The 3 Most Flattering Jeans At Low, Medium, And High Price Points
by The Candidly Team
Jeans are……..a nightmare.
If you do not find jeans to be a nightmare, you have clicked into the wrong article. Go flit away to your perfect closet with your perfect jeans and your perfect life. You do not belong here.
Ok. Now it’s just us. Us and our nightmare jeans, all of which we hate.
So we have tried tens, no, hundreds of pairs of jeans from so many brands in so many washes and so many confusing inseam numbers, all for the purposes of ferreting out the absolute most flattering, most comfortable ones, at 3 different price “points” as the business world likes to say.
They’re all gorgeous. They all fit. Pick one. Make your closet slightly less nightmarish. Let’s go.
1. The Low Price Point: Quince
Quince is a very, very interesting brand. They make our favorite cardigans and they also make … caviar? They’re really getting after it and we love it all. And this year, blessedly, they launched denim. We ordered every style in what can only be described as a frenzy, and were deeply impressed with the fit, the comfort, and, gasp, the price. The only issue is that they tend to sell out the moment they come back in stock, so if anything is available now, we recommend pouncing. Especially if it’s available as a preorder, which is typically the only way to get to buy things before they sell out again. We know this feels like an annoying rigamarole but when jeans are $50, it sort of makes sense?
Pros: Can choose your inseam, price is unbeatable
Cons: Only runs to a size 31, runs a half size small, never. in. stock
WHAT: Quince Comfort Stretch High Rise Relaxed Straight Jeans
A truly great pair of straight jeans that will look gorgeous on almost anyone. Good stretch, great length. For reference, I’m 5’6” and am wearing a size 29.
Price: $50
WHAT: Quince Stretch High Rise Kick Flare Jeans
Great fit. Not such an insane high rise that it gives you mom-butt.
Price: $50
2. The Medium Price Point: Madewell
Welp. No surprise here. Madewell has been killing the denim game for a long time, but with a sea of jeans, we bring to you the three most flattering and comfortable, especially if you have a really hard time getting all your proportions to fit right. They also have a flat front, so you’ll never get that jean pooch just from exhaling. It’s miraculous, really.
Pros: Straight sizing runs to a size 16, there’s tall, petite, curvy options, they have extended sizing through size 28, they offer $20 off any pair of jeans when you bring in any pair of your old jeans (any brand), and their overall sizing is very generous, meaning your true size will fit comfortably and never snug
Cons: Stock is often bad, their site can be wonky on mobile
WHAT: Madewell The Curvy Perfect Vintage Jean
These jeans have a fit that feels slightly reminiscent of BONGO jeans. This is a reference you will only understand if you are our age, which is a young Gen X/millennial. They are so unbelievably high rise that they really come alllll the way over your butt. If you have a smaller waist and a bigger bum you will understand this struggle. There’s like a billion colors but this is another style that constantly goes out of stock because it’s so insanely popular.
Price: $80
WHAT: Madewell Curvy Superwide-Leg Jeans
These are a newish style from Madewell and they are superb. They fit almost like a wide-leg trouser. They come in petite, tall, various lovely washes, and fit beautifully at the natural waist with no gapping. Ahh.
Price: $100
WHAT: Madewell Curvy Kick Out Crop Jeans
This style from Madewell honestly made us cry in the dressing room the first time we tried it on. The fit is just … perfect. These jeans run true to size if not a hair big (unlike the similar style from Quince which runs small) and the slight bell shape at the ankle is just gorgeously flattering and looks great with all your boots. We will be honest and say the way the models are styled on the site don’t do these jeans justice. They are literally perfect and so unbelievably flattering on every body type.
Price: $138
3. The High Price Point: Paige
We took a pair of Paige jeans into an Anthro dressing room a couple of years ago and we were gobsmacked. And then we saw the price, and were gobsmacked again. But in … a different way. We will admit. It’s a difficult price. And believe us when we tell you we have searched and searched for similar styles with similar fits and it turns out they are just …undupable. There’s something the way they’re put together that so perfectly understands our bodies and what looks gorgeous on us. The waists never ever gap, the butt construction gives everyone a perfect round peach, and the stretch is so immense, you can squat and kick and move and bend and never have to think about hoisting your jeans up—because you’re never aware of them at all. But, if we’re being honest, they just look truly phenomenal. They look like nothing else. And we are converts.
Pros: Everything? Also multiple lengths, petites in some styles, a zillion different washes, a curvy collection, runs up to a size 34.
Cons: Price, some nomenclature of sizing/inseam can be slightly confusing, some styles are only available in a very long length which means non-tall girls will need to get them hemmed.
WHAT: Paige Charlie Flare Jean
A flare jean is just so specifically itself. It whispers 70s, but in a modern way, and we have never, ever worn a more comfortable or more flattering pair of flares in our lives. And just look at how the waist goes alllll the way up. No pulling down, just perfectly in place. These are in the 32 inseam (there is also a 34 1/2 length called “standard” for our taller friends).
Price: $249
WHAT: Paige Anessa Wide-Leg Jean
We said we weren’t going to choose a favorite but oops, we have. And it’s these. These are the famous Anessa 31 jeans, but in the full length. We fell in love with them so deeply, we wrote a whole thing about them HERE. They’re light as air, are so supremely stretchy so as to feel like leggings, and have the perfect high rise/mid rise combo that creates the most flattering waist. And we had to show you the backside on these because they really do beautiful things to the butt:
And here they are again, this time in the “standard” length, which is cropped, which we agree is slightly confusing.
In both the cropped and the full length versions, they come in a massive variety of colors and washes, along with plus and petite sizes, and we cannot crow about their utter perfection enough. These. Are. The. Jeans.
Price: $229 - $239
WHAT: Flaunt Denim // Ambition Wide Leg Jean
This jean is part of their curvy collection called Flaunt and if you have a smaller waist and bigger hips/butt, these have the kind of fit that sort of clicks into place the minute you hoist them over your rear, and they sit perfectly on the waist with zero gap. Now, I cuffed them because they only come in a 34-inch length which is wildly too long on my 5’6” body, but I also think it’s nice for all the tall gals to have options. I’m considering hemming them with this giant cuff because it’s sort of cute. Though then I look at the product image on their site and think better of it because that’s basically the dream jean fit, isn’t it?
Price: $259
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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