse than bulges of fabric at the crotch, or a jean that’s so rigid and tight, it’s digging into your lady parts. The pair that I’m wearing from American Eagle is called ‘Strigid’ and they’re rigid at the front, and stretch at the back. That’s the perfect combination! But some amount of stretch or a very thin rigid denim will be best.

Finally, picking a shade of denim that complements your skin tone is key! Much like the shoes adding length to your legs, the denim needs to do that too. If you’re very pale like I am and you have a stark pair of black mom jeans on, it can be too harsh against your skin, overwhelming your body. Darker shades suit those who are more tanned or have black/brown skin tones.

Styling Mom Jeans With Heels

As you can see in this first styling of my mom jeans for short women, the heels that I chose are white and they lengthen my legs. They don’t cut me off at the ankle. The American Eagle Strigid Mom Jeans are in the extra short length, showing off my ankle, with a slim fit. The denim is a light blue and it’s very complementary to my pale shade. A mom jean fit like this is key for making you look taller, keeping the overall outfit frame sleek, and not overwhelming your shape.

For the whole outfit, I am of course wearing a women’s leather biker jacket and I chose a pale lilac shade, as I’m keeping with the neutral palette here. Then my slim fitting top is white, to match my heels, and my bag is a shade of ivory. All of these colours work really well together – nothing cuts me off in terms of height, making me look shorter. It all blends together, adding height to my frame. This is the absolute perfect way to wear mom jeans if you’re short.

Check out a similar way that I wore mom jeans and a leather jacket here.

Styling Mom Jeans With Trainers / Sneakers

I purposely styled this exact same outfit with some flat shoes like a trainer/sneaker to show you just how much it changes the overall appearance of my height. You can tell straight away that I don’t look as tall, however, because of my choice in footwear, the entire outfit still works. I posted both of these outfits to Instagram and asked you which one you liked the most, and surprisingly the heels option only won by about 60%, so it goes to show that it really does come down to colour choices.

To keep with the theme of complementing my skin tone and not creating harsh lines around the ankles, I went for white sneakers to match the white top, and my pale skin. Even though these are flat, they do still have a little height (see my review of them here) to them as they have a thicker sole, but I think it works perfectly if you want comfort for the day instead of wearing heels as not everyone loves them. Just make sure the mom jeans are still cropped and tapered, so that you have the ankle showing to brake up the shoes and jeans – that’s key! Let me know what you think of these tips on how to wear mom jeans for short women! Lorna xx.