Compared
A skinny follows the leg, so it works with any shoe and is the one that fits under a boot. A wide leg hangs from the hip, so it needs a shoe with some height under it and it needs the right length or the whole line collapses. Wide leg is the more flattering silhouette on most people when the length is right, and the more punishing when it is not. Skinny is the one that always works and never surprises anyone.
Levi's
Boots, a tucked-in top, and not wanting the trousers to be the decision
Pros
Cons
Levi's
A heel or a chunky sole, and a long clean line from the hip down
Pros
Cons
| Levi's | Levi's | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it hangs from | The leg. | The hip. |
| Works with flats | Yes. | Only if the length is right. |
| Tuck into boots | Yes. | No. |
| Hem length | Forgiving. | Decisive. |
| Lengthens the leg | A little. | A lot, done right. |
| Buy this one if | You want jeans that never need thinking about. | You are willing to own the right shoe for them. |
Everything above is about what these products are, not about tests we ran — we do not test products, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Prices live on Amazon, where they change hourly, so we never quote one.
A wide leg should just clear the floor in the shoe you will actually wear it with. Too short and the line breaks at the ankle, which is the opposite of what the shape is for; too long and it frays. This is the reason a wide leg looks incredible on some people and shapeless on others, and it is almost never the jeans.
Both of these are high-rise, and that is doing more of the work than the leg shape. A high rise puts the waistband at the narrowest part and starts the leg line higher; a mid rise in either shape is a different garment. If a pair of jeans has never looked right, the rise is the first thing to change.
Your turn
An occasion you cannot find anything for, or a product you want us to look at properly.