Women’s jeans fit is the most important thing you need to understand when shopping for jeans, because it determines how the jeans look on you.
When choosing the best fit for jeans, the four critical things to look out for is the fit in the hip, rise and the waist, as well as the length.
- Length: You should choose the right inseam according to the leg shape and the style of the outfit you are going for. For wide leg, flare leg or boot leg jeans, full length is the best option. For straight leg, slightly below your ankle is a good length. For skinny jeans, ankle length works the best.
- Hips: Should fit close to the body, without being overly tight. Take note of which way the wrinkles are facing. If wrinkles are facing inward, towards your body, it suggests the fit is too small. The reverse is wrinkles facing outward, resulting in jeans that are too big.
- Waist: You should be able to put at least two fingers between in the waistband area. If you can’t sit, breathe or live comfortably while wearing them they are far too tight and can be damaging to your health. You should be able to button and unbutton your jeans easily and comfortably.
- Rise: Rise of the jeans need to fit you comfortably whether you are standing or sitting down. If you feel like the jeans waist is reaching close to your rib cage, then that is a sign the rise is too high. If you feel like the part of your belly is “spilling over” when you sit down, that means the rise is too low for you.
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Finding the Right Length
Length of jeans plays a big role in the overall fit. The length of jeans can make or break the way jeans look, appearing flattering or not. There are a few things to keep in mind when looking at the length of jeans, particularly because jeans come in a variety of different lengths.
First, you should choose the right inseam according to the leg shape and the style of the outfit you are going for.
For wide leg, flare leg or boot leg jeans, full length is the best option. The best way to wear these leg shape is to pair them with comfortable heels. You should try on the jeans with heels on, and make sure the jeans are long enough to cover most of the heels.
For straight leg or Mom jeans, slightly below your ankle is a good length. You can wear straight leg jeans with heels or flats. If you wear them with heels, the length can be slightly longer, If you wear them with flats, you do not want the jeans to be too long as to be reaching the floor.
For skinny jeans, ankle length works the best. Because skinny jeans fit close to your legs, they do not look good if they are too long and bunch up around the ankle area.
Full Length Jeans
Full length jeans are the most commonly worn, and are consistently on trend. The main style rule of thumb to note for full length jeans is ensuring that they aren’t dragging on the ground and/or aren’t bunching around the ankle.
If your jeans are dragging and getting torn up on the bottom, they’re too long and need to be hemmed. On the other side, if they tend to bunch and fold around the ankle they’re also too long. Full length jeans should lie flat around the ankle and bottom.
Here Lis has the perfect length of cropped, ankle length jeans.
Cropped (Ankle Length) Jeans
Ama is wearing jeans with a perfect fit, further enhancing her great legs.
Various jean lengths have grown in popularity and don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Cropped and ankle length styles are everywhere and much like full length jeans choosing the right length is important to wearing the styles in a flattering way. Because cropped and ankle length jeans are shorter, determining the right fit (or length in this matter) is slightly different.
With these types of jeans you’re going to want to pay attention to where they lay on your leg/body and ensure the jeans are either just above or just below the widest part of your calf or ankle (depending on the style jean you’re wearing). This will allow your jeans to flatter and enhance your shape, whereas jeans that lay at the widest part of your ankle/calf will shorten and widen your leg line.
This high rise is a great fit to flattering Lily’s shape.
How Jeans Should fit in the Hip
The hip area of your jeans should fit close to the body, without being overly tight.
Depending upon your body type, the hip area of jeans may be extra tricky for you to fit. However, because jeans are such a tailored garment they’re not the easiest fit for any body type.
You will know they’re too tight if they bunch or pull in that area of the body. Similarly, if the hip area is too big they will appear bulky and bunchy. One trick many experts suggest is taking note of which way the wrinkles are facing. If wrinkles are facing inward, towards your body, it suggests the fit is too small. The reverse is wrinkles facing outward, resulting in jeans that are too big.
Generally speaking, if you have wide hips it’s advised to choose denim that fits your hip area best and if needed get the waist taken in by a tailor. This is primarily because the hip area of jeans tends to be a bit more difficult to tailor, while the waist is quite simple.
Hertta’s high rise gives her legs a longer looking appearance.
How should the Rise Fit
The rise of jeans relates to where the waist rests on the body. Rise is the distance from the middle of the crotch seam (right between your legs) to the top of the waistband. It usually ranges from 7 inches to 12 inches.
The three most common rises you will find are low, mid and high. While rise does often depend on personal preference, there are also some factors to consider when selecting a rise that fits your body type in the most flattering manner.
- Mid rise is the most universally flattering choice, no matter your body type.
- High rise is ideal when you want your legs to appear longer and emphasize the smallest part of your waistline.
- Low rise is a good choice for a short torso, opting for a lower rise will give your torso a longer appearance and can help create more balance between your legs and torso.
You should consider your body shape, i.e. if you have a short rise or long rise, in order to choose the right jeans fit for your body. If you have a long rise, then high rise jeans are better for you, if you have a short or average rise then mid rise jeans is the best option for you. Typically, low rise is only recommended if you have a short torso and want to make it appear longer.
You should also consider your height when choosing the jeans rise. Generally, high rise is one of the best jeans for petite women because they can elongate your legs. On the other hand, low rise is not recommended for petite women because they can make your legs appear shorter.
Of course, you should choose a rise that feels most comfortable to you. Rise of the jeans need to fit you comfortably whether you are standing or sitting down. If you feel like the jeans waist is reaching close to your rib cage, then that is a sign the rise is too high. If you feel like the part of your belly is “spilling over” when you sit down, that means the rise is too low for you.
Rise is one of the main factors that can play a role in enhancing your body shape in a subtle way. This means that even though high rise is the most popular rise right now, if you don’t enjoy wearing it or don’t feel it flatters your body type you certainly don’t have to wear it.
Megan is wear the perfect fitting jeans from length to waist.
How the Waist should fit
If you can’t sit, breathe or live comfortably while wearing them they are far too tight and can be damaging to your health. You should be able to button and unbutton your jeans easily and comfortably.
It’s no secret the waist of jeans plays a role in how they fit your body. Even though jeans are structured, particularly around the waist, they shouldn’t be uncomfortable.
A good rule of thumb to remember is that you should be able to put at least two fingers between in the waistband area. If that’s really difficult, they’re too snug and if you can put your whole hand they are too baggy.
The waist is a common area to struggle with in terms of finding the perfect fit. If the jeans fit overall well, but the waist is a tad too big that’s an incredibly easy fix for a tailor. Don’t be afraid of having your jeans, especially the waist, adjusted to give you the perfect fit.
How Tight Should Jeans be When You Purchase?
The way jeans fit when you purchase will change after you begin wearing them. It’s not uncommon for people to purchase jeans and after one time of wear, realize they’re far too big for their body. This is largely a result of the stretch and spandex element you find in the majority of jeans.
Because of this, it’s best to purchase them where they feel a bit snug – snugger than you really need. When determining how tight they should be when purchasing, pay attention to how much of a stretch/spandex percentage they have. The more stretch factor, the more they will stretch out after you begin wearing them and you will want to make sure they fit quite snug at the time of purchase. To clarify, you should still be able to breathe and sit in the jeans. Even though you are purchasing them tighter than they will fit you after wear, if there is any pulling around the seams of them they are too tight and will often result in damaging your denim. Find a happy medium purchasing denim to ensure fit.