I had the honour of writing a 4 page article on finding the right jeans for your body shape for a book called ‘Get It’ by Jacqueline Laurita and Jene Luciani which just launched a while ago! It’s a whole women’s guide on shopping, beauty tips, wellness and more, which is amazing. This article I’m sharing with you now on finding your perfect jeans is in the book, but slightly re-worded and written out differently, so you should definitely go and check it out! You can buy it in the UK here and in the US here.
All of us have different shapes, sizes and styles so finding the right pair of jeans can be a mammoth task. Luckily there are tips and tricks for each of you on finding the perfect pair of jeans and it couldn’t be simpler! All you need to do is follow a few of these steps and remember them when heading to the changing room of your latest denim department. It could save you a lot of time, stress and upset and hopefully help you in finding those long awaited jeans you have been looking for!
There’s a pair of jeans for every shape, so don’t worry! Just find yours below and start shopping! Just remember though that price does matter when it comes to good quality jeans. Premium denim will last you a lot longer, not bag out and it will be cut more symmetrical so you will often find a pair to last from the premium section. Don’t worry though, if the price is a little steep, they always have sales! You can check out the best online shops to buy premium denim here, but Shopbop and Revolve Clothing always have a great selection. Don’t forget you can find jeans for petite ladies here too, we haven’t left anyone out.
PEAR & TRIANGULAR BODY SHAPES
With more curves around the hip and butt and a smaller upper half, it can be harder to find jeans that balance out your proportions and are flattering rather than awkward. To really enhance your shape and give credit to your booty, just like Beyonce, look out for jeans with these fits:
– Bootcut or wider flares – These will help balance out the hips and keep your legs in proportion with the extra fabric around the calves.
– Long inseams – Having a longer length means you can wear heels under your flares and bootcut jeans. This will of course elongate your legs and make them look slimmer.
– Higher rises – I recommend buying your jeans with a higher rise as they are very balancing to your shape, plus they hide a multitude of sins if you suffer from muffin top issues like so many of us do.
– Jeans with a smaller fitting waist – Most ladies with wider hips often struggle to find jeans that don’t leave a gap at the back of their butt. I recommend trying something like Levi’s Curve ID Bold Curve jeans as they are designed specifically for your shape and are cut smaller in the waist than the hips.
– Larger pockets – It’s important to enhance your booty since you are blessed with it, so look for larger back pockets as small ones can make it look bigger.
– Stretch denim – Always look for jeans with stretch denim as it will hug your body better, creating a more sleek silhouette. Plus, it’s not as restricting as rigid denim.
– Boots – If you do want to go for a skinny jean, I always recommend tucking them into boots as it will help balance out the hips more and create a better shape.
HOURGLASS & CURVY BODY SHAPES
You ladies are a lot luckier with this body shape as you can get away with most things and look great. With a hip to bust ratio of 50/50 and a slim waist, it’s all about the styling and keeping your proportions balanced. Here are some great jeans to look for:
– Skinny Jeans – I always think skinnies are the most flattering on hourglass shapes. Your chest and hips are in proportion with each other already so showing your legs off in skinnies only highlights that point. I find that bootcut jeans can actually overwhelm you and hide your frame.
– Higher rises – I recommend higher rises because the waistband will sit at the smallest part of your waist, this will also give the illusion of an even slimmer middle.
– Medium size back pockets – Don’t go too big or too small with your back pocket sizing, it’s important to enhance your butt so choose wisely!
– Skinny flare – If you want to do flared jeans, I would say choose a pair that are tight and skinny all the way to the knee and then give off a slight flare. This is much more flattering.
– Flares – If you are a much more curvy hourglass that above and carry a lot of weight on the hips, a flared jean will really help balance that out.
ROUNDED & APPLE BODY SHAPES
For those of you who carry your issues around your tummy area and always struggle to find jeans that are flattering or give you that shape you are looking for, there’s definitely options for you too! Embrace your body shape and work with it rather than against it. These are some tips to look for:
– Skinny Jeans – Skinny jeans can look really good when they are paired with a floaty, gypsy style top as this will hide your problem area but the skinnies will still be fitted, creating a balanced look.
– Rises – If you are more curvy and you want to hide your stomach, I recommend going for a high rise jean as this will hold everything in. If you are a more slimmer apple shape then lower rise jeans can give you a more curvy appearance.
– Trouser Jeans – If you want to balance things out, I recommend going for a trouser style jean as the wider leg from hip to foot will help with proportions.
RECTANGLE & BOY BODY SHAPES
Most often like the super model shape with extra height, long legs and a straighter hip area, you can find it hard to get jeans to fit in length and be flattering and feminine. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of choices for you. Look out for these:
– Inseams – If you want to go for a smart look, long inseams are the way to go as they will make you sleek and clean (try the Forever Karlie line from Frame). If you prefer something more fashionable and love the look of jeans with ankle boots, go for a cropped skinny and cuff them with your ankle boots. This will give more depth to your shape and lessen your height a little bit while looking chic.
– Skinny Jeans – Skinnies are always your best friend as they show off your figure beautifully. Just be sure to pick the most flattering pair for your butt and thighs.
– Skinny Flares – You can also get away with skinny flares as you have the height to pull it off. Don’t do baggy flares as they will overwhelm you, so make sure the flare starts below the knee and the fit above is tight.
– Rises – If you want to show off your height, go for a high rise, but if you want to make your legs more proportional, a low rise will work wonders.
– Boyfriend Jeans – Luckily, you can get away with boyfriend jeans and make them look amazing! Go for a slimmer fitting boyfriend and it will look great.
– Mom Jeans – The mom jean trend will work wonders for your body shape, as well as probably being really comfortable.
SQUARE & ATHLETIC BODY SHAPES
If you have worked hard enough to get an athletic body shape, there are still numerous jeans that can work for you. You don’t have to stick to the men’s department at all! You might have the upside down triangle shape with bigger shoulders and biceps, or you might have muscular thighs (see this post on jeans for muscular legs). Look for these options:
– Stretch denim – It’s important to go with a thicker, more stretchy fabric as rigid denim will not be comfortable on your muscular thighs. Make sure the denim is very stretchy as you need to keep your thighs slim and the butt tight too. I don’t recommend sizing up to accommodate your thighs in more stiffer denim as the butt will unfortunately end up baggy.
– Wide leg – If you are having trouble finding tighter fitting jeans to fit your thighs and butt, try a trouser style wide leg jean. They are loose enough to accommodate and will be flattering.
– Boyfriend Jeans – If a more casual appearance if your thing then I definitely say boyfriend jeans are the way to go. They are extra roomy in the butt and the thighs and will of course be comfortable.
– Straighter hip fits – You want to look for jeans that run larger in the waist than most as they will help fit smoothly against the square shape of the hips.
– Higher rises – If you are carrying a lot more muscle in the butt and hip area, I recommend a higher rise as you don’t want the dreaded builders or plumbers butt syndrome.
Body shape images courtesy of Milanoimai and Sarah Bond.
Back to school shopping is right around the corner. We are looking to find the right jeans for my daughter. She has the hour glass body shape and so I agree that skinny jeans compliment her figure.
I love boyfriend jeans, these are perfect for my body shape, your article is very good! Here is something for the boys too http://www.makeyourownjeans.com/blog/jeans-how-to-get-the-right-fit/
Nice article to have a guide to select of jeans.
Great article! You’ve provided a wide selection of jeans for people of all shapes and sizes. I think girls could also find the right-fitting jeans and flattering clothing by taking accurate measurements of their waist, hips, inseam, and their thighs and legs. You can have a professional take your measurements if you want, but doing it on your own is okay, too. However, it’s really challenging for plus-size girls to find perfect-fitting pants or jeans so some might consider having theirs custom-tailored.
I never thought to consider that I needed to buy jeans that were right for my body type. I usually just buy whatever I can get past my thighs. I want to buy myself some jeans as a holiday present to myself. After reading this article, I know that I need to be more selective about what jeans I wear.
The article would have been more helpful if instead of just telling us what we need and what to look for in terms of fit, which most of us know already, you actually told us some brands that would work for us.
Author
Jean options are linked below in the slider, under each category of shape. I selected them to be appropriate for each one. You can’t base a whole brand or designer on one category, it doesn’t work that way. Every designer makes a range of high rise, low rise, mid rise, flares, bootcuts, skinny, straight, mom jean… etc. There’s no one specific brand fits all. The best I can do is say that MOTHER denim is suited to those who have flatter butts, Good American is suited to those with bigger butts, everything else has an entire range that you can’t singularly pinpoint. Hence why I selected specific jeans options in the slider below.