How to find the jeans style for you (part two)…

OCTOBER’S STYLE CONUNDRUM

“How to figure out what jeans style suits you?” - NATALIE

I tackled part one of this question in August, so this time around I’m going to talk about the most common leg shapes on the market and how to find your favourite. I’m not massively about wearing specific shapes to best flatter your body - it’s about finding the cut that you feel comfiest and most like you in. That one will suit you the most.

THE FLARE LEG.

I’m personally new to the flare leg but now I’ve crossed over, I don’t believe I’m ever going back. Feminine with a retro twist, they work especially well in a high waist to make those legs super long. Wear with a cowboy boot or a chunky loafer and make sure those hems be hitting the top of the sole - a flare hanging out in the middle of nowhere isn’t a great look. If the leg is more fitted, a looser top half will balance it out. If I am going to mention body shape, then the flare leg is great for balancing out wider hips.

THE STRAIGHT LEG.

Quite what it says on the tin. Straight legged up and down. The wider-legged cousin of the skinny jean and also flattering - though these are worth getting the length just right because they can cause a lot of horizontal lines across the leg if they fit poorly.

THE SKINNY LEG.

Ohhh skinny jeans. Us millennials are so fond of our skinny jeans and so many of us have them floating around in a skinny jean graveyard somewhere at the back of our wardrobes, waiting for the day that they become cool again. Hell, Noel Fielding is cool and he still wears his….so why can’t we?

Well guess what friends…they’re BACK. Pair them with oversize fits, loose trenches and heavy knitwear to balance out the snugness on the legs. It’s all about juxtaposition and proportion, and skinnies are fun to play with. At the moment they are long, and seen on the catwalks mostly over boots, but an ankle roll up revealing a coloured sock, a school shoe and a heavy tweed blazer thrown over the top could be fun to try.

THE MOM FIT.

I think of these as the 80s jeans…like all the denim fits in Pretty Woman. The slightly-too-big high waist, wide hips and slightly barrelled leg with a tapered ankle make these so flattering and well worth trying if you haven’t already!

THE BOOT LEG.

Always flattering. Slim on the leg to a gentle flare to fit over your boots, literally. Also great for balancing hips like it’s flared cousin, but without the retro audacity of a much wider flare leg.

THE WIDE LEG.

Wide from the waist down. Really great for those who might want to balance out a heavier top half. Like with proportion, wide legs can be fun with oversized top fits but can make you feel like you’re drowning in fabric - so best to keep an aspect of the top half more fitted. Either that or reveal some skin somewhere, to avoid being head to toe in shapeless fabric. Love a wide leg for a casual denim fit, particularly with a pointy toe shoe underneath for some structure.

THE BARREL LEG.

A newer shape to the denim market and not for the faint hearted: barrel legs are quite literally barrel shaped - with a roundedness that tapers in at the ankle. They’re almost circular in shape (carrot legs being the even wider cousin of the barrel) and the top half does need some consideration with this fit. Vertical lines on the top half will help with this. Try a waistcoat to draw two lines, to juxtapose the circularity of the jean shape, or a vertically striped shirt to draw the eye up and down. Great with sandals in a transitional season as well, as more skin = more balanced proportions.