Ask Angie: Boyfriend Jeans - YouLookFab Forum

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Ask Angie: Boyfriend Jeans

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

I'm over the moon in love with Anne's boyfriend jeans outfit today (http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....shirt-motg) and Una's various posts with her BF jeans.

Can a petite apple wear this style of jeans or should I just enjoy it on others? Tell me straight Angie (and others) - I can take it!

Dressing

25 replies

Latest reply was from Transcona Shannon

Jjsloane

Veteran

I'm an apple (although not petite) and love mine and think there could be a fit for you Shannon. I think for Apples we have be sure to keep the rise low/short (below the belly) and make sure (like Anne's- which are awesome IMO) the legs are pretty straight and not baggy then tapered. The semi tuck also helps as does the big belt I think.

qfbrenda

Veteran

I'm wondering about that too, especially a petite with short legs.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

In my opinion, it really depends on the fit and length of the boyfriend jeans, Shannon. How you style them and which shoes you choose to sport with the look. If you have a naturally long leg line (which does not mean that you have to be tall), the odds are in your favour.

Not being a downer, just telling you straight. It's not impossible, but the details are extra important.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I like Jeanne's idea to keep the rise low. Then you can still do a half tuck like Anne to show the belt, and a loose, breezy tee can skim over the midsection. I really need all of my boyfriend jeans and shorts to ride low for this reason, too. While a couple of my regular jeans go up to 8 inches, the baggy ones are only about 6-6.5 (deep in mind I have a very short rise on my body). That way when they ride low on my hips the crotch doesn't look too crazy.

cciele

Veteran

I'm short (5'3") and rectangular/applish, and am enjoying the boyfriend jeans look. I think they do look better with heels on me. Give it a shot!

I agree that they should be fairly straight, low rise, relaxed through the hips/rear, and tapering at them hem. Mine are the Kut from the Kloth Angie that Angie recommended.

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

The low rise is a catch 22 with this look. It works well for the half tuck, but shortens the leg line. Heels might be in order.

Cathy, who is very petite in height, pulls off the look by shortening the jeans, wearing boots AND high heels at that.

Details!

Thanks, Cathy

And for the record, I personally really like a low front rise.

Jonesy

Veteran

I was looking for a pair of BF white jeans for a while, thinking I would like the slouchy look for summer. I tried the Gap "sexy boyfriend" in white in two different sizes and they were all wrong: they had a pretty high rise, very large thighs and then tapered, and the fabric was pretty thick and stiff so there was no drape (sort of like bad Mom jeans). I've seen Una's Gap BF ones in traditional blue and they look fab (and Anne's today do too), so maybe the white ones were just weird.

Anyway, I realized that I hated that look (the white ones on me) so I thought I might find some straight-cut or skinny ones and size up. Yesterday I found the perfect pair at J. Crew. They are matchstick one size up, in a soft, brushed, faded dark denim, and they were marked down from $108 to $29. They are mid-rise and cut pretty straight all the way down, rather than being roomy through the thighs then tapering.

This is my long-winded way of saying that you might need to experiment with different cuts, and ones labeled BF might not necessarily be the best cut, depending on what you are looking for and what works best for your bod.

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

Shannon you've received really good advice here - experiment and pay attention to the details! I second a heel, even 1"-2" makes a big difference.

You might also find that accentuating your shoulders helps pull off the look. No need to go all 80's Dynasty with football shoulderpads (ah, the follys of my youth . But trying a bateau neck tee with this style, for example, might give you proportions more to your liking.

i think you'd really rock this look, it resonates with your fun, unexpected side. I find it's worth it to figure out how to wear some of the more difficult to pull off looks, you learn a lot about how to dress your body and it expands your range. Good luck! steph

rae

(website)

Veteran

Like Jonesy, I've really liked my paire of sized-up J. Crew matchsticks. Great point she makes that "BF" jeans don't necessarily have to be men's jeans or even labeled a bf style at the store.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I wear my bf jeans all the time and I am petite, just over 5.3" But I find the hem tricky. I usually wear them at a longer length. It is very tricky getting the slouchy silhouette right. I have opted to pay a lot for the right cut of jeans. For me, True Religion does the silhouette just right.

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Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I am on the Matchstick Size Up Team too! I tried that last month with their regular length jeans and it worked really well. I did the same with AE jeans.

I just don't feel like buying more jeans at the moment, though - so I left them at the shop.

I tried many pairs of boys jeans and mens jeans too. Disastrous on my frame and height. Mens jeans were still too big, and boys jeans were FAR too short. Plus the rises on these jeans were sooooooo high....to accommodate...you know.... those crotch point extras that blokes have.

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

I'm glad you posted this, Shannon, as I've been looking around for a faded, lighter wash pair, but haven't had any luck. Are these considered BF jeans, do you think? (Now, I wish I knew where I got this link.)

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Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Thanks for all the feedback - I think there area couple of issues which would makes this looks really difficult for me to pull off successfully (i.e. flattering).

Low rise: I don't do low rise. It is not attractive on someone with my type of tummy. All it does is push things up and over resulting in what I like to call "spillage". However, all low rise jeans I've tried before have been snugger/slimmer fitting. Perhaps a low rise in a larger size would work?

Leg length: I don't even come close to having a long leg line. I'm short and my legs are short. I do love the way Cathy (thanks for the visual!) rolls her hem up and pairs them with boots. My Docs Marcie's could fill this requirement.

Steph: I think you're probably right about the shoulder emphasis idea. I have narrow shoulder compared with my hips and sloping on top of that. I know I always feel somewhat better balanced when I wear a jacket with small shoulder pads - hence my love of blazers!

Jonesy/Una: Interesting that I could the BF look without buying BF jeans. I always assumed I would need to buy jeans actually labled Boyfriend in order to achieve the look. So this leads me to an important question:

What attributes make a pair of jeans fall into the BF category?

cciele

Veteran

FYI, I usually don't do low rise either because of the muffin top, but my jeans are so loose around the waist that they basically fall down without a belt. With a waistband that loose, no spillage I think when trying on boyfriend jeans, people try to size smaller because they are used to a tighter fit. But that gets the rise all wrong; they're supposed to drape off your hips (cuz guys don't have defined waists!).

To me, the current incarnation of BF jeans are:
- Low rise
- Slouchy around the hips; no clinging around the rear
- Loose in the thighs
- Straight or tapered
- Often cropped

rae

(website)

Veteran

The BF look is to create the *illusion* that you can slip on your boyfriend's jeans and still look fab and feminine... and not like you're... eh, "smuggling plums." o_0

To this end, I think a hipslung jean is essential to the look. Since men are generally larger than women, it doesn't doesn't feel right to me to have "boyfriend" jeans that fit at your womanly waist... does that make sense? I would give a baggy, low rise, skinny jean a try.

As for the fact that a lower rise shortens the leg line, I disliked that, too. But between a low jean/belt/top contrast, heels, and other waist-denoting strategies, I think it's totally workable for petites.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Just an FYI - I bought a pair of Joe Fresh brand "boyfriend jeans" last summer at Superstore. I really like them in the summer months, and wear them like Anne does - with brown sandals and very casual tops.

The photo here isn't all that informative, and there's not much detail on the site as to measurements etc. You might want to look for some boyfriend jeans at SuperStore's Joe Fresh department. They aren't overly low-rise but are still nice and slouchy. The ones I got are super-soft too.

Here's a link to this year's version, which isn't the best photo, but what can you do?

http://www.joefresh.com/en/product/boyfriend-jean

The ones I bought last year aren't cropped at all (and I can't tell if these ones are), but I do roll them up like Anne does in her recent WIW.

Check Superstore!

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Transcona Shannon

Veteran

*rolling on the floor laughing at "smuggling plums" comment*

Getting a clearer idea now....please keep your wisdom coming. A looser, low rise but tapered leg with a bit of a heel via boot could work - am I on the right track?

VC - thanks so much for the link. I will definitely check these out!

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

i'm on the fly here, but Trudy of Hot Patterns gives a technical but very informative explanation from the pattern drafting angle in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....r_embedded

she also gives great tips on how to distress your own jeans - grab the orbital sander and your safety googles, ladies!!

i'm sure glad this type of jean is coming back, i think it's so fun and funky and cool. and boy was i ready for a change after all those low-rise uni-butt muffin-top jeans!! steph

Meredith1953

Veteran

I am really interested in this conversation! Like Shannon, I have narrow sloping shoulders. I wear a 32 inseam so at 5' 6 1/2" I am not a petite as she is but I share her concerns with low rise pants. Maybe I will look for looser low rise pants as I HATE the idea of muffin top!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

No real wisdom to add but thought I would share the jeans I sized up on to recreate the look http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-.....0932361681 I honestly think you will be able to size up and thrift the perfect pair with just the right amount of the crucial worn in look.

I am quite long in the rise (or perhaps average for 5' 8") so these are low rise on my body type.

catgirl

Veteran

Hi Shannon -

Checking in from Hawai'i to give you a hug for mentioning me in this post! I think the boyfriend look is easier to fit when you are actually built like a boy from the waist down (plums notwithstanding). I used to wear those baggy Levis skater jeans back in the 90s and shopped in the boys section for bottoms regularly. I could never do that with tops, having too much in the girl-plum area. The Gap sexy boyfriend jeans do not fit like girl jeans, IMHO.

You will find your pair!

AJ

Veteran

Those with boyfriend jeans...how is the fit on the backside? Can anyone provide pics of how yours fits?

catgirl

Veteran

AJ, mine are really baggy - they look like guy jeans from the back. Since I have no backside, and since the effect is meant to be contrived casual, flattery is not my main goal. I wear the Gap ones on my hips, as Rae suggested, which almost gives them a drop crotch. And they are much baggier than Denise's BF jeans. But I can use the volume on my bottom half, as long as the top half works.

BF jeans have ALWAYS been in my closet, trendy or not, because they are so very me. I'm just lucky to have options outside of thrifting them right now! Flares, not so much.

teeandcee

I too have found this thread very informative considering I just discovered my legs are significantly shorter than my torso. I've also considered trying on jeans in the men's department as I'm pretty straight up and down. I love the boyfriend jeans look but figured it was off limits for me.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Una - you sweet crazy woman! I'm flattered you'd check out this thread while in Hawaii! Hope you're having a wonderful time.

Thank you for the info. It sounds to me like where they sit on my hips and the rise is really the first detail I need to conquer.

I hope all you YLFers realize that there may be a flurry of K/R posts related to BF jeans coming up! Just warning you...