Women’s Jean Styles and the Body Types They Suit
Walk into any jeans store or browse your online options and you are likely to be confronted by a slew of jeans styles. The options are mind-blowing and here you thought the only thing you had to decide was price and colour when buying a pair of jeans.
To put all confusions to rest, we explain what each type of fit is and tell you how to pick one to complement your shape and height.
1. Skinny
Tight in the waist, butt, thighs and legs, skinny jeans are the most form-fitting of jeans, hugging your figure and leaving little room to the imagination. They come in low, mid and high-rise and are usually made of stretchable denim.
The rise is the measurement from the middle of the crotch to the waist band. High-rise means the jeans sit close to the belly-button, making you look leggy and are great for hiding belly fat. Mid-rise jeans sit between the hip and the belly-button, and are for hiding muffin tops (rolls of mid-section fat that gather at the waist band). Low-rise jeans sit squarely on the hips and are good for flaunting taut tummies and trim waists.
Who they are for:
The skinny jeans is all about the legs. If you are slim and have long, or at least slender, legs, this is a look you can pull off. Hour-glass figures that are petite can also work this fit. Apple-shaped or round-shaped women who typically are slimmer in the hips and legs can also benefit from this style. Paired with a flowy top, the look will highlight your best feature – your legs – while making you look less top heavy. Finally, if you have a boyish figure with narrow hips and thin calves, skinny jeans will fit you fine.
2. Cigarette
These are similar to skinny jeans in that they will mould to your shape but from the knee to the ankle, they are cut straight (like a cigarettes) and they stop an inch or two above the ankles.
Who they are for:
Like the skinny jeans, this one is for the leggy or the petite hour-glass figure with great gams. Because they are shorter than regular jeans, cigarette jeans tend to look more casual and can be worn with mules or sandals to complete the fun look.
3. Slim
Fitted at the thighs and butt, they have more room further down the legs. They are not as tight as skinny jeans but skim your body enough to give you a streamlined silhouette. This makes them the perfect middle ground between skinny and straight jeans.
Who they are for:
This style is highly versatile and suitable for many body types. They flatter hour-glass figures because they accentuate the curves as much as they do tall and lean women. They even look great on petite types.
The slim jeans can also take you from office to hipster hangout depending on how you style it. Thrown on a tailored blazer and boots and you have a work outfit. Roll up the cuffs and slip on a faux leather jacket and you are an instant rebel with a cause.
4. Straight
This is the classic jeans that have a consistent width throughout the trouser leg making them tighter around the thighs but more roomy around the claves and ankles. They are very much like cigarette jeans except that they go past the ankles.
Who they are for:
This is for you if you love tighter fits but do not want to pour yourself into skinny jeans or do not think you will look good in them. Straight jeans skim the body more than boyfriend or flared jeans but are not as snug as skinny, slim or cigarette ones. Because they are so forgiving, they suit most body types. They elongate the silhouette of small-framed women while balancing the top-heavy apple- or round-shaped woman.
5. Boyfriend
These are loose, comfortable jeans that earned their name from the fact that they look like something out of your boyfriend’s wardrobe. Fitted at the waist and hip, these jeans broaden lower down so thighs and calves have more space.
Who they are for:
Curvy, pear and apple-shaped women look best in boyfriend jeans because they balance out the ratio of the shoulder and knees while making allowances for the natural curve of the hips and butt. However, if you are too short or petite, avoid them at all cost because they will make you look stubby.
6. Loose
The loose or baggy jeans hang down from the waist with plenty of room for the legs. Introduced to fashion in the 1990s, they are making a comeback this season.
Who they are for:
Fine-boned women or those with an athletic build will look good in these because the fit adds curves to their form.
7. Bootcut
As the name tells you, these mid-rise jeans are tight from waist to thighs then flare gently from the knees down to the calf area just enough to accommodate boots but not so much that they become flared jeans.
Who they are for:
They work for all body types. Curvy, hour-glass women appreciate how bootcut jeans accommodate their hips. Pear-shaped women who usually have slim upper bodies and wider bottoms benefit from the tightness around the thighs that provide tuck control and the slight flare below that balances the hips. Tall women carry bootcut jeans well because these jeans require longer limbs to accommodate the slight widening from the knees onwards while the flare creates an hourglass figure. If you have a rectangle shape, the bootcut creates the illusion of curves.
8. Flare
These, like bootcut, are tight around the thighs but, unlike bootcut, flare wider at the bottom. Popular in the 1970s, they were called bell bottoms then.
Who they are for:
Like bootcut jeans, flare jeans look great on tall, curvy, pear-shaped and round-shaped women. They also help to add curves to leaner forms. Those with athletic bodies (muscular thighs and calves) or are apple-shape where the weight pools more around the middle appreciate how the flare lengthens their legs. Like bootcut jeans, flare jeans work better for taller women.
9. Wide Leg
These jeans, like their name says, have wide legs from thighs to bottom, making them similar to flare jeans but with a more generous cut.
Who they are for:
The wide leg jeans is good for petite and short women because they lengthen the legs. For the rectangle-shaped woman, the wide pants which fit nicely at the hips create a nice V shape. They are best worn with more fitted tops to balance the wider bottom.
10. Mom
Mom jeans used to be the joke of the jeans world. Typically high-waisted and loose-fitting, they are like straight jeans but loose all over. In the late 1980s, they were the go-to jeans for middle-aged woman. In the 2010s, mom jeans have seen a revival, validated because hipsters adopted them.
Who they are for:
Well, moms or the mom-figure. The high waist elongates the back area making the butt seem flatter. The more relaxed fit is kinder on thicker thighs. To add an interesting detail to the stead look, go for the ripped version. Moms can be sexy, too.
