A Complete Jeans Guide to Help You Choose the Right Fit for Any Look

Sometimes it’s extremely hard to choose the right pair of jeans because there are so many different kinds. When being in a department store, we rarely pay attention to the descriptions about the rise and fit of jeans. But when we have to choose a pair from a shop online we have to be very aware of our waistlines and how loose jeans should fit on our bodies. In this article, you’ll find out what kinds of jeans exist and which types will fit your body best.

Bright Side put together a list of terms that manufacturers use for different models of jeans.

Rise

• High-waisted: These are jeans that have a waistline on the level of the navel or higher. Such pants should not necessarily be tight. This fit was very popular in the ’80s and ’90s, but they have become favored again in the 2010s. As a rule, they are combined with a shirt tucked inside or a crop top. Such a high rise makes your body look longer, and while combined with a loose fit, it helps to hide your tummy.
• Original: Such a rise is almost the same as the previous one because the waistline here is on the level of the navel. You can wear these jeans with the same items of clothing as high-waisted jeans. In the fall and early spring, they are perfect to pair together with flannel shirts, pullovers, and sweaters. And in the summer you can pair them with crop tops, light blouses, and classic white shirts.
• Regular or medium: This is a classic rise with a waistline that is a bit lower than the navel. If they are chosen correctly, they can suit any body type, and you can wear them with anything from a classic jacket to a bomber jacket and a top.
• Low: Jeans with a low rise will look good only on girls with flat bellies. In the early 2000s, they were usually combined with short tops which revealed the lower part of the belly. However, today, such a combination is considered to be in bad taste. Modern fashion trends allow us to show only an inch of bare skin, and your abs are expected to be flawless. Besides, at the end of the 2010s, such jeans were usually combined with shirts tucked inside along with oversized sweaters.
• Ultra-low: The jeans with an ultra-low rise are not as popular as they were at the beginning of the 2010s. They are recommended only to slim girls with flat stomachs because the waistline of such jeans are slightly above the pubis. These jeans can be combined with the same tops as low rise jeans.

Fit

Fit defines how jeans look from the hipline to the knees. They can be divided into 2 categories: tight and loose.

• Slim: Unlike skinny jeans, slim jeans can fit quite tightly, though they still become slightly loose around your shins. You can wear them on a walk or to work. They will also be especially handy if you have a party after work. You can roll up the legs a bit, and with the help of bright accessories, your formal look can transform into a party look. Slim jeans can also hide some of your body’s imperfections if you choose them with a regular or original rise.
• Skinny: Skinny jeans have been popular for many years now because they fit like second skin, and today, these jeans can be easily called the new classic. You can combine them with any tops, however, if you want to create an office look, you’d better choose skinny jeans with at least a regular rise, and never with a low rise. Those limitations are also set by your body’s build. As a rule, skinny jeans with a low rise fit well only on slim and athletic girls.
• Jeggings: As their name suggests, jeggings are a sort of a hybrid of regular jeans and leggings which means that they are even tighter than a skinny fit. Since 2010, when they were first introduced to the public in fashion shows, jeggings have become extremely trendy and girls all over the world love them. With the right choice of color, you can create casual and office looks with them. When choosing jeggings, follow 2 main criteria: they should look more like jeans than leggings, and they shouldn’t be transparent.

• Regular: These jeans have a straight cut which can be found in almost every brand collection. The most classic example of such jeans is the famous Levi’s 501. These jeans are genuinely universal. They fit on any girl with any body type, and you can combine them with any top from classic jackets and high heeled shoes to sporty tops and sneakers. They are always on trend, which is why you can buy this model without worrying about modern trends.
• Relaxed: These jeans are similar to regular ones — their only difference is that the relaxed jeans usually have a lower waistline and they are wider in the legs than their classic counterpart. You’d better avoid these jeans for office looks but for casual looks they are irreplaceable. You can combine them with any top from sleeveless shirts to classic ones, and in the fall and winter, with a coat and a puffer jacket.
• Loose: Jeans like this with a relaxed fit can often be seen on rap singers. They can also be found in collections of almost all brands that produce street clothes, and they look great with oversized items. Shoes that go well with this fit are any kind of sneakers like high tops. Sometimes, manufacturers don’t divide their loose and relaxed fits, so you can potentially find them in the relaxed section.
• Boyfriend: Loose-fitting jeans can be found mostly in men’s collections while boyfriend jeans belong to women’s collections. They usually sport a classic length of 7/8 and typically have a low waist or, on the contrary, a high waist. They can be torn or faded and there are hundreds of different models, so they go well with just about anyone’s figure. You can combine boyfriend jeans with any kinds of tops and shoes but they’re probably not the best choice for an office look.

Cut

• Tapered or tailored: In this model, jeans narrow down from the knees to the bottom which means that they look good on girls with well-shaped legs. This has been the most common model of jeans in recent years. Tapered jeans can be combined with any kinds of shoes from classic ones to sneakers.
• Straight: This type of jeans have the same width at the knees as they do at the bottom of the leg. These jeans are considered to be classic and they can help you to hide imperfections around your shins. They also look good with any tops and shoes.
• Boot: Boot-cut jeans have been worn since the “hippy” times of the ’60s and they can be easily distinguished from any other jeans by the way they are wide at the bottom. Though today, boot-cut jeans are not as wide as they were in the ’60s, and the boot cut width is usually equal to their width at the hips. These jeans will look good on girls with wide hips because they visually balance the top and the bottom.

How do you choose your jeans? Tell us in the comments below.