American Eagle is one of the brands I love to shop for oversized flannels, the comfiest sweatshirts, and swimwear. However, I haven’t purchased many jeans from the brand recently since I usually associate AE with very distressed denim or jeggings, which aren’t really my jam right now.
However, a photo of these cool stovepipe carpenter jeans popped up during some online browsing, and I was intrigued. It turns out, that AE now has a premium denim line that complements their regular denim line, and I was curious. So, I rounded up a bunch of wide-leg styles I liked the look of (some of them premium and some regular) and tried them on. Spoiler alert: I’ve found some hidden gems!
1/ Editor’s Pick: The Strigid Curvy Super High-Waisted Straight Jean
Cashmere Tee | Jeans | Loafers
One of my favorite trends is wearing denim that looks more like a traditional trouser cut, and I think these wide-leg jeans fit the bill, especially in the black wash. The material is soft, but sturdier than some of AE’s other styles (AE is calling this fabric mix “strigid,” which I’m guessing is just stretchy + rigid). The length of the hem also works well for me (I’m 5’5″) – any shorter and these would look cropped, but with this length, I can still show off fun shoes like these silver loafers.
2/ Runner Up: The AE77 Premium Stovepipe Carpenter Jean
Blazer | Tee | Jeans | Sneakers
The model photo on the left was the inspiration behind my order of all this AE denim. I love the wash and cut of these jeans in the photo, and I wanted to see what these jeans would look like on a size 14 instead of a size 2 (that was the size listed for the lovely model above). I also wanted to see if I liked the jeans or if I just liked how the brand styled the jeans. Fortunately, I did really like these jeans – the fabric has just enough stretch for comfort, and even though it’s not a curve cut style, I thought it fit me well and true-to-size.
Blazer | Tee | Jeans | Sneakers
I love the wide hem at the bottom of the legs as well as the large pockets on the seat of the jeans. The cargo detailing is a fun addition to an otherwise (relatively) dressy pair of jeans, and I think the length of the jeans is just right for my height.
3/ AE 77 Premium Stovepipe Jean
This style is similar in shape to the black wide-leg jeans that are my Editor’s Pick. However, these jeans are part of AE’s premium denim line, meaning the price is higher than some of their other styles. While I like these, I don’t love them – I think the super light wash is throwing me off. I do, however, think the shape of the style and the fit of the denim are great.
4/ The AE Dreamy Drape Stretch Super High-Waisted Cargo Baggy Wide Leg Jean
These jeans are definitely an interesting style – mashing up cargo pants with a flare silhouette isn’t a style I’ve seen before. I do love flare jeans because I find them flattering on my pear-shaped body. Plus, I love utilitarian and menswear detailing in my wardrobe, like the cargo pockets on the side of the leg. But do I love both at the same time? For me, these pants are probably not going to find a permanent home in my closet. However, they were soft, comfy, and ran true to size.
5/ The AE Dreamy Drape Highest Waist Baggy Straight Jean
These acid wash cargo jeans are definitely a throwback to a much earlier time in my life! I wanted to try these because they were nostalgic, and, who knows, maybe they would look great on. The waist is elasticized and comfortable, and I do think that the cargo pants are on trend. However, I didn’t love these enough to keep them. The jeans were too long for me (you can see the little bit of pooled fabric around the ankles), and although that’s a problem with a relatively simple solution (hemming), I didn’t love these enough to go to the trouble of taking these jeans to the tailor. These might look great on a taller frame (for reference, I’m 5’5″) or on someone whose style is more sporty.
6/ Bonus: AE Stretch Baggy Cargo Jogger
Tee (similar) | Cargo Pants | Boots (similar)
I couldn’t resist snapping up cargo pants to try on with all this denim. I really like the pocket details and the drawstring at the ankle of these pants, but I don’t love the fit. These ran small on me (you can see the cargos pull across my hips), while all of the other items I ordered in a size 14 fit very true to size. So, I don’t think the nomer “baggy” is correct, although the fabric does have some stretch. I would be willing to order a size up and see if that works better for me, but, in truth, I am too in love with these cargo pants I picked up during the Nordstrom Sale and like the style even better than these AE pants.
Overall, I was really happy with the pants I tried on, and American Eagle is officially back on my checklist of retailers that I buy denim from. Although you can still find skinny, distressed jeggings on the site (and, hey, if you love that, go for it!), AE seems to have made a concerted effort to move towards more on-trend denim styles (e.g. wide-leg and baggy). Have you purchased anything you love from AE lately? Leave me a comment below!
xo
Anne
