Men wearing women’s skinny jeans continues to be a phenomena worth reporting. The comments from our readers make articles of this subject some of our most highly reviewed publications as early as 2014 – Women’s Skinny Jeans for Men and most recently Adam’s 5 Favourite Women’s Skinny Jeans for Men. So how is it going? Skinny jeans are still the number one selling style, not only for women, but men as well with an ever expanding variety of washes, fabrics, and embellishments. For men who wear women’s skinny jeans, the universe of relevant sizes may be in flux. Premium brands have started to accommodate waist sizes up to 34″ on some washes and styles with Paige Denim’s Verdugo Ultra Skinny and Hoxton Ultra Skinny leading the way. However, my impression is that inseams for premium women’s skinny jeans maybe getting shorter with 32″ inseams becoming rare and 28″ inseams becoming more common.
This is the time of the year when the brands bring to market the styles and washes which they believe will be their big sellers for spring and summer. Due to personal bias, I won’t pretend that I can speak for all of us. What follows is my take on a selection of jeans that are worth consideration for warmer weather. This selection tries to recognize that we all have differing budgets and tastes when it comes to apparel.
High End Skinny Jeans:
Citizens of Humanity, L’Agence, and Paige are well known as upscale brands offering premium skinny jeans of which I’ve chosen washes for their Chrissy, Marquerite, and Verdugo styles that I believe will become staples for warm weather wear.
First on my list is Citizens of Humanity’s Chrissy style in Oracle. These jeans are pictured in the introductory image for this article. The are a bleached out blue wash that should be ideal for warm summer afternoons. Heck, they aren’t half bad for a grey winter day (shortly after the photo was taken, it began to snow). I’m not a big fan of spray on skinny jeans although many who read The Jeans Blog are. These jeans are made with Citizen’s of Humanity Sculpt stretch denim which has the stretch necessary for a skin tight look if you want to size down and can be purchased at Nordstrom.
Next up is L’AGENCE’S Marguerite High Rise Skinny Jeans in Seafoam. For warm weather months, I typically look for lighter blue washes. The Seafoam wash fits the bill and easily makes the bridge from afternoon wear to evening wear. Even better, it is super stretchy lending itself to an almost spray on fit if you want to size down and can be purchased at SHOPBOP.
My first two selections have a somewhat higher rise. Paige’s Transcend Verdugo Skinny Jean is a classic ultra skinny low rise offering that has been around for awhile. If so, what is so special and why is it on my list? Well for one, it is an ankle length version with a 28″ inseam. The shorter inseam works so well with boat shoes and sandals. When combined with the darker Nottingham wash, it becomes a great option for evening wear. This style and wash can be purchased at SHOPBOP.
Everyday Skinny Jeans:
I usually set aside my premium jeans for special occasions. For everyday wear, the Levi’s 501 Stretch Skinny in We the People, Blank Denim’s Camo Skinny Jeans in Scout, Levi’s Mile High Super Skinny in You Got Me, and/or ASOS Design’s Ridley High Waist Cropped Skinny Jeans in Bright Mid Blue are all good options.
Let’s start with the Levi’s. One of the key reasons I consider them to be an everyday jean is their moderate price. I know their list price may lead many to argue with me to which I may agree if it wasn’t for Levi’s affinity for sales. On an almost monthly basis they have a sale with 20% to 40% off. I typically consider the 501 skinny jeans to be more slim that skinny. However, that has apparently changed with their recent offerings. They now have meaningful stretch with a fit that is now a true skinny. I’ve been a fan of the 501 skinny for quite some time. It looks like Levi’s has stepped up their game one more time. Add in the We the People wash and you have a great everyday pair of jeans that can be purchased at SHOPBOP. Levi’s Mile High style is however an indisputably super skinny jean. The You Got Me wash is a great distressed light wash for warmer weathers and can be purchased at SHOPBOP and Levi’s. Additional washes are available at both retailers.
Blank Denim makes a basic moderately priced pair of low rise skinny jeans. There are a couple of reasons why I have them on the list. Camo washes have long been a wash associated with menswear. What we may have is one of those rare occasions where women’s styles are picking up something from the men’s side of the aisle. Also, the Camo wash makes for a refreshing alternative to the blue washes pervasive in this article. Get your Camo Skinny jeans in the Scout wash at SHOPBOP. If you are interested in additional Camo styles, SHOPBOP has additional options if you filter for the color green.
ASOS’ Ridley Skinny jean is unique in this selection as it is a cropped style. I know – “Cropped, are you serious!”. Let me explain. We are talking warm weather jeans. Warm weather is quite often associated with water, sand, coastlines, bare feet, beaches etc… As such these are the perfect compromise between Bermuda shorts and ankle jeans. Say what? Yes, they are perfect for walking the coast in search of mussels and shuffling in the sand while playing volleyball. And even better yet, if you have toned muscular calves they will highlight and show them off in the same manner that uniform pants show off the calves of American football players. The other sex will take notice. The place to pick up a pair is at ASOS. What are you waiting for? Get a move on!
Well what do you think? Which style(s) are you going to try? Is this an appropriate balance of brands, styles, and pricing to meet your needs? Most importantly, what should be in this selection that isn’t? Last but not least, are articles of this sort helpful and if so how often would you like to see them?
Love the sketchiness of women’s shinnies ,much more comfortable than men’s and usually a thinner and softer material.
Ricky,
So true. There has been progress in men’s skinnies Do you think they will ever catch up?
Tim
It’s been ages since I started wearing jeans designed for women and I’ve migrated to almost always wearing skinny jeans or better still jeggings. Jeggings have such sleek looking lines, fit great and I can get them with an inside leg of 32″ or more. I’m not particularly tall and have a measured inside leg of 30″ to the ankle, but when I wear jeggings or jeans, their length needs to be a couple of inches longer as when they’re skintight, they follow the flow of the leg. Also, showing off my ankles isn’t a look that works for me.
That said, cropped leg jeans I think look great on ladies, but they’re not a style I’d wear due to being vertically challenged
James
Hi guys,
Currently for me it’s Dr Denim Lexy, the perfect blend of jeans & jeggings 🙂 – as Ricky says great stretch and sleek extreme skin tight fit (but with pockets and belt loops).
as we approach summer I am living in my bright light blue pair twined with a skinny short sleeve white shirt and suede Chelsea boots – some have suggested it’s an effeminate look – maybe but hey lets wear what we enjoy…
also like James – cropped is no good for at 5ft 5 – I did try the Asos ridley to see what they are like as I quite like the high rise can wear the 34 cropped as proper length jeans …
Matt
James,
You are right on. When it comes to cropped jeans, height is really important. In your case, are you too tall or too short? Is there an inseam length that could make cropped skinny jeans work you?
Hi Tim
I’m 5′ 6″ with an inside leg of 29″. In full length jeans I usually take 32″ as when they fit skintight they follow the coutures of my leg and to cover my ankle and for the hem to sit nicely on my shoe or boots I need that extra few inches. I’m reasonably slim but for cropped jeans to work for me I’d need to lose more than a few pounds which I’m trying to do. But even then, I’m not sure it would be my best look. The inseam would need to be 25-26″ but that would really highlight my lack of height. I’ve also pale white legs as they rarely get shown the sun and my hairs are quite dark. Shaving them is an option but not a ritual I’d like on a regular basis.
I think cropped jeans work best on ladies teamed with either stilettoes to elongate the leg if they’re not the tallest or some cute ballet flats for a more fun, casual look. That’s not to say that men shouldn’t wear them and I’ve seen guys who really have nailed the look, but they’re always 6′ tall and willowy slim!!
James,
You are right on. When it comes to cropped jeans, height is really important. In your case is there an inseam length that could make cropped skinny jeans work for you?
Tim
I thought you always love wearing spray on jeans Lorna because they look amazing on you. Women’s skinny jeans are where it’s at and the most flattering.
Hi Lu, this wasn’t written by me, this was written by our male writer, Tim! So anything you read there isn’t from me. I do always wear spray on skinny jeans mostly as I like the tight fit.
I love Cheap Monday Mid Spray jeggngs – so stretchy you can go down two sizes and cut a bit shorter than men’s Him Spray which are also great but get Mid Sprays now while you can as Cheap Monday’s closed – some still on sites like ASOS.
You should do a guide on women’s Levi jeans for men, I have recently fallen in love with the Levi 711 skinnys, I’d love to see what you think of them on guys.
I’ve recently come out as genderqueer (AMAB, they/them pronouns) and looking to mix it up with my wardrobe some and will definitely have to give women’s jeans a look. Though queer, I’m definitely not androgynous and do work out and men’s skinny jeans are often for pencil-legged guys. Athletic jeans have that taper at the ankle but are often very dumpy in the seat (seriously, I wanna show off my rear, not have some saggy dad-jeans look back there). I’ve always had feminine hips anyway, so women’s jeans may be just the ticket to fit my hips and solid quads while having a nice close-but-not-legging-snug fit that I can pair with my heeled ankle boots!
Hey guys … Ian mentions ASOS Ridley jeans, which are great. Well I pushed the boundary a bit further with these cute ones …
https://www.asos.com/us/asos-design/asos-design-rivington-high-waisted-jeggings-in-smokey-gray-wash/prd/10727603?colourwayid=16323773&SearchQuery=rivington
Yes they are more feminine in style but absolute feel great on … go on try it!
Matt