Skinny jeans . . . it took me forever to like them, but once I did they were all I wore. My closet is full of skinny jeans, legging jeans, jeggings, whatever you want to call them…they’re pretty much the staple of my closet. However . . . trends change, right? Remember when we did that cropped flare challenge and everyone was like nooooooooooo!!?? Yup. Now they’re everywhere. As are wide-leg jeans. And they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. But wide-leg jeans are hard to wear, right? At least for us pear-shaped women who already have the booty/thigh area as the widest part of their bodies. So I decided to try a few pairs out to see if I could find that perfect vintage-inspired pair that will go with everything. Here’s what I found:
Wide-Leg Jeans At-Home, Try-On Session
So one of the biggest problems I have with flares and wide-leg jeans is the shoe situation. I’m 5’4″, so I’m kind of right on that line where petite is sometimes too short and regular is sometimes too long. I can’t wear both heels and flats with the same inseam . . . but for now I’m going to stick with heels because they give a more flattering silhouette with wide-leg pants In this case I tried each pair on with the same pair of shoes so the length was consistent.
1. Express High-Rise, Wide-Leg Jeans in Petite
I wasn’t sure if there was a huge difference between the regular and petite size (since the regular size comes in three lengths) so I tried them both. In this case, I didn’t like the length. I felt like these were too short but not in a deliberate enough way. I also didn’t like that these were “high-rise” but felt much more like mid-rise. They went back — on to the regular size.
featured: Express High Rise Wide Leg Jeans Petite, size 6P
J. Crew t-shirt (similar) | jeans | shoes
2. Express High-Rise, Wide-Leg Jeans Regular
These are my regular size 6’s in the regular length (short is 30.5″, petite is 30.75″, regular is 33.5″ and long is 35.5″). They’re just a bit too long as is, so I could try to throw them in the washer and dryer to shrink them up a bit, but I didn’t love them enough to keep them. They went back too.
featured: Express High Rise Wide Leg Jeans, size 6R (available in short, regular and long lengths)
J. Crew t-shirt (similar) | jeans | shoes
3. Paige Sutton High-Waist, Wide-Leg Jeans
These fit really well and felt more like trouser jeans thanks to the back pockets and curved waistband. The length of the petites was perfect with heels, but they might be a bit long with flats. They’re more structured, so I feel like they’d be perfect for a casual office — add a blazer and you’re set!
featured: Paige Sutton High-Waist Wide-Leg Jeans, size 28P (petite sizes here)
J. Crew t-shirt (similar) | jeans | shoes
4. The Winners: GRLFRND Carla Wide Leg Jeans
OK, these made me see why spending a bit more on denim is worth it. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for…and these? Feel amazing. So incredibly soft even though there’s no elastane in them (unlike most of the jeggings in my closet). They’re like rigid denim that’s also super-soft if that makes sense? I loved the way they fit, the way they felt . . . almost everything except for the length. These didn’t come in a petite or short length, but they should be easy to cut since the hem is already undone. They’re supposed to be snug, and I found that they fit true to size (went with my usual 28).
featured: GRLFRND Carla Wide Leg Jeans, size 28R
J. Crew t-shirt (similar) | jeans | shoes
XOXO,
Scotti
