How skinny should skinnies be?

Raisin

How do you prefer to wear your skinny jeans? I have a couple pairs, and they are fairly tight. They tuck into boots easily. But some photos of other I see wear them looser, still fitted, but they have obvious gaps all the way down the leg, they're not tight on the thigh or calf. I like the look, but I don't think I could get a pair that fit my waist and are loose on the leg. The online stores always show them as being skin tight. Is it a look that's supposed to be more skin tight, or is some gappy-ness better?

13 years ago

Dressing

13 replies

Latest reply was from

DonnaF

Veteran

Maybe some of the photos are actually showing straight leg jeans? Some manufacturers call straight legs "skinnies" even though the jeans are wider at the bottom than traditional/conventional skinnies.

13 years ago

A.Kiernan

(website)

Active Member

I like skinnies skinny, but I'd rather not have sausage legs, KWIM?

Also, on the other end of that, having a droopy backside irritates me as well.

I have to buy my skinnies that fit my apple body (and tush), so they tend to not be skin tight on my legs. Just the way it has to be for me.

I haven't gone the jegging route yet though.

13 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I tend to not have them fit all the way down my legs because I have scrawny calves. It's not really a conscious choice, but rather how they just tend to fit my figure. That said, I like a little scrunch and some fabric looseness down at the bottom. It sort of balances the skin tight thigh to my eye.

13 years ago

K. Period.

Veteran

I'm an old school '80s skinny lover. I like my skinnies skinny, kind of verging on tight. The only exception is for those I wear boyfriend style, where they are intentionally oversized. I think Donna has it pegged (tongue in cheek shout out to other '80s girls)--some manufacturers call straight leg jeans skinny because they are their skinniest fit. And if you wear trouser, boot cut or wide leg styles all the time, straight will feel pretty skinny!

13 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

If you read the fine print, you can see that not all skinnies are created equal. Some calve widths are 10", some are 12", some are 14" -- you get the idea. Meanwhile, not all women are created equal, either, so what looks skin-tight on one will not on another.

Then, combine that with the fact that some like scrunch and some don't. You can end up with quite different looks depending.

I am not sure there is any absolute "rule." More a matter of preference and finding the fit that is most flattering to you, personally. I own several different kinds and like them for different reasons. Example: I like my "legging" jeans (ultra skinny) for tucking into boots, for rolling up a bit in summer to make cropped jeans, and when I want a really streamlined bottom to go with a looser top.

I like my more regular skinnies when I am wearing booties and a jacket.

I like my "slouchy" skinnies (aka boyfriend jeans) when I am hacking around on the weekend, with booties (or sandals, depending on season).

I like my straight leg jeans to fit over booties that have a gap at the top.

13 years ago

Irene

Veteran

Skin tight jeans on girls with thicker thighs (or curvy thighs, I'm not saying they are necessarily fat, nor even overweight, just thick and curvy in contrast with their waist) make me suffer. I imagine their veins suffocating. For some reason I don't feel like that with skin tight jeans on slimer legs.

Mine are only tight after washing, and then get roomier through the day. I like them that way better, and feel uncomfortable when they don't stretch.

13 years ago

Sara L.

Veteran

I think its up to the individual and how you like to wear them. I have some that are really tight and other pairs that are looser. I have one pair (the white ones in today's WIW post) that I thrifted as boot cut jeans and sewed the sides in to make them skinny jeans. I left the legs fairly loose because I didn't want skin-tight white jeans.

13 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Hey, I wrote a response to this but it's not here!

Like Mo, I have skinny calves, but unlike her, I like my skinnies more fitted in that area (which is hard to find) because I feel like otherwise it looks like I'm wearing straight-legs. At the same time I like scrunch to add some bulk and balance my shoulders. Weird, I know.

My skinnies today are what I consider a good fit for me.

13 years ago

(website)

Veteran

Una, you have all over thin legs, which are beautifully proportionate. Wanna know the ugly truth? My thighs are almost 21" but my calves (at the biggest point I can find, even after running regularly) are not even 12 1/2". So, yeah, I like some fabric to help balance me out, much like you do with your shoulders I suppose Guess I do a decent job of hiding the discrepancy. Oh, that was hard to admit publicly LOL.

13 years ago

Aida

Veteran

Another 80s skinnies fan here, I generally like mine fairly snug AND with a very small hem opening (11-12") with tons of scrunch. Though at the moment I have shrunk out of most of mine so they don't fit this way. Happily I do enjoy the slouchy skinny look, so at least I've got that going until I can replace all of mine with a size down

13 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I love the idea of slouchy skinnies, but they just aren't a reality on my body type. My legs are full from hip to knee, so even sizing up never, ever makes the thighs fit loosely. All it does is make the butt incredibly baggy and the waist huge.

So for me, skinnies are skinny skinnies.

13 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Mo, I'm going to measure my thighs when I get home - I am pretty sure our legs aren't that different in size or girth or whatever legs have.

13 years ago

Anonymous

I think Suz has it nailed. It's a matter of body type. I wear regular skinny jeans (not jeggings) and they are loose all the way down the leg. Downright scrunched on my white pair--they look like churridar pants! This is not my preference, but I can't size down anymore and get them buttoned. So I'm just tossing my head and pretending that it's all a part of my grand fashion plan (ha). Hopefully I don't look too dorky.

13 years ago

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