Totally agree with you Angie.I have found very few folks that look good in those boyfriend jeans, aside from the teenagers who carry it off with attitude to match. The shaping just doesn’t seem to do a woman’s body much justice I think, plus the leg line issue you brought up. The last time I wore boyfriend jeans was when I was 17(MANY years ago) and even then I thought they made me look dumpy and oddly mis-shapen.None for me this time around!

I’ve seen it a few times and liked it, but know it is not for me. I wish I could pull it off because I love the contrast of the jeans with feminine heels.

Well, I’m not wearing them, but I’m not wearing jeans at all. On the other hand, I think they look OK, and sometimes really cute, on other people. On the THIRD hand, I don’t grasp the necessity of wearing them with high heels. I think that looks kind of silly with an inherently casual style and I rarely see anyone wearing them that way.

My basic philosophical question is … who says everyone has to try to make their legs look longer all the time?

can’t wear heels and I was born with stumpy legs already -not for me even if it looked great!

Frankly I’d rather see the jeans on my boyfriend. Much, much more attractive

Leg shortening suicide is right!!! (She says, wearing skinnies much like those on the right.)

Hehe, thank you, Linda! I do wear BF jeans sometimes – they have a double waistband and are ripped all down the front (I bought them in Japan in 2006). I agree that they do shorten my legs, but sometimes I don’t care, because they are just so weird/cool/funky. I wear them with flip flops and some kind of airy, festival-wear-type tank top.

Definitely not for me nor do I think they are flattering on anyone I’ve seen. Maybe those who wear jeans all the time are looking for something different, but wearing a casual dress or denim skirt would then serve the same purpose of mixing it up and a better look on most.
Linda, most women here want what they wear to flatter their bodies and these are guidelines that help us learn what works and what doesn’t and why. There are always exceptions, and attitude and personal style can be a strong element in what works for any individual.

Distressed denim bugs me, but this look doesn’t turn me off as quickly as it used to. I’ll admit to indulging in big cuffs, but agree that overall this look works best just below the knee.

Jackie, touché.

Linda, that’s a thought provoking question! And I’ll take it further: why do we want to wear colours that flatter our skin tone? Why do we want to show our waistlines? Why do we want to wear clothes that make us look slim? Perhaps we don’t? I guess it’s all a question of personal aesthetics

Not me (not a very modern classic look!) though I have seen it work on others, particularly taller women. I saw a women the other day wearing slimmer distressed jeans rolled up, flats, with a long graphic tee, cardi, scarf & cross-body bag. I thought she looked very trendy & cute! I like it less when the jeans are very wide in the thigh and the rolled up part looks peg-legged.

I can kind of see Linda’s point though – why do we always need to worry about leg-lengthening? After all, it falls in the same category as waist-defining in terms of a general rule for flattering clothing that can sometimes be broken, no?

I think they’re not super attractive, generally, but then I also don’t think the scrunched up skinny jeans on the right are either attractive *or* leg lengthening. I think the rolling up and the scrunching both do the same job of shortening the leg.

This trend is not for me. However, as a teen my fave jeans were hand me downs from my brothers. I think because the lower rise fit my hips so I didn’t have to worry about waist gape as much (like I did with girl’s jeans) and the straight legs were more flattering on my fuller thighs than the tapered legs most girls jeans had at the time (gotta love the early 90’s, eh?). Maybe I was just ahead of my time. Sometimes I wish I still had the fashion/style instincts I had in my late teens, early twenties. Before I had kids and my body totally changed on me.

Well, see … I want to wear things that flatter me, but it’s not self-evident to me that everyone would look more attractive if their legs were, or appeared, longer. Leg length is just kind of aesthetically neutral, or variable, to me (similar to bust size … maybe sometimes you want it to look bigger, sometimes you want it to look smaller, but neither is “better looking” as a generalization, in my opinion).

Interestingly, I DO strongly prefer styles that define the waist and feel sort of put-upon by the whole idea of challenging oneself to look good without that.

One could, it’s true, also ask why looking thinner is always equated with looking better and why one wants to look better at all, but each of those is a separate (and interesting) issue.

So, to sum up, I personally do accept the premise of wanting to look better (though I don’t think anyone else is obliged to). AND I am not so crazy about those jeans for myself. BUT if someone were to wear them, which could be cute on the right person, I could more readily see them with flats, sneakers, sandals, or boots. Even if their legs looked shorter.

The timing of this post if just too funny. Today, I am wearing rolled up cords, with fishnets and ballet flats. So I broke a few rules, and I will understand if Angie never “speaks” to me. I don’t look like a gazelle, with 2 meter legs, but it’s ok because I don’t look dumpy either.
I don’t care for distressed denim one bit, but I do like cropped styles on women who do it right. The style on the first picture I don’t like at all. The second two pictures show promise with improved footwear. I would even say that those styles would look better with flats. Again, one must take into account their own build before trying these styles.

I, for one, want to lengthen everything at 5′ 3″ — not just my legs!!

I’ve seen boyfriend jeans work on tall women, maybe 5′ 8″ and up, but it’s really hard to pull off as a curvy petite.

This isn’t for me either – but then again, I’ve seen a couple of people on the forum with boyfriend jeans and they look fabulous!

I haven’t tried this style, and am not likely to make the effort, but I can appreciate the style when it works for someone else.

Boyfriend jeans are usually SUPER comfy. I find that they look best on me when styled more masculinely, aka with Converse flat sneakers or Vans, or something of that ilk. I think they’re not for high fashion or for heels, but if it works for you, rock it!

I shouldn’t even be reading this site, but Angie’s a friend, and I guess I watch Project Runway, but my only comment is that pants ending above the ankle may cause leg-shortening in some cases, but it’s flirty–do not underestimate the power of the bare female lower leg and ankle!

I’m going to regret posting this…

I’m not wearing this look, nor am I wearing skinnies. I am in denim no mans land.

I wasn’t really aware of this look, but judging from the posted pictures, it looks sloppy and unflattering. If the “boyfriend” part implies jeans that would better fit a male body, I’m even less interested, as I have full hips and thighs and a narrow waist. It’s aggravating enough to try to fit into jeans cut for women sometimes.

I have seen these on “real” people and I haven’t been too impressed. They look cute on the J. Crew models with their stringbean bodies and heels, and that girl from the Sartorialist that someone once posted looked amazing with her long skinny legs, skyscraper platform heels, and blazer, but I just haven’t seen this look right on the masses. I tried it myself with a pair of non-distressed jeans just by rolling them up and didn’t love it, and I have proportionally long legs. Maybe I’m also wrong about this but I find the look sort of awkward on anyone over 30 unless you’re at the beach.

As for whether leg lengthening is always desirable: I don’t think so. I actually think this trend of making one’s legs look as long as possible is a little weird. I am all for playing little visual tricks to balance one’s proportions, but the amount of leg lengthening that is required by fashion is ridiculous. I’m not for SHORTENING the leg line either. Like anything else, I think it’s about balance.

I wore a pair of rolled faded bf jeans at the end of the summer, but they’re not appropriate for our fall. I might bring them back out in the spring; I liked they way they fit on me, but I am tall with long thin calves.

I like the look of boyfriend jeans, but I don’t love them. I don’t wear jeans too often anymore, so I stick with skinny and slim straight cuts for when I do.

I like the look for CASUAL settings, and had considered it for myself. However, I am not willing to pay big bucks for distressed looking jeans (I actually get offended when I see super distressed jeans at Nordies for $200), and so the only way I would have experimented with this would have been if I had found some bf jeans at a thrift store. I didn’t look super hard, haven’t found any, abandoned the quest pretty quickly, and don’t feel I’m missing that much. But I’ve seen some cute bf looks on others that I enjoy.

Am I the only one who likes this look? I found a cute pair this summer because I wanted some rolled jean capri’s. They were Paige Premium “Jimmy Jimmy” jeans. I especially love them when I wear them all the way rolled down with metallic sandals, a hip length long sleeved wrap- around grey cardigan from Ann Taylor loft, a white cami, and a long necklace. I felt very put together, with an easy classic elegance (which doesn’t usually happen).

I totally agree with you. The first style is fine (although I’ve never been a fan of distressed denim), but the other two are not so great. (But I think that as far as unflattering styles go, we’ve seen much worse!) That said, I saw the third style worn by Miley Cyrus on an episode of Hannah Montana last night, and she looked great in them. I guess because she’s so young?

I have no desire to wear BF jeans. I already have no butt and do not need to wear bagginess there to prove it.
I thought the BF jeans looked good on Kristen when she posted pictures of herself in them. Also my daughter and her friend who do not have a lack of behind, each bought a pair and looked cute.
I don’t think the look is for the masses but I do think the three I mentioned wore the pair on the left with success.
I can DEFINATELY see Danja working the two middle pair with her killer shoes.
I can also see Jean looking good in all of the above pairs.
This look has been around before. I saw it on others in the 60’s/early 70’s. I couldn’t wear it then either.

I’m not wearing them. I might if I found some at a thrift store, but in general, I don’t buy or wear much denim.

I’ve never liked rolled up jeans — maybe because I’m old enough to remember it as a dorky look in the ’50s when mothers bought jeans big enough for you to grow into. On the other hand, I’ve been wearing guys jeans for years because you get more choice of length and they suit my slim hips, flat posterior, and thick waist. Too often women’s jeans with a curvy fit look like jodphurs on me. Somehow, though, I don’t think I qualify for the boyfriend jean look — just like someone who’s going out to garden which is me most of the time.

I like look but I don’t think it’s for me. When the look first started surfacing, I played around with some of my pants and it just look awful. So I appreciate the need to have the appropriate fit to make the look work. I’m not willing to spend the time or money to find those perfect bf jeans. I don’t like the look THAT much.

I think they don’t look good in most applications but have seen one in which they looked great. It’s hard to pull this look off imo and I am not the risky type so stay away from them.

The one on the far left works, but it’s the only one I like. They’re far too sloppy for my style- no thanks!

The answer to your question is: Oprah is wearing them!

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow.....nson-jeans

I do own BF jeans but I don’t roll them, I’m just trying to find an alternative to my skinnies as there are some days when the skinny silhouette does not appeal. I do like my BF jeans worn with a cami and jacket. I would also like to add that my BF jeans have no fading or rips (yuck)!

I have seen them on others and sometimes it works, but I don’t think they are for me.

I’d like to see real life pictures of BF jeans in action, like on the street.

I don’t get out much, but I haven’t seen anyone looking fantastic in them.

Angie what about a non-rolled, full length version of these jeans? I’ll admit that just before I bought my skinnies which I now live in, these were the only jeans I wore for about 4-5 years and I needed to replace them as they were literally falling apart. If they aren’t rolled up, do they really shorten the leg line? Think pic #3 but unrolled and with a more flared leg that is PPL with flats.

Been wearing them for months now. They are super comfy. I love them with wedges ,like look 1.

-meream

I’ve seen normal women try these on at the store where I work and they look like MOM jeans, baggy in the wrong spots…basically they don’t look anything like you stole them from your boyfriend.

Women have different bodies than men, and therefore, thinking that straight-hipped jeans would be flattering is silly.