How to Find the Perfect Jeans for You

Last Updated: December 11, 2022

The perfect jeans are a staple of anyone’s wardrobe and should be both comfortable and flattering. With your unique body shape and sense of style, it can be hard to find a pair that’s just right. Luckily, there’s a flattering cut for every figure whether you’re male or female, and also a right way to approach shopping for your perfect jeans.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Complementing Female Figures

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Wear tapered ankle jeans if you’ve got an apple shape. If your upper body is curvier than your lower body, opt for tapered ankle or skinny jeans. These styles accentuate thin legs.
- As another option, you can pair skinny jeans with a flowy top to create balance.
- Wear low-rise jeans if you’re slimmer and want to create curve, and wear high-rise jeans if you’re a curvier apple shape.^{[1]
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2
Go with skinny flares if you’ve got an hourglass figure. If your bust and hips are similar in diameter and you’ve got a more narrow waist, skinny flare jeans will hug your curves, accentuate your shape, and add a sense of balance.^{[2]
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- High rise skinny flares will start right at the narrowest part of your waistline, which will enhance your slim middle.
- Get jeans with medium-sized back pockets to best complement your backside.
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3
Get stretch denim with long inseams if you’re pear shaped. If you’re more curvy on the bottom than the top, get stretchy jeans with long inseams to give yourself a sleek silhouette and to seemingly elongate your legs.
- Opt for either bootcut or wide flares to create balance.
- Eliminate your muffin top with high rises.^{[3]
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4
Create curves with flares if you have an athletic shape. When you have a toned, athletic body, it looks great to add some curve to your thighs and backside. Try wearing a pair of flair jeans or bootcut jeans to create a nice silhouette and bring out your subtle curves.
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Wear boyfriend or bell-bottom jeans if you have a boyish, supermodel-like shape. A slimmer-fitting boyfriend jean will look great on those with longer legs and straighter hips. Flared or bell-bottom jeans also enhance this body type, especially if you have a small backside.
- Longer inseams will give you a sleek, clean look.^{[4]
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Wear low-rise jeans to balance out long legs. If you’ve got longer legs and want to create balance with the upper half of your body, wearing low rises will create the illusion of a longer torso. To show off your long legs, do the opposite and wear high rises instead.
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Elongate petite legs with high-waisted super skinny jeans. Super skinny jeans will accentuate your tiny figure while the high-waist will create the illusion of length. Avoid wearing baggy jeans; they will drown out and cover up your small frame.
- Try pairing your jeans with a heeled wedge to make your legs look even longer.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Flattering Male Body Types

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Wear straight leg low-rises if you’re slimmer. If overall, you have leaner muscles, a flatter chest, and are relatively narrow, then straight leg low rises will give you the perfect amount of roominess.
- Wide leg or baggy jeans will look too loose.
- High rises may make your backside look flat.^{[5]
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2
Try slim fit, straight leg, or bootcut if you have an athletic build. Men with a slim waist, muscular legs, and a muscular backside look best in any of these styles with a low rise.
- Baggy jeans will hide your muscular legs.
- Relaxed fit jeans will make your lower half look bigger than your upper half.
3
Go for a relaxed fit with a wider leg if you’re muscular. Stocky men who frequent the gym fit relaxed fit with large deep pockets best. This jean style is just the right amount of snug, and does a good job of accentuating muscular legs without looking too tight.
- Bootcut jeans will make you look wider than you actually are.
- Skinny jeans will be extremely tight on your legs and backside.
4
Wear loose and relaxed jeans if you have wide hips or a large waist. If you’re a little wider around your hips or your midsection, loose or relaxed fit jeans will create balance by adding some volume to the lower half of your body.
- Avoid skinny jeans and low-rise jeans.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Shopping for Jeans

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Try each pair of jeans on before you consider buying them. Different designers size their jeans in different ways, which means that your size may fluctuate between brands. Moreover, every designer has a different idea about how styles should look. One pair of flare jeans may only flare out a little, while another pair from a separate designer may flare out a great deal.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.}
2
Pick out a range of brands and styles to take into the dressing room. Try on as much as you can and study yourself in the dressing room mirror to get a thorough idea of what reflects your personal style and flatters you most.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.}
3
Find a brand that fits your body well. After trying on jeans from several brands, determine which fit you the best. If you love the way one pair fits, you can buy several styles or washes from that designer.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.}
- Take note of what size fits you well so you can order jeans online from that brand in the future.
4
Pick washes and details that match the jean’s purpose. Think about where you normally like to go and what you normally want to do. Are you more active in your jeans? Do you only wear jeans with a pair of ankle boots and a fancy top? Do you constantly alternate between dressing up and dressing down your jeans? Consider where you wear your jeans and what you typically do while you’re wearing them to decide which styles to gravitate towards.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.}
- If you’re a female beach bum then you might get a lot of use out of a pair of light wash distressed jeans.
- If you’re a man who goes to a lot of nice dinners out, you might benefit from getting some dark wash jeans that you can dress up with a blazer, tie, and a nice belt.^{[10]
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5
Move around the dressing room with the jeans on. Get a good feeling for how comfortable the jeans would be if you did everyday activities while wearing them.^{[11]
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Expert Source

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Expert Interview. 31 December 2019.}
- Walk around.
- Jump up and down.
- Sit down.
- Bend over.
6
Check the price tag. Some brands cost more than others. Know your budget before you shop, and pay attention to the price tag on a pair of jeans before you try them on and get too attached.

Expert Q&A

Question

Why is it so hard to find jeans that fit?

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Kathi Burns is a board certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Founder of Organized and Energized!, her consulting business with a mission to empower people to master their environment and personal image by assisting them in taking control, making change and organizing their lives. Kathi has over 17 years of organizing experience and her work has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens, NBC News, Good Morning America, and Entrepreneur. She has a BS in Communication from Ohio University.

Kathi Burns, CPO®

Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Answer

It's definitely a bit of a nightmare. For whatever reason, every manufacturer seems to be working with different templates and sizing requirements in mind, so you end up with a ton of variation from brand to brand.
Question

Is there just a simpler way to buy jeans that will fit right?

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Kathi Burns is a board certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Founder of Organized and Energized!, her consulting business with a mission to empower people to master their environment and personal image by assisting them in taking control, making change and organizing their lives. Kathi has over 17 years of organizing experience and her work has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens, NBC News, Good Morning America, and Entrepreneur. She has a BS in Communication from Ohio University.

Kathi Burns, CPO®

Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Answer

It definitely takes a bit of trial and error, but I recommend that once you find a brand that fits you right, shop exclusively with that brand. Don't start wading out into unfamiliar territory and trying out all different kinds of brand names.
Question

If you're updating your wardrobe, what style of jeans is essential?

Kathi Burns, CPO®
Board Certified Professional Organizer
Kathi Burns is a board certified Professional Organizer (CPO) and Founder of Organized and Energized!, her consulting business with a mission to empower people to master their environment and personal image by assisting them in taking control, making change and organizing their lives. Kathi has over 17 years of organizing experience and her work has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens, NBC News, Good Morning America, and Entrepreneur. She has a BS in Communication from Ohio University.

Kathi Burns, CPO®

Board Certified Professional Organizer

Expert Answer

I think everyone needs to have at least one or two pairs of dark-washed jeans. They're just such a uniting factor in any outfit, and they're the perfect go-to option for a casual outfit.