Let’s face it: the current state of women’s clothing makes shopping for clothes that have the right combination of fit, flatter, and comfort a chore. This goes double for staple items that feel like they should be simple but often have an obnoxious variety of cuts and styles. Jeans for women can be particularly tricky to shop for, since different styles can look and fit drastically differently on different body types. If you’re shopping for new jeans and don’t know where to begin, here’s your quick, painless guide to the style of jeans that will flatter your body and allow you to go about your life feeling stylish and comfortable.
Story Stages
Pear/Triangular Body Type
If you have curves around your hip and thigh area and a smaller torso, finding any kind of clothing that’s flattering rather than ill-fitting can be a frustrating task. Fortunately, there are styles of jeans that can enhance your body type and be comfortable to boot. Bootcut or flared jeans are the best style if you have curves on the bottom but not the top, since they will help keep the rest of your body in proportion with your hips. Look for jeans that have a high rise and long inseams – the high rise will do even more to balance out your shape and prevent an awkward muffin top, while long inseams will elongate your legs and help make them look slimmer.
Hourglass and Curvy Body Type
While this body type is the closest to the media’s idealized norm, there are a number of jean styles that can easily overwhelm your proportions and give the impression that you’re swimming in your pants rather than wearing them. For this reason, straight-cut or skinny jeans are going to be the most flattering on this body type, since they will enhance your proportions rather than overwhelming them. If you like the style of flared jeans, choose a skinny flare rather than a bootcut look – the slighter flare won’t overwhelm your natural proportions in the same way that a larger flare will.
Apple Body Type
For those of us that carry our weight around the stomach area, finding a pair of jeans that fit well and flatter is always a struggle. The first rule of finding the right fit is to work with your body rather than against it – trying to hide what you consider your problem areas underneath excess fabric will only cause you to feel more self-conscious and will do nothing to naturally flatter your body. Like with the hourglass body type, skinny or straight-cut jeans are the way to go. The fitted look will accentuate your legs and balance out the proportions of the rest of your body, and a well-chosen top can easily cover any problem areas around your stomach. Depending on your proportions, both low and high rise jeans can be flattering – lower rise jeans can give you a more curvy appearance, while high rise jeans can hide your stomach if that’s an area you feel particularly conscious of.
Rectangular Body Type
If you have a straighter hip area and a smaller chest, finding jeans that are flattering, feminine, and fit in length can be a challenge. The key here is finding jeans that hug your body in the right places and have long enough inseams for your height. You may have to go down a size from what you wear in skirts or yoga pants in order to find the right cut to flatter your hips and thighs. If you find the perfect pair of jeans but they’re just a little too long, cuffing your jeans is an easy way to make them work and look stylish to boot.
