High-waisted, wide-legged jeans

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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High-waisted, wide-legged jeans

— by Angie

on March 27, 2008

Ultra high-waisted jeans started coming through a year ago in skinny and straight-leg denim silhouettes. This season high-waisted, wide-legged jeans are the next big thing. They’re available in both faded “hippy” looks, and dark, streamlined modern styles.

I have fallen in love with this design. I do not have a bohemian element to my style and much prefer the smarter version in dark denim. It’s a great look when the strictness of a high-waisted jean is contrasted with a sophisticated and soft tucked-in blouse. This ensemble is all about tucking in tops to show off the mid section. You’ll therefore need the right body type to pull off the look and preferably a bit of height and a pair of heels. Am I alone in loving this look?

18th Amendment 'Colbert' High Waist Flare Stretch Jeans

Goldsign 'Luna' Wide Leg Stretch Denim Trousers

Goldsign 'Treo' High Waist Wide Leg Stretch Jeans

Dark high-waisted jeans and one faded high-waisted “hippy” style. I adore blouses and denim so I’m definitely giving this look a bash.

Spring 2008

39 comments · Add a comment

Lisa

Glad to see rises getting higher finally after years of low rise jeans. I like a mid-rise option myself (I’m old-fashioned and dislike undergarments showing when I bend). These jeans’ rises appeal to my retro 1950’s side because they are very ladylike and emphasize our female figure/curves. I think you can pull it off even if you’re short but have longer legs. I’m 5’2 but have a 31 inseam so I’m very leggy without a lot of torso, so not sure this would work for me. I don’t have any Bohemian element to my wardrobe, however. I like this silhouette though for skirts ie., pencil skirts.

March 27, 2008 at 7:49 am

Shannon

I also love this look! I have a pair of high waisted jeans but I feel they might be a little too big. Didn’t you once mention that this style needs to fit slim through the waist and hips. I might need to get them taken in just a tiny bit for them to be perfect. First thing in the morning they are perfect, but too big by the end of the day.

March 27, 2008 at 7:51 am

Dancingstar

I love this look! I’ve had my eyes on the Rich & Skinny “Lanky” pair for a while so I think I might get them now. Could they be worn with knit tops tucked in as well? And what type of jackets would work with them?

I think this is a perfect cut for my body type: Veeery long waist ( and short legs, 31″ inseam for flats at 5’6″ height), small waist, curvy hips ( wide legs usually look the best on me). And most of my shoes are 3″ wedges! I have one pencil skirt in this cut and looks really well on.

I will go for the dark wash tough. Are there trousers, such as lighter color cotton twill ( cream etc) available in this cut as well?

March 27, 2008 at 8:04 am

Fabulously Broke

(website)

Not for me. I’m a mid-rise girl…. High rise just makes me feel like an old woman (I’m thinking of pleated high rises from the Golden Girls), or a 70s wannabe.

I just really wish normal, dark rinse, mid-rise, straight legged jeans would come back to lift my flat butt

March 27, 2008 at 8:04 am

Christie

I just don’t see how this could look good on someone unless they were ultra-skinny. The style looks decent on the models, but when I’ve seen it on “stars” I think it looks hideous (thinking Mischa Barton and Jessica Simpson). I’m just not into this.

Of course, when the skinny jean style and jean tucking first came into style, I thought it looked awful. But now I’m a fan. So perhaps my eye will adjust to this to (but God, images of my mom in the 70s keep coming to mind).

March 27, 2008 at 8:11 am

Vanessa Ridley

(website)

I like the retro look, however, I don’t think I could pull it off. I am only 5′ tall and my waist is right under my large-for-my-body DD boobs. Even those who have longer waists and are taller look a bit frumpy in this look. I really only like it for ultra skinny long legged girls.

March 27, 2008 at 8:19 am

Maya

I also love this look, but it’s one of those things that has to be carefully executed and on the right body type, which as usual, seems limited to tall skinny girls. I wish someone would make high waisted straight pants. By all accounts I should need a shorter rise, but for some reason even mid-rise jeans fit me like low rise. I can’t figure out why.

March 27, 2008 at 8:21 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

It sounds like this would work for your body type Dancing Star and I had a look at those “Rich & Skinny”jeans with a client at Nordies yesterday. They are rather nice! Pant styles in this cut are available too. The pencil skirt versions are gorgeous but you need to be fairly straight to wear them.

The high-waisted style that we saw on celebrities last year are not quite the same Christie. They were skinny, often pleated and with higher than belly-button rises. Very ‘80’s. These styles are ‘streamlined ‘70’s versions and a completely different kettle of fish (to me anyway). I’m trying on a pair of these in San Francisco this weekend. And this style congers up images of my late Mother too!

Fabulously broke, straight leg mid-rise, dark rinse jeans are always in fashion and you should have no problem finding these and sporting them

March 27, 2008 at 8:31 am

Wendy

(website)

I do like the look — but as an extremely short person they’re not really up my alley. I do have a high-waisted Theory denim skirt from two seasons back that I enjoy wearing, though.

March 27, 2008 at 8:39 am

Shannon

So if these would be good for Dancing Star would they work for the opposite? I am 5’7″ and have a 33″ inseam with flats. So shorter waisted with long legs.

March 27, 2008 at 8:42 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

That will work Shannon. I think this look is best with a bit of heel though. Don’t you?

March 27, 2008 at 8:50 am

Jessa

These are not my style. I definitely prefer low rise because I always feel like high rise pants are too tight on my abdomen. I feel like I can’t breathe, even if they aren’t too tight. They do look great on some people, so I will enjoy the look from a distance!

March 27, 2008 at 8:56 am

San

Don’t forget that this style also shows off the bum. I’ll have to pass on these because of my flat butt.

March 27, 2008 at 10:17 am

Karen

While this look may be slimming from the front, it is when you turn around that your bottom looks very large and very long. Sorry, I can’t see this taking off and it is not for me.

Angie, you are right this style is only for the right body type, but unfortunately this sentiment will be ignored.

March 27, 2008 at 10:21 am

Nancy

I think these would be cool for my hourglass shape. The lowrises are all too big in the waist. Does anyone have any tips on brands to try yet? I should go on a mammoth trying on session again. They look comfortable too. I wonder if there will be anything like it for guys?

March 27, 2008 at 10:27 am

Patience

Angie, can you define low,mid and high rise relative to body parts as opposed to inches. Whenever I see a rise given by inches, say 8 in., it always seems to me that this might be low, medium or high depending on the woman.

Concerning the high waist style, I love it, but I’m a little afraid to try. Maybe this is because I feel like this style is super high, i.e. rib cage high. For all you short women (I’m 5’3″) I did buy a pair of Banana Republic Jackson cut navy pinstripe slacks that are on the high rise side for me. They come to my belly button almost, contain my baby belly quite well and with 3″ heels they make my legs look ten miles long. So it can be done! I think part of the reason they work is that they aren’t super wide legged– my shoes still peep out.

March 27, 2008 at 11:01 am

Emily

I like this style, but worn in a Classy/Katharine Hepburn sort of way instead of a Hippy/Bohemian kind of way. Unfortunately, I really don’t think it would work with my body type.

March 27, 2008 at 11:25 am

NancyF

(website)

I must take the minority position and say I think this look is dreadful. Even on the thin models all you see is hips, hips, hips. And let us not forget the sheer discomfort of jeans that rise all the way to the waist and cut you in two.

I like a blouse myself, but not tucked into a high waist, which to my eye looks fussy and frumpy. (And the blouse will forever be coming out and needing to be retucked.)

I’m a long-waisted, slender-hourglass 5’8″–someone Angie would probably encourage to try this look–but I’m going to pass. Occasionally my real-life needs take precedence over trendiness.

March 27, 2008 at 11:42 am

Christie

I have such a petite rise that low-rise pants come close to my belly-button. I’m afraid that these pants would need to come with a shelf bra for me to wear them.

March 27, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Sihaya

I love this look. Not sure I can go back to tucked in tops now that I have a bit of a belly. I tried the high rise pencil skirt and that definitely didn’t work for my body type. But I’m going to try many different makes, especially in the jeans, to see if one does work since I do really like this look.

March 27, 2008 at 4:58 pm

Tuffer

(website)

Oh how I wish there was a blog this cool for guy’s fashion.

March 27, 2008 at 6:51 pm

cathy

I’ve been wearing a pair of higher waisted wide legged pants at work lately and I must admit, they are really flattering. I would not have thought so a year ago but they are. Sadly, I don’t think they’ve hit the mainstream and don’t think they will. Too many people are still wearing boot cut pants and don’t even know what skinny is.

March 27, 2008 at 7:09 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

These are not a mainstream look and that makes it special. I don’t expect the look to take off. It’s likely to remain fringe and hopefully the people with the right type of body will wear them.

Rises are hard to define Patience. It really does depend on the person as Christie points out. High rises are generally 9-10 inches in the front and 14-15 inches in the back. But it sounds like you have the high rise BR pant look down!

March 27, 2008 at 7:19 pm

Caitlin

(website)

Ooh. Hmm. As a short-legged girl with curves, this is a “pass” for me. I do think wide-legged jeans are much *more* universally flattering than skinny jeans though. I am SO glad flared and wide-legged jeans are back and I am on the hunt for the perfect pair. At risk of inspiring ridicule, sometimes I like the swallowed-up-the-feel look

March 27, 2008 at 8:32 pm

dcrmom

(website)

I’m not a fan, but then, calling attention to my midsection is not a very good idea, lol. I do love my Seven Ginger jeans, but the waist is not ultra-high. For me, the rise on those pants is PERFECT. It seems like everything is one extreme or another right now. I want a nice straight-leg jean in a moderate rise — like right AT my belly button. WHY is this asking too much???

March 28, 2008 at 5:31 am

Shaza

(website)

I’m already loving this look! There are a few celebrities that could pull off this look, namely Kate Moss (which I’ve seen a picture of her wearing something similar to the models shown). A nice belt could solve the problem of shirts coming out from the sides.
Just wondering, if the shirt is gold and the pants are black, does a pair of red sexy pumps ruin the entire outfit? Or should I play it safe and match my shoes accordingly?

March 28, 2008 at 9:16 am

lisa

i like this look but i’m concerned that it’ll accentuate my already long torso. Angie, any thoughts on that?
btw, i just bought the AK Impress patent shoes you shared with us a few weeks ago. I got green and are they ever fun! thanks again for the tip

March 28, 2008 at 11:56 am

Sarah

I think this look is adorable on the model. I’m not sure if I could pull it off though. Clothes are certainly not made for my body type. I’m 5’2” with a 29″ inseam with no shoes (or very flat flats) and am fairly short-waisted. I also have a petite rise. Medium rises are high rise on me, and low rises are medium for me. Also, anything that fits my hips is too baggy in the legs and butt, and if pants fit my tiny legs and but they are too tight to sit in because of my pouchy stomach. *sigh* I guess I’ll enjoy this look from a distance too.

April 1, 2008 at 8:12 am

youlookfab » Blog Archive » Happy Second Anniversary!

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[…] High-waisted, wide-legged jeans […]

April 4, 2008 at 6:53 am

youlookfab » Blog Archive » Wary of wide-legged pants

(website)

[…] for wide-legged pants. They are the “it” pant silhouette in America and I too fell in love with high-waisted wide legged jeans. I have tried on several high-waisted wide-leg and mid-rise wide-leg styles and they look great […]

May 27, 2008 at 1:59 am

352435

I personally don’t like them. I hate both low rise and high rise. All I want is a MID RISE that sits an inch or two below my navel and has a boot cut (not a gigantic flair like above and not slim straight legs either). I want them to fit “tight in the hips and thighs”, but fit the waist comfortably and perfectly–neither tight or gappy—lose enough that I can button them and move in them without them gapping or slipping down. I also do not want a ridiculously long inseam that is dragging on the ground like a wedding gown, but I do want them to lay across the top of my feet with no air space between the pant and the ground.

The jeans I want do not exist. All mid or high rise pants are either “relaxed” in the hips and thighs, or skinny straight-legged pencil legs! Low rise fits me great in the hips and thighs, but sits practically at my crotch and has a gigantic gap at the top, which I could fit a bus into. I really don’t want people seeing literally all the way down into my crotch from the back on my pants. I despise pants that will not go past my lower hips bones and barely cover my butt crack. But I do NOT want them up around my waist under my ribs either….as someone else said, high waists make me feel like I can’t breathe…like they are squeezing my internal organs like a boa constrictor. Doesn’t anyone know how to make a lousy pair of jeans? There just seems to be no hope of me ever finding anything that will fit me the way I want it to. I hate every pair of jeans I’ve tried on for several years now.

The low rise of today are not like the hip huggers of the 60s-early 70s. My mother use to wear those, and they sat very reasonably at the top of her hips, just under her navel, so I wish people would stop comparing them and suggesting that low rise are somehow I return to that era. They aren’t. I would like to see the “real” hip huggers of the past made again, and not these repulsive, uncomfortable”crotch huggers” that no one but extremely short-waisted people with practically no torso can even got on.

I’ve completely given up on jeans and haven’t owned a pair for years. I wear yoga pants instead. Too bad, since I love jeans, so I’m pretty frustrated, as you can probably tell from my tone and attitude. Bodies are all different and instead of following fashion trends that force all people into a particular fit and style, we need to make a variety of jean styles, then everyone will be happy. Unfortunately that will never happen.

June 5, 2008 at 12:05 am

Janice

High waisted jeans are great! I found myself always pulling up the low rise jeans. They also make my abdominal and tummy area look thinner. I have a little pudge sometimes and with the low rise….well if you like the “tire” look, honey I have it and don’t like it. Only at times, like most of it. I sure pray that the highwaisted pants stay in style. Whether they are in style or not, I wear what I like. With them being “in-style”, I have easier access to them. I have had to search for them, even now. I have been described as: chic, expensive, and eccentric. The expensive part, well if the budget stores and re-sale shops have them, I am there. For a lot of the fashion and clothing, there are certain people who can pull of certain styles. They may buy a $10 dress and after putting it on, it looks very expensive. I guess it depends on the person and the way they wear clothes. But, like I said, I am so excited about the high wasted pants being back in style. (Oops! I spelled waisted wrong) LOL

August 2, 2008 at 11:18 am

The Worst of Spring and Summer 2008 | youlookfab

(website)

[…] rises still too low: Higher rise pants were a fringe fashion statement, but generally mid rises on jeans were still too low. The best way […]

August 13, 2008 at 11:57 am

Judy

(website)

sadly..i dont think i look good in high waist pants

September 26, 2008 at 9:40 pm

Hila Beans

Today, I stumbled upon mid-rise wide leg jeans in a medium blue, size 2 Petite, Levi’s red tab. I think they have a “high-waisted” vibe without being extreme; the best part is, NO muffin top with a higher rise. =)
My plan is to buy this in all colors available! Very comfortable but still fitted in the right places.

March 24, 2009 at 10:37 pm

Pete

High waist pants and skirts are FRUMPY!!! They kill any resemblance of a figure and make young skinny girls look like fat old ladies. This fashion abomination needs to die quickly! Some retro stuff should be left in the past and forgotten about.

October 29, 2009 at 10:44 am

Jennifer

I think high-waisted jeans and skirts work with women who have longer legs. My legs are quite long, and I’m looking to get a pair of them. What works for one body type won’t work for another.

February 19, 2010 at 12:41 am

Jennifer

Anybody know where I could find a pair of these jeans? Are they on the market yet?

February 19, 2010 at 12:44 am

Jil

Well Hallelujah for the return of the high waisted jean. I do think this look is very feminine and oh so sexy!
Of course I am very highwaisted and I can see low waisted gals hating this, but what a wonderful thing – to now have a choice between the 2 styles!

May 6, 2010 at 11:58 am

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