If you’ve been following TME for any amount of time now, you’ve probably seen me in my favorite black skinny jeans…maybe a little too often. While I adore the 9″ Madewell high rise skinny jeans in black sea wash, variety is the spice of life, right? Yeah, it was time to hunt out some others to see how they compare. I stuck with skinny jeans for my try-ons, but included a few other leg styles in the roundup at the end. I’m trying to move on from skinnies, but I just haven’t been able to fully commit!
Black skinnies are just THE most flattering jean I’ve found in the last few years that fit my style and my figure (short-ish and short-waisted). I have no idea how many jeans I’ve tried on in the three years I’ve been with The Mom Edit. SO MANY. And while variety adds spice, if it ain’t broke…right? So here’s to variety within certain boundaries. Haha. Welcome to my world of faded black jeans, y’all. Let’s see the contenders…
My Current Favorite Pair of Black Jeans, For Comparison
Madewell 9″ High Rise Skinny in Black Sea – This is the second pair of this exact jean that I’ve gotten because I wore the others ALL the time for 2 years. The butt finally tore last fall right before we went to London. Yeah. #nicetiming. But have no fear, I popped right back in to Madewell before our trip and got this pair you see here. I’ve proceeded to wear these a good 75 percent (no, honestly) of the time since October, and they’re just now getting to the point where I’d like to replace them. (I busted through the knee a bit more than I’d like recently.)
I cannot say enough good things about these jeans though. Different washes break in differently I think (although it’s hard to say, because I mostly live in this pair). But, these get SO soft and perfect. The waist is high but not uncomfortable, and they’re flattering from the front and the back. I hack them off myself to the perfect length and go. They’re reasonable at $128 full price. Wearing size 27. TTS.
Finding a New Favorite Black-Wash Jean
My Faves…
Everlane
Everlane Authentic Stretch High Rise Ankle Skinny – LOVE. Great wash and fit, and very high rise. Wore on our latest road trip. A little tight at the waist for sitting that long, but not bad. I love that I don’t have to hem these (26 1/2″ inseam). So flattering from the front and back. Only $68!! I adore that Everlane uses so many responsible practices, too. Most on-trend wash I think. TTS. Wearing a 27.
Levi’s
Levi’s Mile High Skinny – Good wash. Very high rise. Nice stretch. Less comfy in the waistband compared to others. They make me look so tall! I LOVE these. Haha. And at this price, I’m considering keeping these too. Wearing 27. Fit nicely. Just tight enough now, and they have lots of stretch. They seem like they won’t stretch out. I always line dry my jeans that have any stretch to them because the dryer wears out the stretch fabrics much faster, btw.
Citizens of Humanity
Citizens of Humanity Rocket High Rise in Dark Ink – These look a little bit more faded in person, but not a ton. They are really soft and nice and flattering. I like them a lot. They’re also on sale right now for $125, which is a steal for CoH. Wearing 27. Size up if between sizes.
The Honorable Mentions…
Joe’s Jeans
Joe’s Jeans Flawless Charlie High Rise in Sivea Wash – These I tried out not realizing they’d be quite so gray. IF you are looking for a coated gray jean though, these were SO comfy, especially in the waistband. High rise. Very stretchy. Raw hem. The wash was a little interesting and almost acid-washed in places, but not enough to scream 80’s. If I were to cut them off at my ankle, I don’t think they’d bunch at the knees as much, but here they’re quite long. Wearing 27. They fit great right now. Not sure if this style will stretch or not. Please weigh in if you have tried it out!
Joe’s Jeans Flawless Charlie High Rise in Ilana – SO soft. Flattering in the booty. Great wash. Very stretchy. These are thinner than the coated pair, of course, but not as thin as the AG Legging. The waist and pockets are a more typical jean style than in the coated pair, too. Not AS comfy as the waistband of the coated, but still fine. Again, these are pretty long, but I think the knee bunching would be solved by me hacking them off for my short figure. Again, wearing my regular 27 and they fit great now. They seem just the slightest bit big though or maybe it’s because they have super stretch?
AG
AG Legging Ankle – Low rise. Sadness. I was zoning in on the wash here and didn’t realize this wasn’t the Farrah High Rise I have come to know and love when I ordered. These are super comfy and flattering on your booty, but they’re also quite thin. How are these jeans so flattering on the booty?? They’re the only low rise I’d even consider anymore, but they did give a bit of a muffin-top thing so, no. Wearing 27. I’d say they fit a tiny bit small, but it may feel that way because of the lower waist. I’m realizing these are the only distressed pair I tried, but it seems I am moving on from that look and I’m OK with that. Plus, it’s warmer for winter.
J.Crew
J.Crew 9″ High Rise Toothpick Jeans in Charcoal Wash – I think these were my least favorite. They flatten your butt, so, no thank you. I’ve been doing WAY too many squats at barre3 to let that happen. The wash was OK. They’re one of the thicker pairs of jeans I tried. I’m glad I finally tried them out though since I’ve been wanting to compare them to Madewell. Wearing 27. Seem to run slightly small.
Other Outfit Details
Black tee – Madewell Whisper V Neck – Wearing a small.
High tops – Steve Madden Serena Mixed Media TTS
Navy tee – Alexander + David V Neck – Love this tee but it’s a bit oversized now. I would size down to my regular size if I ordered it again. Wearing a medium.
Button down (similar) – Everlane Relaxed Fit Button down
White sneakers (similar) – Nike Classic Cortez
Shop More Dark-Wash Jeans
What’s your go-to jean style? Have you tried to venture out lately? Did you succeed? So many questions. But I honestly would love to know how you fared in a hunt for a new jean style, if you’ve tried one. For now, I’ll stick with faded black jeans for the most part, but I do have some plans to try to swap them out coming up soon, so stay tuned!
xo
L
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @elletrain to see just how many days in a row I wear black jeans! (Hint: it’s a lot) And don’t forget about LikeToKnow.It for easy peasy shopping of the looks I’m wearing!
I decided to try a pair from Target’s Universal Thread line recently that are medium high waist skinnies and so far I’m pretty happy with them. I’m not a jean snob at all and have never had jeans that cost more than $100 so I might not be the best judge but for about $30 I’m happy. ?
Oh, I’ve seen that line but haven’t tried it out. Thanks for the info!
Just bought a pair of Old Navy mid rise frayed hem black jeans. They were under $30 and are perfect for pooch hiding and have the right amount of stretch and distressing.
Ooh, good to know. Thank you!
I have a confession: I love low rise & cant do high rise. My c-section bump is right there in the middle & low rise sits right below it. But then it needs a soft waist band, because of scar tissue.
I tried those same J.Crew jeans and was so disappointed! Glad it wasn’t just me! Uncomfortable and unflattering,even though I really liked the wash. Thinking of trying the Everlanes. The original Everlanes didn’t work for me at all, but sounds like these might? Just worried that an 11 inch inseam is a bit much since I’m short waisted. But they look so cute on you! And the price point and ethical practices are excellent.