My Hunt for ’90s Straight-Leg Jeans

First up, I tried Banana Republic’s High-Rise ’90s Straight-Leg Jeans, which sit a little higher in the waist than other pairs I tried — I would call them more of a high-rise than a mid-rise — and have a vintage feel. They’re listed as full length with a 30-inch inseam, but on my five-six frame, the hem landed closer to my ankle than I wanted and read more like a crop. Still very cute, though! The wash is a clean mid-blue, a little brighter than the other pairs I tried, and very ’90s. I wore them out to dinner and they were comfortable through the entire evening. I liked them, but the shorter hem cut my leg line off at the ankle and I missed the long look I was aiming for. They also come in a long inseam (33 inches), which is the version I’d order next time.

I really liked these. I wore Mother’s The Reifler Jeans on a Friday evening stroll around my neighborhood, and they felt like a pair I’d owned for years. The Early Blue wash is a vintage-inspired medium blue with soft fading and a little whiskering that reads natural (not cheesy). They sit at a comfortable mid-rise on me and have real length with a 33-inch inseam and no crop at all. The leg is straight with a slight kick at the hem, giving them a touch more movement than most of my other picks. The denim is 100 percent cotton with no stretch, and the style runs small, so I went up a full size.

Of all the pairs, these felt the most vintage and had a very lived-in quality to them. The jeans are made from 100 percent cotton, so there’s zero stretch. The classic blue wash is a mid-blue that’s worn in all the right places, and they’re full length with a hem that falls a little longer than the others. They fit slightly oversize, but while they’re technically mid-rise, they sat lower on me than any other pair, closer to a low-rise. I liked how roomy they felt. I wore them on a day spent at home, and while I don’t usually wear jeans around the house, these were just as comfortable as my beloved pink sweatsuit.

I loved that Madewell’s ’90s Straight Jeans have a little more room at the waist and the leg stays straight all the way down to the hem instead of tapering at the ankle. I wore them chasing my son around the playground and then straight to dinner. They were easy to move in the whole time. The wash is on the lighter side, which I liked, but my only hesitation is the distressed hole at the knee. I’ve never been much of a ripped-jeans person, but the fit was good enough that I’m willing to live with it. Plus, when I wore them to a dinner after the park, it added a little something.

[Editor’s note: The distressed pair Angela tried is no longer available, so we’ve linked to a non-distressed pair of Madewell’s ’90s Jeans.]

I’d heard great things about Gap’s Mid Rise Straight Taper Jeans and wanted to give them a try. I wore them on a Saturday full of kid wrangling, the kind of day I’d usually reserve for soft pants. With their 30.5-inch inseam, I found they fell well past my ankle, making them one of the longest pairs in my lineup, which I loved. They’re cut straight through the hip and thigh, then taper, so they look neat without veering into skinny territory. There’s no stretch, but they were still among the comfiest jeans I tested, even after a full day of chasing kids. The dark wash I chose was a welcome change from the lighter blues I’d been living in. And at $44, they’re hard to beat, especially since they come in regular, tall, and petite fits with short, regular, and long inseams (plus plenty of washes), so it’s easy to dial in exactly what you want.

I was racing out the door to get my daughter to her soccer game, so I threw these on with a T-shirt and my Labucq silver fisherman sandals, which I’m (still) wearing as often as I can before the weather turns. I’ve worn denim from Citizens of Humanity for years but had never tried its straight-leg styles. This pair is made from 100 percent regenerative cotton with no stretch at all, yet the denim was soft enough that I skipped the usual breaking-in period. They really look and feel perfectly worn in, and the fit worked well on me. The hem grazed the top of my foot, creating one long line from waist to toe. I also love the wash, a true mid-blue that lands squarely between light and dark.

I wore Dôen’s Miller Jeans to parents’ night at my kids’ school, and I went with the Coal Black wash to make them feel a little dressier than the other blues. Paired with a striped top, they looked put-together without being fussy. They’re cut straight and full length with no crop, and the hem landed right where I wanted it, just grazing below the ankle. The fit is intentionally relaxed and slouchy, and vintage details like the button fly and pointed back pockets make them look like a pair you’d luck into at a great resale shop. Dôen suggests sizing down if you want a slimmer fit, and I took my usual 26. At $298, they’re a bit of a splurge of the bunch.