When I was a kid, I hated shopping for jeans. I would eventually acquiesce to a pair every season...then never wear them. This pattern continued through my adolescence, well into high school, where I found vintage Levi's 501s, which weren't perfect but were better than nothing. When flared, low-rise jeans came into fashion in the late '90s and early '00s, I finally found a fit that I liked, and I've been a jeans person ever since. I may have struggled at first with skinny jeans, but I eventually got used to them—although for the last 15 or so years, my go-to fit has been the straight leg. I will freely admit that since Gen Z declared that skinny jeans were "cheugy" and everyone started seeking out wider, higher-rise, and baggier fits, I have struggled to find a variation of this that works for me. I have a feeling I am not alone. Nowadays, the denim fit options are overwhelming—barrel, kick flare, palazzo, trouser, wide-leg, relaxed, reverse, '90s, whatever—and the sizing is frankly all over the place. It's enough to make a woman want to go back to her trusted skinnies, and if you want to do this (or never left them in the first place), you have my full permission. I still wear my slim-straight jeans all the time. But after a prolonged period of frankly ugly-looking jeans, I feel like denim has found its happy place. Brands have figured out a good balance of high (but not too high) waist, wide (but not too wide) leg, and relaxed (but not too relaxed) fit, and I'm especially liking all of the dark-wash options at the moment. Here's what I've learned in my wide-leg denim research.
