18 Comments

I think this all encompasses of wearing what works for your body. I'm a 14/16 depending on what the brand is. I've tried on countless wide leg jeans and they all just make me look wider and frumpy. So although the fashion police say skinny jeans are dead I will long reign in them as they look the best on my body type. In the end I'm never really one for jumping on trends. But making an effort to really build a nice capsule wardrobe that will carry me forward.

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Yes!! Totally agree, Jill.

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The 90s girl in me is sooooo thrilled that wide legs are back in style. I love them forever and always. I found a pair of corduroy wide legs at a thrift store and I am happy as a clam.

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Not specific to this post, but I wish more people would note their inseam length and not just their height when talking about pants! My mom and I are both 5'6", but my legs are 3" shorter than hers - we're proportioned completely differently. Luckily most (not all!) online store listings include that info, but it can still be hard to get a read on where a flare or other detail falls without a different reference point.

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When I was in high school (early 2000s) my mom had some new boot cut jeans hemmed for me... they ended up too short (hitting at the top of my shoe rather than skiming the ground) and "The Girls" (you know the ones) at my school made fun of me every time I wore them. I flash to that any time I see anyone wearing them now - "But they're high waters!!" I think my eye will need some time on this one 😅

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Christina! I hear you and I see you and I am you. I’ve been this height since middle school (just grew faster than everyone else) and was hyper sensitive to things being too short on me. I think that’s part of my own reaction here.

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I have the same reaction! Between being short and curvy, and middle school trauma, I don’t think I’m hopping on this trend just yet.

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At 5’ there is not a crop anything that is flattering on my apple bottom frame! I love the look on others but for me it’s a NO. I’m sticking with my skinny jeans and the widest high waisted pants/jeans I can find! The wide flatters my shape as I have a smaller waist and wide hips- always with a 3-4” heel. Ripley Rader is my new wide leg go to🌹

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Would it be a stretch to say Kate may have chosen "Mother" jeans not just as a fashion-moving moment but to emphasize the fact that her first role is "mother." She made a big choice to stay home and be "mom" to George taking his tests while her husband was in Singapore for Earth Shot. I'm not sure, but I think the timing of her Mother jeans debut aligns??

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I basically didn't wear pants from 2005-2017, so I can understand why shoppers didn't like skinny jeans! It wasn't necessarily that they were unflattering and I didn't dislike the silhouette, but they just did not fit my body because I carry weight in my butt and thighs instead of my waist, so every time I bent my legs, the jeans pulled down lower and lower on my waist. I tried everything—wearing really tight belts, sizing up and having the waist tailored in, buying unfashionable straight-legged pants and having the legs tapered into a skinny fit. I wore leggings under tunics with over-the-knee boots because the silhouette looked like pants but they stayed on my body. It was miserable. I bought some straight-leg high-waist mom jeans from Madewell in 2017 and they still looked like skinny jeans, but they didn't inch down my body with every step I took. Anyway, I hope we're entering an age where all cuts are available and everyone wears what works for them, but I am not missing skinnies.

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Great read! You’ve managed to make denim fascinating!

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This was so great! I learned something new about the bottoms category and I’m intrigued to try a new silhouette.

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Not at all the point, but loving this first pair on you. Looks very casual chic!!

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Both Kate and I independently wore J Brand for years, until they went out of business. I have a pair of Mother jeans that I like all right. Other brands I’ve tried don’t do it for me yet. I have to be as tenacious as Elizabeth and do a full comparison. Meanwhile I still wear my JBrands thankfully that I have so many.

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Not that it’s a competition but FWIW, the styles you tried on were much more flattering to my eye than Kate’s!

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Now - about that Burberry jacket!! Love, love, love. Any similar styles that will not break the bank?

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Just purchased MOTHER Tripper Ankle in Work Hard Play Hard wash yesterday! Clean hems and lovely four seasons shade of blue. High rise and button fly. Would recommend! I bought them at Nordstrom.

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November 7, 2023
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I was super late to the skinny jean trend and am totally happy to have my boot cuts back in style (although being sooo late to the game I don’t totally want to part with the skiing pairs that are still fairly new to my wardrobe!)

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