For many years before I became a personal stylist (and knew what I know now) I had so many issues picking the right jeans for my body shape. It can be such a frustrating experience, I know. I kept choosing the wrong tones, the wrong shapes and because of it, my big hips looked even bigger!! The frustrating part was that I didn’t understand why and I just kept blaming my body for it.
When I look back at photos I say to myself “What was I thinking? I look terrible in those jeans!” I know most of you would have said that at some point, but the good news is that with the following tips you will never have to feel like that again! Yes there is a trick to finding that perfect pair of jeans!
Here are my 4 top tips to pick the best and most flattering jeans for your body shape these are no rules by all means but certainly are guidelines that will make a difference, I can assure you.
Tip #1 – Colour tone of jeans
Jeans come in so many tones and colours, from light blue to dark navy, black, grey and white, so how do you know which tone you should go for?
Let’s start with whether you are a curvy or a slim person.
For ladies who are on the curvier side, just like me, the colours that suit us best are more on the darker side such as dark navy or black. The lighter you go the more focus you will put on your thighs and bum, which like me, I’m pretty sure you would prefer to avoid. Instead lets leave the focus more on our top torso and our face.
For those ladies that have slimmer thighs, you can easily get away with pretty much any colour of jeans. Here are some great examples.
Photos courtesy of Just
Jeans, Jeanswest, Jay Jays, General Pants
Tip# 2 – Jeans Style for body shapes
Most jeans are now classified as bootcut, skinny jeans, straight leg, wide leg, flared jeans and boyfriends. The best part is that when you go shopping or buying online you can simply ask or pick specifically for each style, colour and size. Then the whole experience buying jeans becomes easy once you know what you are looking for. Last time I went shopping for jeans, it literally took me no more than 10 min to know which jeans suited me and simply bought them. This is not to brag, simply is to let you know that once you know what to look for it becomes so quick and simple!
- Hourglass shape –Your hips and shoulders are balanced which means they are similar width. For this type of body shape I recommend best to use bootcut and straight jeans. You could get away with skinny. Colour wise best to go darker, remember you don’t want to grab to much attention to your bottom half. These examples are super flattering for your gorgeous figure.
Photos courtesy of Just Jeans, Jeanswest, Jay Jays, General Pants
- Triangle shape –Your hips are wider than your shoulders (that’s me!) which means you need to downplay your curves to balance your body. Sorry ladies unfortunately skinny jeans are not the best pick for you! Best styles are straight, wide leg, bootcut, slightly flared (depends on height). Same as hourglass you want to go darker, definitely no details or wash off jeans!
Photos courtesy of Just
Jeans, Jeanswest, Jay Jays, General Pants
- Inverted Triangle shape – Your shoulders are wider than your hips, so you need to create curves around your bottom. For this type of body shape you need to balance your upper body with your jeans, which means that you need to go wider below. Best types are bootcut, wide leg or flared jeans. Also any jeans with pockets and details on your hips will help you look curvier, as well as wearing lighter colours.
- Rectangle shape –Your shape is fairly straight up and down with a slight masculine look. Similar to the hourglass, just not with a defined waist. Good news for you is that you can pretty much get away with any type of jeans styles. From skinny/slim to wide leg (as long as it is not too wide). I suggest to look for those that have details on hips to add some dimension.
- Oval shape –Your waist is usually wider than the shoulders and hips or you may simply appear to be top heavy with little or no waist definition. Best jeans that would suit your body shape are flare, wide leg or bootcuts. In terms of colours go for a dark navy and black.
Tip #3 – How to pick the right size and length
The quickest way to know if a pair of jeans fits your waist is to grab the jeans and put them around your neck. If both ends touch, it means is the right size, if they don’t touch it’s too small and if there is extra fabric then it’s too big. See? Couldn’t be quicker and easier!
In terms of length, 75-76 cm tends to be more for petite ladies and 84-85 cm for someone a lot taller.
Another tip, if you fall in love with how a pair of jeans fit you and they are too long and you need to shorten them, I recommend asking at the store if they have alteration services as they normally provide these services if not there are always clothing alterations services near you.
Tip# 4 – Low, Mid or High rise jeans
Here’s the tricky part. So you know which body shape you are based on tip #2, which is based on your horizontal shape yet each of us also have a different vertical shape. You can be either balanced/proportional or have long torso/short legs or have short torso/long legs. Here’s what you should go for depending on your vertical shape:
- Balanced/Proportional – Wear jeans to your waist
- Long torso/Short legs – Mid to high rise jeans
- Short torso/Long legs – Low rise jeans
Hope these tips help you make things easier for you when picking the most flattering jeans for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a line in the comments below or get in contact through here.
