So I thought you all might get a kick out of this. The EF harem pants I'd been thinking of buying went on sale at Macys.com last week. So they were a total of $118 (including tax/shipping) instead of the $180+ (with tax and shipping) that they are everywhere else.

The only problem was they didn't have the petite length. They had them in regular size XS. So I decided to take the chance since all the reviews said these were running really short and I wanted them to hit just above the ankle (the length on the model shown on the EF website. Most of the other websites showed them modeled on women hitting at calf length, not ankle length).

Well, I received them and they were a tiny bit too loose in the waist to sit on my true waist and they were about 2 inches past where I wanted them to hit just above my ankle.

I considered returning them and just ponying up the cash for the full price petite versions but decided I didn't mind them at that length or sitting a little further down on my lower waist/upper hip. I did, still prefer they would hit a little higher up.

So I decided to conduct an experiment and ignore EF's care instructions (which say machine wash gentle cycle in cold water and hang dry). Instead, I just washed them in hot water and put them in the dryer on high heat for about 45 minutes.

Boom. Problem solved. The length shrunk to exactly where I want it. The waistband is still a tiny bit too big but not by much. I could have my seamstress go in and remove about an inch on the waist elastic (and might still do so) but I figure I'll wear them a few times before making that call.

Sorry I didn't take pictures of the before fit. It would have been cool to compare. But here's the website photo that shows where I wanted them to hit at the ankle and where they now do that I purposefully shrunk them.

So if anyone else who is on the short side and coveting these comes across them on sale but not in petite. It might be worth trying this if the price difference is enough of a savings