The 10 Very Best Mom Jeans

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Sizes and lengths:23–39 (plus-sizes 16–24here) with 26-, 28-, and 30-inch inseams|Stretch:Stretchy|Rise:10.85 inches|Cut:Slightly tapered straight-leg |Wash:Light and medium washes |Price:$

The Wedgies from Levi’s are a great mom jean: The straight-leg silhouette is an ideal in-between, neither too narrow nor too wide. They are the jeans I have written about the most while working at the Strategist, and they have one of the widest range of sizes of any pair I’ve seen — available in sizes 23–39 and plus sizes 16–24, along with 26-, 28-, and 30-inch inseams to cover petites and talls. Factor in their affordable price, too, and they’re quite deserving of the “best overall” title. I found them to be somewhat stiff in the beginning, even with 1 percent elastane, but I was rewarded for my patience: The jeans have enough give to feel comfortable, while the weight of the denim has helped them shape to my body over time.The Wedgies’ fit has also endeared them to bloggerHailey Rizzo: “Where they elevate the ‘mom’ look is through the booty, whether you’re working with one or not,” she says (there’s no flat pancake butt here). Or, if you’d like an even slimmer style, Sara Zucker, director of social media atKorres, has aversionof Wedgies called the Icon Fit: “If you’re going to dip your toe in the pool of frump, it’s the easiest way,” she says.

Sizes and lengths:23–33 with a 26- and 28-inch inseam|Stretch:Not stretchy or stretchy options|Rise:11.5 inches|Cut:Cropped, slimmer straight-leg |Wash:Light and medium washes |Price:$$

Agolde is another brand I heard a lot about while reporting this guide. The Rileys are a best seller, and there’s a wholecollectionof the cut in different washes and two cropped lengths (26 and 28 inches). Most of the stock is made with a stiffer, thicker, non-stretch denim, but there’s astretch versionas well.Though the jeans are a splurge at close to $200, these make my butt look unbelievable. The denim is high quality and has shaped to my curves in the six months since I first tried them on.But you don’t just have to take my word for it: The jeans have a following that includesStrategiststaffersand a self-proclaimed mom-jean fanatic, filmmaker and formerNew Yorkphoto editorStella Blackmon.Blackmon only owns mom jeans and says the Agoldes are “like an ode to the jeans my mom loved when I was growing up.” (If you’re on the taller side, the brand also makes a longer style called theLana, with a 31-inch inseam, which comes recommended byChelsea Portner, a former project manager atBuzzFeed, who says the jeans suit her well “as a lanky girl with hips and no butt.”)

Sizes and lengths:23–33 with plus sizes 14W–28W with 25- (petite), 28- (plus), 29- (standard), 31- (tall), and 35-inch (taller) inseams |Stretch:Stretchy |Rise:12 inches |Cut:Tapered straight-leg |Wash:Light and medium washes |Price:$$

Something I’ve heard again and again on the jeans beat: It’s hard to find a plus-size straight leg, as the plus-size jeanscape is (still) awash with skinny jeans. Madewell is an exception and tops our list of thebest plus-size jeansbecause it offers most of its cuts in plus sizes, including the best-selling, Strategist-loved Perfect Vintage Jean. I learned about the jean from stylistsSamantha BrownandSahra Brandt, who hasrecommended the pair to at least 150 clients, calling them “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantspants” since they fit a wide range of body shapes and sizes. The plus-size version of the straight-leg jean accounts for differences between hip-to-waist ratios and is designed with a little more room through the hips and thighs. “These have a great blend of cotton and elastane: 99 percent cotton and one percent elastane,” says Brandt. “It’s the right amount of stretch so that the jeans aren’t stretching out. You don’t feel like you’re stuck into them, either.” In addition to plus sizes, the jeans also come in petite, tall, and taller fits — with inseams of 25, 31, and 35 inches, compared to the standard 29-inch inseam.

If you’re looking to spend less, you might go for Target’s in-house, plus-size labelAva & Viv, which content creatorSydney Scottintroduced me to. It can be hit or miss stockwise, which is why I didn’t give it a best-in-class title. But it makes amom jeanwith a “pretty shockingly great” fit with no waist gaping happening, Scott says.

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

Two discerning tall women — Strategist senior editorSimone Kitchens, who’s 5 foot 11, and 6-foot-2 artistMelly Wirtes— recommend these Wranglers, which come in 30-, 32-, 34-, 36-, and 38-inch inseams (meaning there are long-enough lengths for those who are tall and taller).

Wirtes likes that the jeans are old school for being snug, and says she feels “like ’90sShania Twain” in them. Note that the waist sizes are odd numbered instead of even — Kitchens suggests rounding up (take a size 3 if you’re a 2, and so on).

For $55, the jeans are made from a heavier twill denim that Kitchens has described as “unaffected and unadorned,” like something “fresh out of A.P.C.” She likens them todeadstock Levi’sand offers the following advice: “After a few washes, they’ll ease into the comfortable, thrift-store-faded patina these jeans are known for. Or wash them a little less and prolong their A.P.C.-like stiffness.”

Sizes:23–37 with 26.5- (extra-short), 28.5- (short), 30.5- (regular), and 32.5-inch (long) inseams (extra-long inseam not listed)|Stretch:Stretchy|Rise:None listed |Cut:Classic straight-leg |Wash:Light and medium washes |Price:$

Abercrombie’s ’90s Ultra-High-Rise jeans come in not one but two, petite-friendly lengths: “extra-short,” for those who are under five feet and “short,” for those between five-feet and five-feet-three. Though the extra-short length only goes up to size 30, the short length is available in the jeans’ full size range of 23 to 37. Content creatorAmy Serranoand photographerLizbeth Hernandezlike how the jeans fit their curves and accentuate the backside. They also have some built-in stretch (1 percent elastane), so as not to feel as inflexible as the name might imply.

Sizes and lengths:23–33 (plus-sizes 14–24here) with 27- and 29-inch inseams |Stretch:Stretchy |Rise:12 inches |Cut:Slimmer through hip and thigh with a classic straight-leg |Wash: Light and medium washes |Price:$

Levi’s Ribcage jeans are a longtime Strategist favorite (Strategist editorMaxine BuilderandNew Yorkdeputy editorAlexis Swerdloffare on-the-record fans) for being the “Goldilocks of jeans” — leg lengthening, figure hugging, and vintage-looking all at once. The super-high waist (with a 12-inch rise) is the jeans’ biggest selling point. In trying them alongside the Wedgies, I thought the Ribcages took a little longer to break in, even though they have the same percentage of elastane as the Wedgies. But eventually they loosened up, giving me the right fit. These have wider legs as well — so more of a traditional cut for mom jeans than the slightly tapered leg on the Wedgies.

Sizes and lengths:23–31 with a 29-inch inseam |Stretch:Not stretchy or stretchy options |Rise:12 inches |Cut:Slightly cropped, fuller straight-leg |Wash:Light and medium washes |Price:$$

Like the Ribcages, the Cynthias from Reformation have a high rise of 12 inches. Jeans from Reformation are made with leggier people in mind, usually coming in longer inseams, though Katie Schmidt, designer ofPassion Lilie, points out that the Cynthias can give anyone the illusion of longer legs. There arestretch and non-stretchversions, but Schmidt likes the stretch and says they have that vintage mom-jean feel despite otherwise being made from Reformation’s rigid denim.Wirteshas gotten hers to “fit like a glove.” And Strategist managing editorKelsie Schradercalls them truly comfortable — especially for not being tight in the thighs.

Sizes and lengths:23–34 with 30- and 32-inch inseams|Stretch:Not stretchy |Rise:11.125 inches|Cut:Classic straight-leg |Wash:Light and medium washes |Price:$

Levi’s 501s are thejeans that started it all, and vintage 501s will always be highly sought after.But this “original fit” version is close to the pair the brand invented in 1873, featuring a true straight leg and a buttoned fly.Gabrielle Arruda, a designer-slash-blogger (andProject Runwayalum) is arecent convert. “They are the jeans you can actually wear all day,” she says, and points out that the darker washes seem to have a slightly tighter weave, so they don’t naturally stretch as much. These 501s are also a favorite of stylistKarla Welchand musiciansAly and AJ Michalka. Welch says only “wearing them, and wearing them, and wearing them, and wearing them” will give you the proper, perfect fit. But AJ Michalka adds that “Levi’s never fails — they just get jeans and always have.”

Sizes and lengths:24–38 with 28.5- and 32.5-inch inseams|Stretch:Not stretchy|Rise:10.5 inches|Cut:Classic straight-leg |Wash:Medium wash |Price:$$$

The Feel Studio was started by stylist Stevie Dance, a “devout Levi’s wearer” who modeled the Genuines after old 501s. They come recommended by Kitchens, who says that “like vintage jeans, they also have no stretchiness” — but after wearing them a couple of times, “they literally molded onto my body.” DancerEva Altagrees, adding they’re “like the pair you always hope to find at a vintage store.” The label suggests these run small — those who like their jeans stretchier might find them even more so — so double check the size chart against your measurements and purchase accordingly.

[Editor’s note: Some sizes are currently sold out, but you can sign up to be notified by email when yours is available again.]

Sizes and lengths:23–33 with 26.5-, 28.5-, and 30.5-inch inseams|Stretch:Not stretchy|Rise:11 inches |Cut:Tapered straight-leg |Wash:Light and medium washes |Price:$$

If you’re searching for something especially reminiscent of the jeans seen on ’90s sitcom moms, turn to the ’90s Cheeky fromEverlane. “Strangers have stopped me on the street to ask me where I got my pair,” says former Strategist audience-development senior managerMia Leimkuhler(who is a notedEverlane fan). According to Leimkuhler, the jeans are made from a “sturdier, more rigid denim” compared to the brand’sOriginal Cheeky Jean. I also favor the vintage-y, stonewashed quality of the ’90s version. But the Original is another acceptable mom jean. Strategist senior writerLiza Corsillo— whose “ultimate denim dream” is to look like Geena Davis or Susan Sarandon inThelma & Louise— describes the pair as comfortable and confidence-boosting.

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