Yes, friends, we are still in the midst of a huge change in denim styles, and it’s not stopping anytime soon! The great news is that a ton of different styles are current right now, so hopefully you can find a few that you love. To help you get a handle on some of the different denim styles, I thought it’d be helpful to do a little denim series!
Today I’ll highlight 5 types of jeans to wear this fall, why I like them (or not), and why some of you may (or may not!) like them. I know it can be hard to decipher between all of the denim styles out there now, so I hope this helps you focus on a few cuts of jeans to try!
In the other blog posts in this series I plan to cover tips to help you transition from skinny jeans to other cuts of jeans without feeling frumpy and talk through different shoes to pair with different cuts of jeans. This should be fun!
If you want further help or a fun, safe place to try and put all these tips into action, join the PMT Style Club, which is NOW OPEN for new members! 😊 It’s a great space to keep up with your style and to get help to troubleshoot your outfits so you can pull off the tips we talk about. On top of that, you get in-depth resources and courses to help you identify your style, learn which cuts of clothes work best with your body type, and discover style principles that help you take outfits from plain to polished and more. You’ll be equipped with the knowledge and the tools to put yourself together, have a space to get your style questions answered, and be motivated to keep up with your style in a fun space with a like-minded community! Get all the details and become a PMT Style Club member HERE.
SIZING: I’m 5’6” and usually S/M or 6 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes.
5 Types of Jeans to Wear This Fall
Now, let’s talk through five types of jeans to wear this fall. You don’t have to wear all of them, rather I’m just suggesting some styles to try and what to look for in case you are ready to shake things up a bit!
1. Straight Leg
Straight leg jeans have become the new skinny jean, but I know many of you say you feel frumpy in them. That is totally understandable as straight leg cuts come in a variety of widths, from slim to standard to wide, and may not hug your figure enough, making you feel shapeless. Fit is key and with straight legs I tend to be pickier than ever or else they look frumpy on me.
Depending on your body type, you might be able to pull this style off really easily, like if you have straighter hips. Or, you might need to be much pickier about the different fit points, like if you have curvy hips, so your shape doesn’t get lost among the straight lines of straight leg cuts.
First, I wrote a blog post on How to Style Straight Leg Jeans that you can check out for some general tips on to how to not look frumpy in straight leg jeans. Head over, HERE!
Second, if you typically feel frumpy in straight leg jeans and you are doing all of the things in the How to Style Straight Leg Jeans post, I highly, highly recommend looking for a slim straight leg cut. There is a variety of how wide the leg on straight cuts is and the nuances between them all make a huge difference. Find a pair with a slim straight cut that contours your hips and fits close to the thighs. That way they still show a bit of your shape while the bottom portion is wider and gives off the straight leg vibe.
All of the jeans shown directly above are straight at the bottom but are even slimmer at the thighs than the really light wash jeans in the top photo (with the yellow sweater). This nuance in fit helps a ton!
Another tip is that I find an ankle length easier to wear without looking frumpy, particularly with sneakers. And while the full length is more fashion forward or trendier at this point, an ankle length is still current and modern.
Shop the Outfits:
2. Crop Bootcut / Kick Flare
While bootcuts and kick flares have their differences, for the purposes of the overall look they give—fitted at the hips and thighs and wider below the knees—I will lump them together and use the terms interchangeably.
I have been loving this style lately! While I appreciate the look of full-length bootcut jeans, I seldom wear them because they’re best worn with a heel, and I wear sneakers and sandals most days. 😆 But, a crop bootcut that hits at ankle length? LOVE it! Here’s why…
First, unlike how most straight leg jeans fit at the hips and fall straight down, not contouring your thighs, bootcuts fit at the hips and thighs, contouring your shape more. Anything that contours your shape makes it easier to not feel frumpy.
Then, unlike skinny jeans that taper towards the ankles, the bottom portion of bootcuts flare out. So, if you’re trying to move away from skinny jeans, the bootcuts have a wider leg opening but still hug your hips and thighs so you don’t feel shapeless.
On top of that, since the bottom portion is wider, it helps to balance out wider hips and a wider top half. That’s why so many women love how they look in bootcut jeans!
You can go for full-length bootcut jeans, which are classic and timeless, but I personally love the ankle length bootcuts that are everywhere right now for a more modern version. And, they work easily with sneakers and sandals! 🙌🏽
Bootcut jeans are flattering on pretty much every body type, so I highly encourage you to experiment with a few pairs and find one that fits you like a glove! Bootcut jeans help balance out wider hips, a wider midsection, and broader shoulders. Crop bootcuts and kick flares in particular will give your outfits a modern vibe too. Give them a shot for sure! The worst that can happen is you try 5 pairs in the comfort of your own home or the privacy of a dressing room and you decide they don’t fit you well and you return them. No one has to see you, so experiment with them and try them out! 😊
And remember, if you want a safe place to experiment with different cuts of jeans, become a PMT Style Club member. We have a great community that is full of style wisdom and can help you troubleshoot how to make different cuts work and give you confidence when you’re unsure if you’re pulling something off or not!
Shop the Outfits:
3. Wide Leg
Wide leg cuts are becoming more and more popular, though they can be tricky to style. I don’t own any wide leg jeans at the moment, though I wore them all the time in middle school! 😄 I have yet to find the right pair for myself, so I can’t show any examples at the moment, so I’ll show some with wide leg pants instead.
If you feel some hesitation about your ability to pull off wide leg jeans, here are a few things to note:
Like straight leg jeans, wide leg bottoms come in a variety of widths, and some widths will work better on you than others. I recently wrote a blog post with 5 Tips for How to Style Wide Leg Pants. In the post I shared a side-by-side comparison of two similar-looking wide leg pants and how the nuances of the different fit points made a WORLD of a difference in how each pair of pants looked on me.
I show this again to reiterate that wide leg pants are NOT all built the exact same. So if you’ve tried on several pairs of wide leg pants and have felt frumpy in them, it’s not necessarily because wide leg pants aren’t for you. It’s just because *those specific pairs of wide leg pants* aren’t for you. Return them and keep moving on to find the right wide leg pants for you. (Always remember, if clothes do not fit you, the problem is not your body. Ever. The problem is the CLOTHES. There is nothing wrong with your body, nor do you need to change anything about your body. The problem is that those particular garments are not right. So don’t change your body, just change the clothes you are trying.)
4. Girlfriend
This cut is always around, and I love it as an option that is more relaxed than straight leg jeans and bootcut jeans but more fitted than wide leg jeans. My tip if you have curvy hips and fuller thighs (Hourglass and Pear shapes) is to find a pair that hugs your hips and is a bit more fitted at the thighs so they don’t look overly baggy and ill-fitting. (Same thing I said regarding straight leg jeans!)
Shop the Outfits:
5. Skinny
While skinny jeans aren’t trending these days, I’m listing them here so that those of you who are committed to skinny jeans don’t freak out. 😂 You can still wear them. They are timeless. But, to make them look updated, first be sure they fit well and don’t look like they’re old and tired (as you should be doing with ALL your clothes 😜). Next, as I always say, make sure to pair them with a modern top and a modern shoe. Then your outfit will be 1/3 Classic + 1/3 Modern + 1/3 Modern, which means your outfit will lean more modern than not. Got it? You don’t have to give them up, but if you want to look modern while wearing skinny jeans, make sure the pieces you pair them with are current!
That’s it for the first post in our denim series! I hope that helps you focus on a few different cuts of jeans to wear this fall and some specific details of what to look for when trying some on.
Stay tuned for the next post in our series coming soon! Be sure you’re on the PMT email list so you don’t miss a post.
If you want a fun space to experiment with and troubleshoot denim styles and more, and if you want access to style courses and master classes and a community that will empower you to feel put together, join us in the PMT Style Club! We would love to help you feel confident in your clothes and have fun with style!
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