Dashielle, thanks for linking back to this post from Angie's culottes blog post today...I didn't realize you had tried the CM ones on! Thank you for that.
I am short too, and I would expect to have to hem these culottes about 2 inches to have them work on my height. (I have noticed that petite maxi skirts are generally 3 inches shorter than their misses' equivalent, so I'm guesstimating 2 inches for something midi length.) If I try these on at CM, I will take along my heeled boots (Aquatalia Rhumbas) and roll up the pant legs and then see if I like it. However, the rise may be too long, as is often the case with misses' pants on me.
Too bad about the show-through lining. I wonder if they're all like that? I suppose a person would have to wear white leggings underneath. It's frustrating when manufacturers can't design clothing without these issues.