Citizens of Humanity Liya High Rise Classic Fit Jeans in Fade Out Review
My denim review this week is on the Citizens of Humanity Liya High Rise Classic Fit Jeans in Fade Out. I did a post recently on the Vintage Mom Jeans Trend and how it’s gaining popularity as the weeks go by, but one of my favourite jeans within this trend is this pair. I included them in the post and mentioned how much I thought they embodied that 90’s persona so well, but everything about them is just perfect to me. You probably already know just how much I’m usually into skinny jeans since it seems to be the only cut that I live in, so it’s refreshing and nice to try out something new like this and actually like it! Carry on reading to find out what I thought about these Citizens Liya jeans.
Fit and Size: I took a size 27 in the Liya as I knew they were a vintage fit and designed to be worn slightly loose, so even though I am a 26 in Citizens jeans usually, a 27 felt right with these. You can see from the modelled photos that they fit really well, nice and snug, in the waist, crotch and butt area, but then they drop down into more of a straight leg fit with a slouch to it. In comparison to my butt and hips, I do have slimmer legs for that proportion, so they might fit a little tighter on other people, which is what I would prefer, but that isn’t possible unfortunately, unless I sized down, but that would be uncomfortable. So I do think they run slightly small if you compare them to the stretchy Rockets, but for their thicker denim, if that’s what you are used to, then I would guess they are true to size, if that makes sense.
The measurements for these jeans are as follows. The rise is 10.75 inches, the inseam is 28.25 inches and the leg opening is 12.5 inches. You can see from the photo above that the rise is really high, but given these are a vintage mom jeans fit, that’s expected and it’s extremely flattering as well. The leg opening is more of a tapered straight which hits at the ankles on me, which is great since I have shorter legs. You can cuff these, but that made my legs look shorter, so I didn’t want to do that. It would look great on the taller ladies though! The back pockets are longer and wider than their usual pockets, which isn’t as flattering as the Rocket’s in my opinion, but it ties in nicely with the cut of the jeans. They also aren’t too high that it’s unflattering and awkward, they are well placed.
Denim: Now getting to the denim on the Liya, this is what excites me! It’s made up of a 77% cotton and 23% rayon blend, but it’s such a good replication of a vintage pair of jeans, you almost can’t tell the difference. The weight of it is nice and sturdy and there’s very little stretch to them, however with their fit being slouchy, it’s comfortable. I did think that the fabric was going to feel rough, but I was completely wrong. It is of course more coarse than a sateen denim or something like the Transcend fabric from Paige, but in terms of thicker, vintage inspired denim, it’s pretty soft. That’s something I’m extremely pleased with, so I do love the denim on these. I also own the Torn wash in the Liya and that fabric is even softer than these!
Wash: The Fade Out wash is really gorgeous though. Other than the fit, it’s what really attracted me to these jeans in the first place. It’s part of the Citizens of Humanity Premium Vintage collection and those of you who own a pair of jeans from this collection will know just how much care and attention to detail goes into the washes. They are a true replication of a vintage pair of jeans which haven’t been washed out too much. The button fly features those lust worthy crinkles and fading while the whiskering on the lap is to die for. It’s like these have been your favourite jeans for years and I’m only on the crotch area so far. They have little distressed areas around the edges of pockets, fading through the thighs, honeycombs on the backs of the knees and darker blue denim around the side seams. With all of this fading and perfectly done whiskering, these jeans truly do represent what they intended and I can’t stop staring at them when I get them out. I’m sure those of you who are denim addicts will know exactly what I’m on about!
Details: There aren’t that many details on these jeans as they have been kept quite plain for a reason, but they feature the white patch on the back which says Premium Vintage, they also have the little C of H tab just above the coin pocket and they also feature plain back pockets, so other than those little logos (which are usually hidden by tops) you wouldn’t notice that they were Citizens of Humanity unless you knew them off by heart. Having minimal detailing like this makes me love them even more as they truly could be mistaken for a vintage pair of jeans you found in a vintage shop!
Overall Opinion: If you have made it this far through the review, I’m sure you already know what my overall opinion is, but if you have skipped to this part… I love them. The Citizens Liya really embody the vintage mom jeans trend perfectly, but in a modern and flattering way. The wash is simply stunning in more ways than you can imagine and the button fly and minimal detailing is iconic of an old jean from the 90’s. Accompanied with their comfort and fit, these jeans are one of my favourites this year so far and I can’t wait to wear them more when the weather warms up! They make a refreshing change to my constant skinny jeans wearing. If any of you have these too, I would love to hear your thoughts on them!
Buy these jeans online for $268 at Shopbop.com or at REVOLVE Clothing
Buy these jeans online for $268 at Shopbop.com or at REVOLVE Clothing
CoH is so good at making those light washes look anything but ordinary…so pretty!
xo Lana
http://www.decadentdissonance.com
Author
I know! They are amazing!
the wash and distress on these look perfect, like you have had them for years and they are worn in, soft and comfy (without having to do all the hard work of wearing them in, lol)
Author
I know! They truly are incredible!
Everything about them is just perfect to me.
Author
Glad you agree!
I have a question. I normally wear 29 in rocket, and ordered these in 29. they were huge. I ordered 28 and they were still baggier than I wanted. THen I ordered 27. 27 is snug in the crotch. I’m wondering how much they stretched as you wore them? Have you washed them. I’m not sure how to wash because of the rayon content. Thanks
Author
That’s crazy they ran that much bigger, they are around true to size for me. What Rockets do you have that are size 29? I haven’t washed these as I generally don’t wash denim. It ruins the fabric after time and gets rid of the wash, so I never do it. I would suggest if you do wash them to turn them inside out, wash them on cool with a gentle soap and then leave them to hang dry or dry flat. Definitely don’t tumble dry them. Good luck.
Definitely not true to size for me.
I have 5 pairs…purchased over the past few years. I love the high rise. I was mistaken. They are size 30. I used to wash and dry them. Now I air dry because they have shrunk. Except the white ones. I wish they would shrink.
1. crop rocket high rise skinny in fizzle
2. Rocket High Rise Crop Skinny in Weekender
3. Rocket high rise skinny in Icon
4. Rocket high rise crop skinny in optic white
5. Rocket high rise skinny in all night (these are the first pair with more poly. the others are 98/2)
So just wondering whether to keep the 27s, if they will stretch with wear, or return them and reorder the 28s.
Author
From experience, mostly all jeans stretch with wear so if you plan on wearing them a lot, I would say they would stretch out a bit. If it’s just the crotch area that needs loosening up, you could try making it damp and then wearing them until they dry as the wet denim stretches a lot faster than dry denim. If you want them looser all over, maybe trade them in for the 28. That’s definitely crazy how differently they run for you though, perhaps different body shapes make it different in terms of sizing, unless mine are not correct in size, but I’m not sure since I’ve tried a couple and they are almost the same. Good luck with it though! I haven’t tried any of those washes in the Rocket that you have, I have Aura, Axel, London Calling and Stage Coach (these I need a 27), Crispy and Spritz, so all of those (except the 2 mentioned), I take a 26 in and took the 27 in the Liya. Absolutely crazy how it differs from person to person!
The Liya are supposed to have a slouchy fit though, but it depends how you want them. Are the 27’s tight all over like a skinny jean?
They are not tight all over like a skinny jean in the legs, only in the torso, but without the stretch/give of the skinny. I actually ordered a 28 a couple of days ago for comparison. It came late today and are TIGHTER than the 27. Have you ever heard of that? One 28 was too big and this one is too small. I haven’t grown. My husband joked I should be an expert, having now tried 30, 29, 28, 27, and 28 again. I may give up until I can go try several of the same size at a local store.
Author
It shouldn’t happen, but I have heard of it. Sometimes they pass through quality control by accident or end up with a different sizing label on them by accident. It’s only happened to be twice in about 10 years though, but you are seriously unlucky to have this happening to you right now though, multiple times!! That’s crazy! I’m thinking the 27’s you have are probably the ones which are not labelled correctly given the fact you are a 29/30 in Rocket. That would be like me sizing down to a 23/24 in them and there’s no way that could happen lol.
I’m having the same problem with choosing between the 27 and 26. 27 fits ok, but loose around the waist. 26 barely does up (button fly) but fits much better in the waist and legs. It’s the butt area that concerns me: if the 26 stretches making them easier to do up, they would be perfect in the waist. If the 27 stretches, I’m screwed because the waist is so big on me already, they will sit way lower than I want.
Author
Yeah it’s a tough choice, my 27’s have stretched a lot already though, that’s definitely happened so they are fitting more like boyfriend jeans on me.
Do you have any feedback on these in the selvedge finish? I really want a pair of selvedge jeans and I really like these.
Author
Yeah, these have the classic red, white and blue selvedge stitching on the inside. It’s very much like other CoH jeans in that respect. Pretty much all my premium denim have selvedge stitching. Hope that helps!
Lorna! I’m officially hooked on CoH. ???? I’m curious if these have stretched out since this review? All the reviews I’ve read say to size way down because they stretch so much. ??
Author
Hi Audrey! So glad you liked them 🙂 I actually haven’t worn these enough to know if they stretch out loads or not. I find the style a little awkward on me and not easy to dress or make outfits with, so I only wore them once. Sorry!
Didn’t you say you loved them and they were perfect? How come you only wore them once then?? I’m confused!
Author
Because they just aren’t my regular go to jeans, I tend to suit skinny jeans the most and regularly wear flat shoes which these don’t suit me with because I’m short, and considering the amount of jeans I own, despite me liking these a lot, I don’t get much chance to wear them, especially not with the weather here in England. These are more of a Spring jean for me or an occasion jean, not a staple.
I own two Liya jeans, the other is the light blue wash which is a softer denim and I’ve worn those ones more. This review was written in the Winter last year and I’ve since gained a few pounds too so they don’t fit as well which has made my opinion of them change somewhat. I initially loved them as they were a welcome change from a skinny, like I said, but as it turns out, they were a lot more harder to style than I thought due to only being able to wear them with heels and during warmer weather. Hope that helps.