The 12 Very Best Jeans for Women

Sizes and lengths

Rise

Stretch

Cut

Price

Sizes and lengths: 23–39 (plus sizes here) with 26-, 28-, and 30-inch inseams | Rise: 10.85 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Straight leg | Price: $

The Wedgies might be the jeans we’ve written about most — they appear all across our archives, including topping our list of the best high-waisted jeans. After wearing them myself for over a year now, I can say the fervoraround the jeans is warranted. You’re getting well-made, well-fitting jeans — for less than $100. They have a straight-leg silhouette that’s as traditional as it gets, skimming right along the hips and thighs to the hem. It’s a cut that’s universally flattering and doesn’t go out of style (you won’t ever hear that it’s “on the outs,” as other cuts are).

While everyone’s body is different, I would describe mine as hourglass-shaped, which the jeans fit by embracing me through the hips. The higher waist holds me in without making me feel too held in, too. I see the Wedgies as a bridge between too-rigid and too-stretchy denim. They don’t have much stretch (they’re made from 99 percent cotton and one percent elastane), so if you’re used to non-stretch denim, you’ll find them more forgiving than a completely rigid pair. If you’re used to stretch denim, you might feel that they’re a little tight before becoming just-right — but trust me, they will.

Another part of the Wedgie’s appeal is the different inseam lengths offered (26, 28, and 30 inches) with the shortest being suitable for most petites and the longest for taller people. I’m about five-two, and I don’t have to roll up the hem on my 26-inch-inseam pair at all. And since the jeans come in a dozen different washes, you can get them in multiples — something that those who own Wedgies take great pride in doing whenever there’s a sale. (Their following includes Bird founder Jennifer Mankins, former Madewell creative director Joyce Lee, and Dianna Cohen, founder of Crown Affair.)

Sizes and lengths: 14W–24W with a 29-inch inseam | Rise: 10.5 inches | Stretch: Not stretchy | Cut: Baggier wide-leg | Price: $

I’ve heard repeatedly from my sources that Madewell’s plus-size jeans are better than those from plus-size-specific brands like Torrid and Eloquii. Madewell not only offers a size range of 14W–28W (in addition to its standard range of sizes 23 to 33), it offers many of its most popular styles in that plus-size range.

Many of Madewell’s plus-size styles are made with stretch denim, starting at one percent elastane. The amount of stretch in a pair of Madewell jeans can range from rigid (100 percent cotton) to super stretch (starting at 2 percent elastane). The more stretch, the more likely a pair of jeans will stretch out — something to keep in mind as you choose your size. The Wide-Leg Jean in Super Stretch, for example, can “stretch out after a few wears, especially around the waist,” according to our writer Dominique Pariso. Notably, Madewell carries non-stretch plus-size denim as well (it’s an almost impossible task to find non-stretch plus-size denim, so I’m impressed by this). I included the plus-size version of its Low-Slung Baggy Crop Jeans here. They’re 100 percent cotton — making the jeans conform to your body in the long term — and in a low-slung style that isn’t usually made in plus sizes (trust me, I should know, as someone who writes about denim for a living). Just remember: Madewell’s plus-size styles tend to go quickly, so if you see something you like, don’t hesitate.

Sizes and lengths: 00–15 (equivalent to 22-to-32-inch waists) with 30-, 32-, 34-, 36-, and 38-inch inseams | Rise: 11.75 inches | Stretch: Not stretchy | Cut: Tapered slim straight leg | Price: $

Wrangler newly unseated Madewell in our guide to the best jeans for tall women.Available in 30-, 32-, 34-, 36-, and 38-inch inseams (the largest range of lengths of all the jeans I heard about), the Cowboy Cut Slim-Fit Jean is long enough for those five-foot-eight and taller. At $49.99, they’re a bargain to boot.

The Wranglers made their first appearance on the Strategist in 2019 when Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens (who happens to be 5-foot-11) described the fit as “incredible and doing good things all around for my butt and my waist.” Her review of the jeans convinced at least four friends (including Earl Earl’s Laurel Pantin and editor Amanda Fitzsimons) to get their own pairs almost immediately. I myself heard about them from artist Melly Wirtes (who’s six-foot-two) around five years later.Wirtescalls the Wranglers “fairly stiff” (they’re made with 100 percent cotton in the prewashed indigo and distressed vintage washes and 2 percent spandex in the antique and bleach washes). But the rigidness of the jeans makes them more like something resembling vintage, “holding their shape and keeping everything in place.”

But even if you’re not tall, you could get them hemmed, as Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang did (for reference, at five-foot-two, she got the shortest inseam, 30 inches). Yang got them on Kitchens’s recommendation last year. Kitchens suggests going up to a size three if you’re a size two, a seven if you’re a six, etc.“Her suggestion to take one size up from your regular size is a good one,” Yang says. Usually a size two, she went with a five and “that’s probably why they’re so comfortable.” They even stood up to a “transatlantic series of flights that (unintentionally) took 20 hours,” says Yang. “I was so surprised by how not uncomfortable they were that I even pulled on the legs a bit to check if they felt like they had any elastane in them,” she tells me.

Sizes and lengths: 23–38, with 26.5-, 28.5-, 30.5-, and 32.5-inch inseams | Rise: No rise listed | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Straight-leg | Price: $

Abercrombie’s jeans have become a favorite among petites for the inseams: “short” for those who are five feet to five-foot-three and “extra-short” for those under five feet. Although the “extra-short” length is only available in sizes 25 to 30, “short” is offered in the full range of sizes 23 through 37. But beyond the petite-specific lengths, these jeans — which are straight-legged, high-waisted, and feature some stretch — are ultracomfortable. Amy Serrano, a content creator, wore them while doing “a round of high kicks with the Radio City Rockettes” and wasn’t uncomfortable in the slightest. The jeans are tailored to fit different body types, too. Photographer Lizbeth Hernandez says they are “perfect for my curvy body,” while Serrano mentions they “hug every part of my butt perfectly.”

Sizes and lengths: 22–34, with optional inseam alteration starting at 30 inches | Rise: Not listed | Stretch: Not stretchy | Cut: Tapered straight leg | Price: $

Uniqlo offers something most jean brands don’t: an online alterations service. It’s not available for every pair, but it’s optional for many, from the High-Rise Regular Jeans in the new Uniqlo U (from designers Christopher Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran) to the Straight Jeans that are part of the JW Anderson collaboration. Before checkout, you can select a length for the inseam (the longest being 31 inches while the shortest is 16 inches) and different stitches for the finishing (some will be free, while others come with a fee of either $5 or $10). I don’t know how many times I’ve used it in the last year, but the combination of convenience and speed (the difference between an order with alterations than an order without alterations is only a few days) makes it a very appealing option.

If you’re trying out Uniqlo’s online alterations service for the first time, consider the Straight Jeans that are part of the JW Anderson collaboration. They were the most-recommended jeans in our guide to the best jeans under $150. “I tried a 26x31, and while I might have sized down to a 25, I liked how I could wear these lower on my hips,” says senior writer Lauren Ro. And our updates coordinator Najwa Jamal likes that “they toe the line between straight- and ever so slightly barrel-legged,” especially for “the way they fit slimly through the hip and thigh.”

Sizes and lengths: 23–42 (plus-sizes here) with 27-, 29-, and 31-inch inseams | Rise: 12 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Straight-leg | Price: $

In our Strategist circle, we’ve been calling the Levi’s Ribcages the “Goldilocks of jeans” since 2019. New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff says that “they’re just the right amount of flared.” The Ribcages have a super-high rise that gives me longer-looking legs. But the jeans don’t cut into your ribcage, as their name would suggest. Instead, they simply cinch you at the waist. Like Swerdloff, who calls them “stiff without being too constricting,” I feel these are more on the rigid side, thanks to their thicker denim.

Sizes and lengths: 24-35 with 28- (petite), 29- (short), 30.5- (regular), and 32.5- (long), and 34.5-inch (tall) inseams | Rise: 9 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Looser straight leg | Price: $

Under my stewardship, there wasn’t a low-rise jean on this guide until last year. But I can’t deny that low-rise jeans are back. In fact, our junior writer (and Gen-Z correspondent) Bella Druckman is going all in on low-rise jeans now. It was a “pair of remarkably comfortable ‘low-rise ultraloose’ jeans that freed my navel for the first time in years,” she says. “And while I’m not quite ready to say good-bye to my high-rise jeans just yet — most are in storage rather than at Goodwill — I can’t remember the last time my belly button was covered in denim.” One of her favorite pairs is Gap’s Low-Rise ’90s Loose Jean. It’s a replacement for Madewell’s Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg, which “snatched my waist but left me gasping for air,” she says. By comparison, the Gap Loose Jeans have become her “party jeans, dinner-with-friends jeans, and shopping-in-Soho jeans.” Druckman’s not the only convert: Creative strategist Carrie Carrollo previously told me the same jeans are an “approachable version of a low-rise.” Her pair hits just above her hip bones but under her belly button.

Sizes and lengths: 23-37 with 25- (petite), 27- (classic), and 30-inch (tall) inseams | Rise: 11.5 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Wide-leg that’s slimmer through the hip and thigh | Price: $

J.Crew’s Slim-Wide Jean is the only pair of jeans I haven’t returned in nearly a year. It’s the quintessential wide-leg — not overwhelming, but with enough volume that it couldn’t possibly be mistaken for a straight-leg. It’s the right silhouette on me: butt-hugging and thigh-skimming but not waist-gapping. As I’ve said before: I don’t have to pull them higher to my waist or suck in my midsection while wearing them. They hold me, but not in a way that’s tight or restricting in the slightest. Depending on the wash, the Slim-Wide Jeans can be anywhere between 99 percent cotton and one percent Lycra (as “black rinse” is) or a blend of 94 percent cotton, 4 percent polyester, and 2 percent spandex (or “super stretch,” available in “cobalt”). Plus, it comes with inseam options: 24-, 27-, and 30-inch inseams (petite, standard, and tall, respectively). I’m about five-two and went with the shortest inseam — this saved me a trip to my seamstress.

Sizes and lengths: 23–37 with 33- and 36-inch inseams | Rise: 10.25 inches | Stretch: Very stretchy | Cut: Bootcut | Price: $$

Bootcut and flare are often terms used interchangeably, but a true bootcut will be less flared than a flare. The bootcut is having another moment of sorts (some blame Bella Hadid), and J.Crew is making a new pair. “I was in high school the last time flared jeans roared into the Zeitgeist. Maybe you were too,” says Wall Street Journal art editor Alexandra Citrin-Safadi. “If so, know that this pair is sharper (and, blessedly, higher cut) than our shredded Mudd bell-bottoms from 2003.”

In Citrin-Safadi’s closet clean-up last year, these jeans were among the “only denim survivors.” The reason, she says, is that they’re “sexxxy, and you have to keep the three x’s if you publish this, by the way, because I mean it.” On J.Crew’s current stretch scale — which includes the 1984 rigid and the 1996 semi-stretch — this 2003 super-stretch is the stretchiest, made with 2 percent Lycra (plus a percentage of polyester that helps them snap back). “Of course, I recognize that calling the denim ‘2003 super-stretch’ is a millennial dog whistle — my compliments to the J.Crew copy team,” Citrin-Safadi says. “It totally worked on me.” Citrin-Safadi also thinks this darker blue wash, called “resin rinse” makes “them basically interchangeable with trousers.”

Sizes and lengths: 23–35 with a “regular” 27-inch inseam and “short” and “long” options in addition to “petite” and “tall” (but their lengths aren’t listed) | Rise: 12 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Bootcut | Price: $$

Nearly everywhere that sells denim has a barrel leg nowadays — Levi’s, Mother, Madewell, etc. — and it’s as established a cut as a wide leg or a straight leg. If you’ve been looking for a barrel leg and haven’t found the right one yet, Gap’s High-Rise UltraSoft Horseshoe Jeans might be everything you’ve been trying to find. “The name suggests a bow-legged cowboy dueling stance — it brings to mind that photo of John Lennon walking like that or David Bowie in those pants,” writes our contributor Sable Yong. They have a “slightly more exaggerated parentheses shape” that Yong finds flattering. At five-two, she got the regular length, which doesn’t drag in the back, and the high-rise sits lower, at more of a mid-rise. “Let me tell you: My knees have never had such luxurious personal space without enduring the humiliating flapping of truly wide wide-leg pants,” she adds.

If Gap’s Horseshoe Jeans are too barrel-y for you, here’s an honorable mention: Agolde’s Low Curve Jean. With a curved seam that falls at the ankle, these are somewhere between barrel-leg lite and extreme barrel leg (as are Citizens of Humanity’s Horseshoe). “To me, these are a cross between a barrel and a wide leg,” says Love and Other Rugs’s Lily Sullivan. “And they would absolutely make any barrel skeptics reconsider.” But the Low Curve is $238 to the Horseshoe’s $90 — I decided Gap’s gets the Best in Class distinction, as price is always top of mind for us.

Sizes and lengths: 24–33 with a 28- and 30-inch inseam | Rise: 10.25 inches | Stretch: Not stretchy | Cut: Looser straight-leg | Price: $$

“You will never, and I mean never, catch me in skinny jeans,” says writer Jo Rosenthal. “When they went away the first time, I cheered, and the next time they go away, I’ll cheer even louder.” Rosenthal’s most-worn jeans are these Levi’s Baggy Dads, which have a much wider leg than the brand’s Wedgies or Ribcages. “Everything but the waist is baggy,” she says. Rosenthal got a size bigger than her usual, and while there wasn’t a noticeable difference in the waist measurement, they were a little bit wider in the leg that way. The Baggy Dads are loose through the hips and thighs, and are meant to stack at the ankles. While they aren’t stretchy at all, the jeans have “that Levi’s worn-in” feel from the beginning, Rosenthal tells me. Now, she’s up to three pairs. “These are like a good alibi — reliable and they never let you down,” she says. Brand consultant Katie Stone similarly owns multiple pairs: She bought her oldest pair over two years ago and her newest pair more than three months ago. Like Rosenthal, Stone finds them incredibly comfortable. “They feel like home to me,” she tells me. “I don’t even consider having them on as ‘wearing jeans’; they’re in a different category of their own.” Stone also notes that the darker washes “fit a bit tighter around the butt and hold their shape better” than the lighter ones.

Sizes and lengths: 23–34 with 30- and 32-inch inseams | Rise: 11.125 inches | Stretch: Not stretchy | Cut: Straight-leg | Price: $

You can’t go wrong with 501s if you’re looking for a jean without any stretch. It’s the legendary fit that literally started it all for Levi’s. Several people I talked to not only have old 501s, but they judge other jeans against them. “Levi’s never fails — they just get jeans and always have,” says musician AJ Michalka. “They are the jeans you can actually wear all day,” says blogger Gabrielle Arruda. Arruda mentions paying attention to the wash, as the darker shades seem to have “a slightly tighter weave, so they don’t naturally stretch out as well.” And those on the shorter side might go for the cropped 501s. “Turns out new 501s are just as good as (or at least easier and more affordable to source than) vintage 501s,” according to Ro. “They just about look like the Platonic ideal of blue jeans, because, well, they are.” That said, these do need some breaking in, as they’re non-stretch. Stylist Karla Welch used to sit in a bathtub with the jeans on to get them to fit as a teen. Her advice: “Wearing them, and wearing them, and wearing them, and wearing them.”

(For some more non-stretch denim: The Feel Studio, founded by stylist Stevie Dance, a devout Levi’s wearer, has the Genuine Jean that’s inspired by old 501s, according to Kitchens. Dancer Eva Alt calls them the jeans “you always hope to find at a vintage store — just without the work.” )