Jeans are a staple in everyone’s wardrobe no matter your age or gender. I’ve always been a fan of jeans because they’re good for any and every occasion so I decided to compile a list of the top five jeans I think every girl needs to have a completed wardrobe, including some ways to style each pair.
- Black Jeans
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These are an absolute essential. Personally these are more of a going-out pant for me. I have several black jeans but my favorite is a pair from PacSun by Bullhead Denim Co. They’re high waisted so they’re easy to pair with any crop tops or do a nice french tuck with one of my sweaters. They also have rips in the knees for the casual cool feel and go with absolutely everything I own. If you don’t have a pair of black jeans, you need some ASAP.
- Plain Blue Jeans with no rips
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An oldie but a goodie. We all have those family events, work parties, or “business casual” events where it’s not necessarily ideal to wear our go-to jeans with 5 rips in each pant leg. I like to have a nice plain wash of denim for these kinds of things. Typically, I’ll pair them with a nice blouse or top, and some booties or kitten heels in the warmer months. The pair I’ve had for years is the American Eagle super stretch in their “short” style for petite women.
- Boyfriend Jeans
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These are by far my favorite category and what lines most of my shelves in my closet. They’re casual, cute, edgy, breezy, and fun all in one. I tend to lean into these in the warmer months, not only because they tend to have more distressing, but I tend to break out my blue denim around that time. I love these for running errands, brunches, parties, literally anything. Two pairs I cannot stop wearing are both from the Target brand Wild Fable. The “high-rise mom jean” and “high rise straight ankle”. (I also tend to combine the “boyfriend” “mom” and “girlfriend” denim styles all under this umbrella because they all have similar vibes and styling to me!)
- High-Waisted
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In all fairness, all of my jeans are high-waisted. On my frame its always been the most flattering, as is the case for most women. However I do have a few low rise or mid’s thrown in there because you never know what kind of top you’ll be wearing. However, no matter the length of your top, I find that a nice high waisted jean can accommodate anything. The obvious pairing is a crop top because it’s the perfect length, or you can get that cute midriff look. But, there is a magical styling technique called the “french tuck” in which you leave the majority of you’re top out of the pants but tuck the front middle in, pretty much the space where your belt buckle or top button is. Not only is it trendy right now, but also can be very slimming and show off your waist! I won’t include any of my pairs for this one because I have so many to choose from, but the two Wild Fable ones I mentioned previously are both high waisted and sit perfectly on me!
- A “Fun” Pair
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This is where you get to really show your personality through your jeans. To most, this would mean a fun color like an olive green, or maybe an acid wash. I personally like to play with textures and prints. Two that I want to highlight are my leopard jeans and my leather jeans. My leopard pair is from Franchesca’s by Harper. I love these because they’re a true brown and black leopard print and aren’t too out there but still a great statement piece. I also like them for themed parties or events, but I know I can tone them down with a neutral sweater too! Also, I ended up cutting the cuffs of the legs off so the fabric didn’t bunch at the bottom which gave them a cool raw-hem look that’s really in right now. That’s also a good hack for my fellow short girls! The second pair is a faux leather pair from Mango I got on a trip to Spain a few years back. These are by far my most edgy jeans not only because of the fabric, but they also have motto detailing and zippers that give them a biker-girl feel.
Swapping out your black leggings for a nice pair of jeans can elevate any outfit, even if you pair them with a simple t-shirt and sneakers. Some of my favorite jean brands are American Eagle, Wildfable, and Madewell because they last a long time, and have always flattered my petite frame perfectly! Which is pretty hard to do! I hope you all go out, rock your denim, and upgrade your style with my five staples.