Your Ultimate Denim Guide for 2021

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So, you asked and (I hope) I have delivered. Here is your ultimate guide to buying jeans in 2021. 

Do you remember the first time you pulled on a pair of skinnies? I do. It was 2005. They belonged to a friend of mine, and the style was Topshop’s Baxter. At the time, The Baxter was selling around 18,000 pairs per week. Over nine months, that’s a whopping 702,000 pairs of legs modelling drainpipes virtually overnight.

Having not had the courage to try them on in store – the shame of being too ‘fat’ for a pair of ‘skinny’ jeans weighed too greatly – I seized the opportunity to try my friend’s in an unflattering shade of grey. I was virtually laughed out of her flat amongst exclamations of “They are not for you.” Which was actually a relief as they were both uncomfortable and unflattering – nothing worse than the struggle to wrestle on a pair of too tight jeans that crush your intestines should I deign to eat a morsel. But still, within the year, I had two pairs in my wardrobe, and by the mid 2010s this number had swelled to a minimum of six. The trend had won out.

Thankfully, for 2021, there is a distinct movement away from the skinny silhouette towards vastly more flattering styles – straight, wide, flared and even bootcut styles are making a return to the smorgasbord of denim available to us. But with so many options, how do you find the styles that are right for you? Let me help.

First up, it’s helpful to think of your proportions before your shape.  

By proportions, I mean, are you balanced, or are you (like me) short legged with a long body, or long legged with a short body. This will guide you on what rise you’re looking for – high or mid (not low. Never low.) If you’re lucky enough to be fairly even either mid or high-waisted will work so wear whichever style you prefer.

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Best for: Long Body, Short Legs

Ribcage straight ankle jeans, £100, Levi’s, levi.com

This is an easy one: high waisted. You want to create the illusion that your legs are longer than they actually are. A high waist on jeans (and indeed skirts and trousers generally) will add an extra couple of inches to your legs. My go-to’s are Levi’s Ribcage Straight Ankle Jeans – I own three pairs. Another top tip for creating length in the leg, is to leave an inch of skin on show at the ankle, so cropped styles are your friend.

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Best for: Short Body, Long Legs

Lana Straight Leg Jeans, £230, Agolde, net-a-porter.com

Mid-rise styles will help to balance out your proportions: long legs are obviously great, but you don’t want your torso to feel squeezed. Nabbing an inch or two of length from your legs will help you reach the balance you’re after. Agolde’s Lana straight leg jeans are generous on the leg and come in a pale blue denim or a slightly faded black.

Right, so now you have your proportions nailed, it’s time to look at your body shape.

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Best for: Straight, Athletic Bodies

Venice Beach Boyfriend Jeans, £75, And/Or, johnlewis.com

If you’re straighter through the torso with square shoulders and hips that mirror your waist, you’re what’s called a rectangle, or column shape. You want to introduce softness and fluidity (aka the opposite of the skinny). Boyfriend styles look great on athletic figures, as they sit low on the hips (building them out) and then hang loosely over the legs. The same can be said for soft (rather than stiff) wide leg styles. This boyfriend style from the And/Or range at John Lewis comes in this flattering dark indigo blue.

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Best for: Triangles

Le High Flare Jeans, £245, Frame, net-a-porter.com

You may be more familiar with the term ‘Pear-shaped’ but I try to avoid it – comparing body-shapes to fruit all seems a little reductive. You are a triangle if your hips are larger than your bust and shoulders. Remembering that styling is about balance, you’re looking for a bootcut or a flare to even out your hips. Styles should be free from any detail in the hip area (no distressing, zips or sailor pockets). Unlike the flares of the 90s – think Michelle Pfeiffer in a rom-com - these are a truer nod to the 70s. Styles should come in a little at the knee echoing the shape of the leg, rather than going straight out from the hips all the way to the hem. A good rule of thumb to bear in mind, is that the curvier you are, the wider the hem on your jeans should be. 

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Best for: the Hourglass

Cropped flare mid-rise jeans, £19.99, zara.com

If you’re a true hourglass, you’re already in proportion, with your bust and hips fairly equal, so you want to maintain that balance. Bootcut styles are going to be great on you, but if the idea of the 90s version makes you shudder, relax, as the new styles sit higher on the waist - great for showcasing your narrowest point. They are also cropped and a pair in a mid-blue will feel infinitely more modern. Darker denim tends to be more flattering, so good to bear that in mind.

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Best for: Round Bodies

Regular cropped jeans, £59, Arket, arket.com

Straight styles will look great if you’re round through the middle and have a fuller waist, as they reduce the ratio between your legs and your waist. Wearing a pair of cropped straight leg jeans will lengthen the appearance of your legs and mid-rise will ensure you won’t be cut you off at your widest point. Arket do brilliant jeans for as little as £59, made from organic cotton with just 1% elastane, which is just enough to hold you in in all the right places without being too rigid. 

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Best for: Inverted Triangles

Treasure cut cropped jeans, £65, & Other Stories, stories.com

If you’ve got broad shoulders and narrow hips, you’re looking to build out your hips, which might seem anathema, I know. When we're constantly fed the idea that small is best, making something bigger can go against the grain. Building out your hips will balance them with your shoulders meaning your shoulders won't feel so broad. If you’re slim, you can pull off tapered or ‘Mom’ jeans, but a safer bet and much easier to wear is a cropped wide leg style such as the Treasure Cut Cropped Jeans from & Other Stories. 

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Best: All-Rounder

Studio cropped straight-leg jean, £210, Totême, matchesfashion.com

For skinny afficionados, if a complete departure is too much to contemplate right now, try easing away gently with a slim, straight leg. Avoid anything tight around the ankle, but something that alludes to the shape of your leg is a winner. If you have slim legs, the Mid-Rise Cropped straight leg style from Totême is perfect but if you’re legs are slightly chunkier, Arket's Straight Cropped Jeans (£59) are an easy win.

 

A version of this guide to denim appeared in Femail last month. Click here to read it in full.

ADMIN: Everything I’ve included here, I’ve included solely because I really rate it. I may though, if you buy some of the items mentioned, earn a small commission from that purchase.