12 Best Types of Jeans for Women and Men

 Denim jeans were invented as mere work outfits for men working in the mines, fields, and factories. At the time, the only styles available were pants, dungarees, and overalls. Many decades later and denim is one of the most widely popular outfits. According to CNN, more than 450 million pairs are sold annually in the US alone.

Since the invention in May of 1873, there have been thousands of jeans brands selling countless styles and cuts of jeans for men and women. Even though there are as many styles as you can imagine, not all are popular. At least not all at the same time.

If you are curious to know which jean types are popular right now, continue reading. 

Most Popular Types of Jeans Right Now

Find your best jeans style and cut below to stay on trend.

Skinny jeans

Skinny jeans are the most trendy style at the moment. They have been the ultimate queen of jeans for the last three to four years. And why not? They are comfortable, very stylish, and they bring out the best of every woman’s silhouette.

Skinny jeans are figure-hugging from top to bottom – they are tight from the waist, butt, and thighs all the way to the ankles. 

Skinny jeans come in a variety of shades, washes, and cuts. You can also get a high, mid, or low-rise style — it totally depends on your preference and body type. 

When choosing skinny jeans, we advise getting a pair made from stretch denim as they are easier to wear and take off. Just ensure the stretch is enough and will hold up even after several washes. Also, choose a super-high waist over a low waist. High-waisted skinnies are easier to style as they can be paired with any top. 

Slim fit jeans

Slim-fit jeans are almost similar to skinny jeans except that they loosen up slightly towards the legs. They fit snugly around the butt and thighs, just like skinnies. When choosing slim jeans, ensure the fit is comfortable around the waistline, it shouldn’t be too tight that the waistband pinches on your skin. That can make you so uncomfortable.

Straight cut jeans

Even though skinny jeans are the trendiest at the moment, straight-cut jeans seem to be the most overworked in nearly every woman’s wardrobe. They are laid-back, easy to wear, and uber-comfortable. We also love how relaxed they sit on the waist.

Straight-cut jeans best suit women with apple, hourglass, and athletic body shapes. They can be paired with just about anything to pull off a casual or even an office look. The cropped straight-cut jeans are perfect for wearing with sandals, sneakers, and heels.

Mom jeans

Mom jeans are retro-style jeans from the 80s that were so popular with moms, hence the name. It is often confused with boyfriend jeans because of how similar they look. However, mom jeans have a relaxed and laid-back vibe and are a lot easier to style. They are also generally a bit more structured, loose at the thigh section, long and flattering at the bum, and have a high waist. In addition, the legs are tapered.

The key to rocking mom jeans is tucking in your top and throwing on a belt for a more defined waist. You can wear them with practically any top, be it a blouse, shirt, bodysuit, polo or tee, but we find them more stylish when paired with a crisp white shirt or knitted wear. 

Also, as far as shoes go, anything works, from trainers, heels, boots, and sandals. A tip for extra stylish points is to roll up the hems to show off your legs and your shoes.

Boyfriend jeans

Boyfriend jeans are the ultimate lounging jeans. You can throw away your entire fashion caution to the wind and still look stylish in them. They are a bit roomier than slim-fit and skinny jeans and have a worn-out distressed look. 

Unlike mom jeans, these ones sit low on the waist and often look oversized. The legs are not so baggy, though they are between a wide and fitted leg. 

Even though they are a bit forgiving when it comes to styling, they take some getting used to if you are a fanatic of snug-fit jeans. A few ways to style boyfriend jeans include:

• Pairing it with a tight-fitting top to balance out the oversized look.
• Cuff them up at the hems imperfectly for a tapered look
• Throwing on a blazer on top of a tucked-in fitting top and finishing off with loafers or basic heels to achieve a relaxed look to the office.

Flare jeans

Flare jeans were so popular in the 70s, but it looks like they are back with a bang. These jeans are tight on the butt and thighs but widen toward the bottom. It looks similar to the boot cut, but the flare is a little more pronounced.

Flared jeans look so great in hourglass and pear body shapes. If you want to try out the flare jeans but aren’t sure where to pair them with, start with a basic tee. You can never go wrong with it. As you gain confidence, you can experiment with a button-downed shirt, blouse, turtleneck, or plaid shirt.

Bootcut jeans

At first glance, the bootcut jeans look similar to the straight-cut jeans, but if you look closely, you will notice that the bootcut starts to taper at the knee and flares out slightly at the opening. It is not necessarily tight around the thighs and butt area and can either sit low or rise.

Bootcut jeans are designed to go over the top of your shoe. They pair so well with ankle boots, clunky shoes, and high heels. To show off your footwear, you can opt for cropped bootcut jeans.

Distressed jeans

Distressed jeans are a style of jeans that is deliberately cut, frayed, ripped, or torn to achieve a distressed and old look. There are different ways to do this, including using stone washing and bleaching to give a faded look. 

Are you thinking of turning old jeans into distressed jeans? Here’s a great tutorial to guide you.

Distressed jeans can be any other type we’ve discussed in this post – mom jeans, boyfriend, flare, skinny, or boot cut.

Balloon jeans

Ballon jeans are similar to mom jeans but have wider and tapered legs that are also cropped. They are also a bit tighter than mom jeans, although less comfortable, and have a balloon silhouette, hence the name balloon jeans. 

Cargo jeans

These are loose-fit jeans with cargo pockets on the sides of the legs.

Cigarette jeans

Cigarette jeans are simply skinny jeans that stop just slightly above the shins. They are also commonly known as cropped skinny jeans. Cigarette jeans are best suitable for women with a petite frame or an hourglass shape. They are very stylish and chic and be paired with sandals, strappy heels, or trainers.

Capri jeans

Capri jeans, just like capri pants, fall between the knees and the ankles and are often cuffed. They can be high-waisted or low-waisted. 

High-waist jeans vs. low-waist jeans

High-waist and low-waist jeans are not so much a cut but rather a style of how the waistband sits. 

High waist or high rise is typically any cut of jeans whose waist sits higher up, while Low rise or low waist jeans have the waistline sitting below the natural waist or slightly above the hip bones. These jeans styles include skinny, straight leg, slim fit, mom or boyfriend cut jeans.

High-waisted jeans accentuate the curves and waistline and give you a longer body frame. It’s hard to go wrong with high-waist jeans because they are easy to style. For instance, you can dress it down with a bra top for a casual event or throw a blazer over a tank top for the office.

Low-waist jeans, on the other hand, are great for showing off some skin. They can also be dressed up or down for a variety of looks.

Because waistlines sit in different places on the body for different people, it can be hard sometimes to figure out what rise suits you better. If you find the low waist too low and the high waist a bit too much or are simply struggling to dress your preferred waist height, a mid-waist would be a better choice for you.

There is a reason why jeans have been around for over a century now. They are not only stylish, comfortable, and easy to wear but are extremely versatile. They also come in a variety of styles, and we absolutely love them for that.

Choosing the best jeans all comes down to figuring out whether you like your jeans baggy or fitting, long or cropped, flared or not, and whether you prefer them high, mid, or low-waisted. We hope you now have an idea of what popular jeans to get.