Year of Fashion Highh Waisted Jeans

best in class Updated Mar. 4, 2022

The half dozen Very Best Loftier-Waisted Jeans

Photo-Illustration: Courtesy of the retailer.

If Bella Hadid'southward Depop is whatever indication of what's to come, the low-rise revival is more than just a stage. But every bit whatever die-hard high-rise believer knows, there'southward a reason hip-level waistbands were on the outs for so long. Personal stylist Jessica Cadmus puts it best: It's all "about the derrière with denim, and a high-rise jean most effectively sculpts your peach and accentuates your waist." These jeans do have their downsides, though — wedgies, red midriff marks, and putting pressure on your insides — even when they await fantastic on the outside. To detect the high-waisted jeans that don't do the higher up, nosotros turned to all sorts of fashionable women for their favorites. (Hint: Lots of Levis to follow.) Below, you lot'll find those recommendations — including a few pairs from our archives that were so raved nigh we couldn't not characteristic them.

Size range: Before harping on the current state of jean sizing, here's helpful advice Strategist writer Erin Schwartz got from Clotilde Testa, owner of Walk the West and a self-described "denim whisperer": Know your verbal waist, hip, and rise measurements either through measuring yourself or your current prized pair. (The size y'all are in 1 brand may be completely different in another, so this is a more accurate method than taking one of those online fit quizzes.) Inconsistent sizing — or non finding your size at all — can be deflating, so nosotros gave preference to brands that have a wider range, including length. (FYI: We didn't cull "all-time overall" selection for petites, tall, or plus, as all the pairs have a broad range of sizes and almost all are offered in different lengths.) And another tip on this front from fashion content creator Tilly Macalister-Smith (who really got information technology from Flora Fellowes, Net-a-Porter's in-house denim buyer): Check the height of the model in product notes to compare where a pair will hit on you.

Rise: What makes a high-waisted jean high-waisted anyway? As Macalister-Smith tells us, anything that sits at your true waist — above your belly button — is fair game. Cadmus seconds this, proverb it's difficult to give a number for the "ideal" ascension (which starts at the seam of the crotch and goes to the top of a jean) on a high-rise. But the baseline is around ten inches, Cadmus adds, and many on the marketplace are even higher than that. The ascension is usually listed based on the proportions of one size, and so while it'due south useful to know, it can be difficult to tell how a pair will look on you. That's why we asked our panel to item the rise of their picks equally much equally possible.

Stretch: Purists prefer raw or rigid denim with absolutely no stretch — these jeans will take 100 percent cotton on their tags. "Raw" and "rigid" are usually synonymous, just the former is unwashed and untreated — as soon every bit anything is washed to them, they tin can't exist called raw anymore, Macalister-Smith explains. Stretch supporters, meanwhile, similar just a hint of either elastane or spandex, at i to two pct max. "In a higher place that would be extra stretchy," Cadmus says, adding that stretch isn't just about comfort — it's besides so that the "jeans snap back after each wear." (With raw denim, she points out, in that location's a breaking-in period, which can exist undone with the wrong wash.) Using these guidelines, we denoted each choice on this list equally not stretchy, stretchy, or very stretchy.

Style: Loftier-waisted is an particularly wide category —it's not every bit hyperspecific as mom jeans, for instance — and includes just about any mode you tin think of: flares and their cousins, bootcuts and broad-legs; skinnies and their fraternal twin, the slim; boyfriends and girlfriends. Every cut has its fans and detractors (encounter the backlash confronting skinny jeans), which is what makes the perfect pair then subjective. Among our panelists, straight-leg styles were the most popular, but for variety's sake, nosotros attempted to spotlight unlike cuts to brand sure there's something for everyone.

Sizes 23–39 (plus-sizes here ) with 26-, 28-, and 30-inch inseams | 10.85-inch ascension | Stretchy | Tapered straight-leg

In our search for the very all-time of the all-time loftier-waisted jeans, there was ane pair we heard most over and over over again: Levi'southward Wedgies. The jeans don't requite you a wedgie (at to the lowest degree not in the bad way), but they do accept a distinctly cheeky effect. They as well offer a "natural rise that hits right at your belly button, and so it'due south loftier, but not too high," explains Bird founder Jennifer Mankins. She adds: These have that one-time 501s feel, but with a more generous cut. Madewell's head of design, Joyce Lee, seconds this, maxim that the slight stretch in the Wedgies makes them more appealing to our modern sensibilities effectually fit. Hailey Rizzo, the blogger behind Feeling Good Every bit Hail, echoed those sentiments in our guide to mom jeans, in which these were the most recommended pair equally well: The Wedgies don't leave you with that unflattering flat look that made mom jeans much mocked.

The Wedgies earned rave reviews, with several stylish women calling them wardrobe staples. Dianna Cohen, founder of pilus-intendance line Crown Matter, frequently wears hers every bit part of her weekly rotation, saying that "they look equally cracking on when they're still tight and just out of the wash equally they practise one time they're more worn and loosen upwardly." Sara Zucker, director of social media at KORRES, agrees that the Wedgies (which she prefers in the Icon fit) are "shockingly flattering," especially "if you're going to dip your toe in the pool of frump." And Tessa Jennifer of Auralie approves of the length of the Wedgies as a petite person, describing them equally "the easiest pair I could perfectly fit into without having to alter the length."

Sizes 23–42 (plus-sizes here ) with 27- and 29-inch inseams | 12-inch rise | Stretchy | Direct-leg

The title of the "Goldilocks of jeans" is not something the Strategist takes lightly — but these jeans are, as we've learned time later time, pretty much perfect. (There'southward fifty-fifty something of a cult surrounding them.) Featuring Levi'southward highest ascension yet at 12 inches, the Ribcage's lofty cut has been described every bit "deliriously high, hands clearing my belly button," past Strategist editor Maxine Builder. They're surprisingly comfortable, likewise, co-ordinate to New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff, who says these are "strong without being too constricting," with "just the right corporeality of flare" at the ankles. And speaking of ankles: Content creator Amy Serrano previously told usa that despite her petite frame, these requite an upshot of "legs for days because of the ultrahigh waist" while "hugging what they demand to hug."

Another pair of straight-legs worth snagging: the DL1961 Patti Cropped Directly Leg Jeans. Strategist writer Chloe Anello calls them "more tailored than broad-leg or swain, so they expect a bit more polished." Or go with the slouchier version of the directly leg — Strategist writer Dominique swears by Universal Standard, specially its Bae Boyfriend Crop Jeans. These are so stretchy that she recommends sizing downwardly for a more fitted look, but they "definitely accept a really high waist."

Banana Republic High-Rise Skinny Soft Sculpt Jean

Sizes 24–35 with tall and petite options | 10.75-inch rise | Very stretchy | Skinny

Banana Democracy makes really well-fitting jeans. I've tried many pairs — from Levi's, Madewell, Frame, Mother, AG, and Paige, to proper noun a few — but I always, always come up dorsum to Banana Republic. This item pair is the one I'yard wearing correct now — and the one you'll probably run into me in on any given twenty-four hour period. What makes them so comfortable is the brand'southward "Soft Sculpt" denim, which means these stretch with me but don't lose their shape. (No back gaping to report here.) And as their name suggests, they shape my legs, making me retrieve I have ameliorate ones than I actually do. The brand'south jeans are true to size, as well, across the board, which stands out, every bit many labels don't usually know what to do about people like me, as I'm curvy and petite (just shy of five-human foot-2). With my Banana Republic jeans, the petite sizes hit me right at the ankle (some are even actually cropped), and so I don't have to cuff them or get to a tailor. And here's a tip: The "short" inseam on the standard sizes is the same length as the ones for petites, so don't despair if your petite size is ever sold out.

Young man curvy petites can also turn to this Madewell raw-hem jean, which Social Goods co-founder Kate Sokolov recommends based on its "perfect rise for a short torso and an inseam that allows me to wear flats without having to get them hemmed." Pariso is another Madewell Curvy line convert — this pair features a "super-high waist that nips you in without any gap."

Agolde Riley High-Rise Straight-Crop Jeans

Sizes 24–34 | xi.v-inch rise | Non stretchy | Cropped direct-leg

The Rileys are a slight investment (though all the same under $200), but Agolde jeans are well worth their cost tag, according to 3 of the women nosotros consulted for our guide to mom jeans. The same Levi's Wedgies were the most mentioned pair there, but Agolde was the well-nigh mentioned make. These jeans are the gold standard of mom jeans (plus they're a favorite among the petite-content-creator crowd). Stella Blackmon, a filmmaker and erstwhile New York Magazine photograph editor, wears mom jeans exclusively, simply the Rileys are her be-all and stop-all. The extremely loftier rise — simply a half inch under that of the Ribcage — is still comfy (no pocket-sized feat, considering that these are also fabricated from a stiffer denim). Simply the rigid feel helps the jeans proceed their shape during the twenty-four hours, Blackmon says. (Notice that these are the only non-stretchy jeans on our list.) Unlike traditional mom jeans, these have a slimmer silhouette that makes them au courant rather than outdated. If you're searching for full-length mom jeans, Buzzfeed projection manager Chelsea Portner — "a lanky girl with hips and no butt" — previously told us when she saw these Agolde Lanas on a friend, she asked to try them out and immediately ordered her ain afterward.

Levi's Women's 720 High Rise Super Skinny Jeans

Sizes 23–40 (plus sizes here ) with 28-, thirty-, and 32-inch inseams | 10.25-inch ascension | Very stretchy | Skinny

Skinny jeans came second in popularity to straight-leg styles. But of all the pairs we heard about, the Levi's 720s were said to be the Ideal ideal of what skinny jeans should be. These take a super-close-plumbing fixtures leg — almost jeggings-esque — but are designed with loftier stretch to brand them less snug than the sometime pair sitting way back in your cupboard. (These are fabricated from a alloy of polyester, sustainable Tencel, and elastane — which is why nosotros ranked them as "very stretchy" rather than just "stretchy.")

Author Diana McCorry, who owns the 720s in 3 washes, says that they characteristic "enough stretch to avoid that nasty tummy compression just enough shape to create a great silhouette when you stand up." And while McCorry often feels she has to bargain betwixt comfort in the rear and excessive tightness in the midsection, "the 720s are a little loose in the waist, but non quite enough to necessitate a belt, which is nice." (An honorable mention goes to the Levi'south Mile Highs, which are "super stretchy to the bespeak where you lot can size down and have enough compression to suck everything in," says Strategist writer Jenna Milliner-Waddell.)

Wrangler Women's Westward 62 High-Rise Bootcut Jeans

Sizes 24–34, with xxx-, 32-, 34-, and 36-inch inseams | 12-inch rise | Stretchy | Bootcut

These jeans have the aforementioned high rise as the Levi's Ribcage just a bootcut that some may see as polarizing (seriously, so many have sworn off the manner, as I've learned on the jeans beat). But if you're going for that cowboy-inspired fit, at that place'due south nothing ameliorate than a pair of Wranglers. Model Georgia May Jagger (who has been the confront of the visitor's heritage campaigns) can't live without this pair, which have "that classic Wrangler look" with a more figure-hugging leg up to the knee and a total-on flare at the lesser. And she should know — she has been wearing Wranglers her entire life, thank you to the deep Wranglers devotion that runs in her family unit (1 of her aunts would even wear them while performing actual rodeos). And to boot: Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens has several testimonials from friends about the power of Wranglers.

If you like something slightly more than subtle, consider these Cadmus-canonical Frame flares, which have a butt-sculpting effect and stretch that helps keep their shape. And for a wider wide-leg, these Rolla's Sailor Jeans come highly recommended by writer and digital creator Carrie Carrollo. Carrollo, who'due south five-human foot-two, says "the waist-to-hip ratio, for my body type, actually works."

• Chloe Anello, Strategist writer
• Stella Blackmon, filmmaker and erstwhile New York Magazine photo editor
• Maxine Builder, Strategist editor
• Jessica Cadmus, personal stylist
• Dianna Cohen, founder of hair-care line Crown Affair
• Georgia May Jagger, model
• Tessa Jennifer, founder of Auralie
• Simone Kitchens, Strategist senior editor
• Joyce Lee, Madewell'due south head of design
• Tilly Macalister-Smith, fashion content creator
• Jennifer Mankins, Bird founder
• Jenna Milliner-Waddell, Strategist writer
• Diana McCorry, author
• Dominique Pariso, Strategist author
• Chelsea Portner, Buzzfeed project manager
• Hailey Rizzo, the blogger behind Feeling Good As Hail
• Amy Serrano, content creator
• Erin Schwartz, Strategist writer
• Kate Sokolov, Social Goods co-founder
• Alexis Swerdloff, New York deputy editor
• Clotilde Testa, possessor of Walk the Due west
• Sara Zucker, director of social media at KORRES

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