Wide leg jeans are a merciless garment. Not that they are hard to wear, but their presence transforms everything else you wear.
Here is what normally happens. Someone buys a pair of wide leg jeans, wears their favorite t-shirt and old worn-out running shoes, looks in the mirror, sees something wrong but can’t tell what, concludes that wide leg jeans are just not their thing, and tosses them in the back of their closet until their donated by someone else.
Nine out of ten times it’s the shoes, sometimes the t-shirt, often both, and occasionally the rise that’s too low on their hips.
I’ve been wearing relaxed and wide leg jeans almost exclusively for the last four years and made nearly all the mistakes there are to make, so this is an honest guide to what makes the outfit around them actually look put-together, not a vague list of vague styling advice.
Check the Fit Before Blaming Your T-Shirt
A pair of ill-fitting wide leg jeans will ruin everything they’re worn with.
The rise is more important than you think
In the cut of wide leg jeans, the rise dictates the placement of the waistline. This one is one of those things that is seemingly intuitive but not really, as most people lean towards a low rise when buying wide leg jeans.Wide leg jeans want to sit at or around your natural waist, the approximate location of your belly button, with an inch or two room to spare. They do not want to sit on your hipbones.
The reason is simple: when the waistline starts below your natural one, the excess fabric falls in an unflattering way around your crotch, bunching at the front and pushing out the legs, making them appear overly baggy.A mid or high rise wide leg jean is fine, but a low rise one is a problem.Hem length is just as important as the rise.
There are two acceptable versions of a hem, and one not acceptable one.
The two that work are either a single soft break at the top of your shoe, or a cropped hem that hits the ankle bone about an inch or two above the ground (with some socks visible). Denim stacked on top of the footwear shortens the legs and is dirty after the first wear. If your pair of jeans does that, get them hemmed. It’s a cheap and a rewarding alteration.
Tailoring note: Ask for a chain stitch if the place where you get them hemmed offers it. It creates a nicely textured fold at the bottom rather than a flat, factory-quality hem.
Denim weight makes a huge difference in how the pair of jeans wears.
A light and stretchy pair of wide leg jeans in a soft denim will cling to your legs in an unflattering way, while a heavier denim, 12 oz or above, will have the shape and fall nicely.If you found that wearing wide leg jeans was making you look extra baggy in general, the problem was most likely in the stretchy fabric of the jeans, not the cut.
Proportion Rule That Will Fix Most of Your Problems
There is one rule of thumb when it comes to wide leg jeans. If the bottom half of your outfit is wide, the top half either has a visible waist or it’s cropped, preferably both.A long and baggy top half over a long and baggy bottom half is not attractive, it makes you look like a rectangle, which is not an appealing shape to see on another person, especially in denim, as it suggests a lack of effort and an inability to understand basic visual language.
This is why tucking becomes an important part of a outfit with wide leg jeans, as it creates a visible waistline.
There are three ways to do that, in order of preference:
1. Full tuck with a belt at the waist.
The simplest and most versatile way, it works well with knitwear, tucking in a oxford or a plain t-shirt.
2. French or half tuck, the front is tucked in, the back is out.
Another simple and casual version that still creates a visible waistline.
3. Cropped or boxy top, the front is not tucked.
This one requires some more work as your top will need to have the hem finishing about mid-fly, but it looks nice and creates the same contrast as a tucked in top.
What not to do is to wear a long t-shirt over wide leg jeans, with the hem of the shirt falling about mid-thigh. I did that for an entire summer and am still cringing at the memory. Seeing those pictures now makes me realize just how many style mistakes are actually quite obvious, you just fail to see them at the time.
Shoes: This Is Where the Outfit Is Won or Lost
If you only remember one thing from this article, let it be the following: wide leg jeans need shoes with presence, as the extra volume in your pants’ legs makes your feet appear smaller than they are and makes everything look top-heavy.Sneakers that work: chunky, but low, profiled sneakers. New Balance 990s and 2002Rs, Nike Air Forces, Vans in wider retro styles, Sambas for a more narrow leg opening, skate shoes in general.
Loafers, and why they’re the smart buy: Penny loafers or chunky lug-sole loafers in general pair exceptionally well with wide leg jeans, as the shoe has presence and the clean lines of the loafers balance the bagginess of the jeans, making the outfit look put-together rather than slovenly.
Adding socks with them adds more visual interest, as visible socks with loafers and cropped wide leg denim is a nice contrast, but it’s not a requirement, as bare ankles under wide leg jeans are a divisive style choice.
Boots: chelsea, work, moc-toe, engineer boots, any style really. Boots are an easy option for wide leg jeans, as the slight lift from the heel and the volume of the toe add presence without overpowering the jeans. Avoid very skinny pointed Chelsea boots, though, as they will get eaten up by the wide leg opening.
Sandals and summer footwear: leather sandals or chunky slides work exceptionally well with cropped wide leg jeans in the summer, in particular two-strap birkenstocks.What not to do: wear thin running shoes, or pointy dress shoes. Avoid flat, narrow plimsolls. These will all make your ankles look too big and your feet disappear.
Tops That Actually Pair Well
T-shirts: boxy, mid-weight t-shirts with a hem that falls around the fly, not your hipbones. Avoid sheer fabrics, anything that stretches too much, or anything that is too light or too heavy, in general. Your wide leg jeans should provide the weight, structure and volume, so the t-shirt should be a mid-weight cotton. Solid colors are easiest, but white, off-white, navy, grey, olive, and black all work.
Shirts:
An oversized Oxford, half tucked in, is probably the easiest and most universally flattering outfit there is. It takes less than ten minutes to throw it on and it always looks good. Camp collar shirts in linen or linen-cotton blends, worn open over a t-shirt, are also a good option for the summer, and flannel overshirts for the colder months. They can be tucked in or worn out, depending on the weather.
Knitwear:
A crewneck sweater, tailored or regular fit, worn tucked into your wide leg jeans, is a great all-year-round option. The contrast between a well-fitted knit and the fullness of the jeans creates an interesting visual balance. Cardigans worn over t-shirts also work well, as long as they are neither too long nor too baggy.
Hoodies and sweatshirts:
a hoodie is a good option for casual occasions, as long as it has a regular or cropped fit and the hem hits your hip, not your thighs. Same goes for sweatshirts, boxier options generally work better with wide leg jeans.
Outerwear:
cropped jackets. Short jackets are your friend when it comes to wide leg jeans. A bomber, harrington, or a cropped chore coat, denim jacket, varsity jacket or a cropped puffer all look good with wide leg jeans, as they keep your legs long and the proportions balanced.
Long jackets are also an option, but they affect the proportions differently, as a long coat over wide leg jeans looks good but changes your silhouette, emphasizing the vertical lines. Avoid jackets that hit mid-thigh, unless you want to see a strange mix of a long coat over wide leg jeans, which is not bad, mind you, but looks like the most awkward middle ground between two aesthetics.
On double denim: try to contrast the washes, light on dark or dark on light. Avoid matching an indigo jacket with the same shade of indigo jeans, unless you want to look like you’ve bought an entire costume from the same store.
Washes and Colors, Sorted By Difficulty
Black wide leg jeans are easiest to work with as far as color goes, as they can be dressed up and down, depending on the accessories. A pair of black knitwear socks and a leather belt and you are ready for dinner.
Raw or dark indigo is the most versatile wash, as it pairs well with just about anything and looks good in both smart and casual settings. It also has the additional bonus of developing a nice patina after a couple of years of wear, which adds character to the jeans.
Mid-wash blue is the default option, and it should be your go-to pair, as it pairs well with almost anything. If you have one pair of wide leg jeans, it should be this one.
Light wash jeans are the most casual and the most summery, so they pair best with white, cream, sage, and other light colors, and are slightly more difficult to work with than their darker counterparts. Ecru and off-white denim look expensive but are a nightmare to take care of, so they are worth it.
As for colors, neutrals with blue denim are virtually foolproof, but you can also experiment with earth tones, as they look good with just about anything, in particular with flannel and knitwear. Bright colors can also work, but they should be incorporated carefully.
Belts, Socks, and Other Accessories
A belt makes a visible difference in an outfit. If you are wearing a tucked-in top, a visible leather belt creates a nice contrast and adds to the waist definition. Dark colors are easiest to work with, but brown belts add more visual interest to the outfit. A woven belt is also a good option.
Socks are essential with cropped jeans, as they become visible, so they should be worn in colors that look good with denim, such as grey, navy, or a striped pattern. There is an additional trick, which is to match your socks to your pants rather than your shoes, as it makes your legs look longer, since the eye follows the line from the socks to the jeans.
Bags: a shoulder bag or a small crossbody is the best option, as a large bag would compete with the volume of the denim. Avoid large backpacks, as they dwarf the rest of the outfit.
Jewelry, caps, and sunglasses all look good with this kind of outfit, so feel free to wear any of those. Remember that the jeans are the statement piece, though, so keep things simple.
Outfit Formulas You Can Copy Directly
Everyday weekend:
mid-wash wide leg jeans, a boxy white t-shirt, chunky sneakers, and plain socks. A bomber jacket for the cold weather. This is the bare minimum, and it always looks good.
Smart casual dinner:
black or dark indigo wide leg jeans, a fine knit tucked in at the waist, a brown leather belt, penny loafers with cream socks, and a silver watch. This one also takes under ten minutes to put together and always looks good.
Casual office:
dark wide leg jeans, a light blue oxford shirt, a brown belt, and chunky loafers or minimally dressed leather sneakers. A chore coat or an unstructured blazer if your office is on the dressier side. Avoid ties, as they are unnecessary.
Peak summer heat:
light wash cropped wide leg jeans, a camp collar linen shirt, worn open over a white tank or t-shirt, leather sandals or canvas sneakers, rolled-up sleeves, and a cap.
Winter:
raw indigo wide leg jeans, a heavy cream cable knit, partly tucked in, moc-toe boots, a wool overcoat, and a beanie. Looks good and warms you up, which is important.
Night Out:
black wide leg jeans, a black boxy t-shirt, black chelsea boots or loafers, and an interesting outer layer. Leather jacket, suede overshirt, or anything else you have. Monochrome with wide legs looks good with minimal effort.
Notes on Different Body Types, Because Styling Advice Is Often Not Nuanced Enough
If you are short: you can wear wide leg jeans, but the rules change slightly, as do most things in life. You want to stick to high rise jeans, tuck your shirts in at the waist, keep your jackets short, keep your socks at the same color as your jeans, and avoid the extreme wide leg openings as much as possible.
A friend of mine who is 5’6″ wears wide leg jeans better than most tall people I know, because he keeps them high rise and tucked in.
If you are tall: you can wear almost anything, really, but you may want to go for wider leg openings and longer coats and jackets, as you have the room for them. Avoid extra-long jeans, though, as most tall people I know tend to buy jeans that are too long for them, as if their height is measured from their hips.
If you are heavy: you can actually wear wide leg jeans as opposed to slim-fit jeans, as they flatter a heavier frame much better, due to the fact that they fall straight down your legs as opposed to hugging them. Look for a straight-through cut, not a tapering one, and keep your clothes structured where possible, as clingy clothes will make you look heavier than you are. An open overshirt or unbuttoned jacket creates a vertical line that leads the eye downwards, creating a nice contrast with wide leg jeans.
A Real Life Example of Fixing Someone Else’s Outfit
My cousin Hamza bought himself a pair of light-wash wide leg jeans last spring and proceeded to wear them twice before donating them. He thought that the jeans made him look short and baggy (which he was neither), and he didn’t want to wear them anymore.
I asked him to wear the exact same outfit that he wore in the jeans he is donating, and this is what he showed up in: the jeans were low on his hips, he had a long grey t-shirt that came past his hipbones, he wore thin black running shoes, and the hems of the jeans were dragging under his feet with about two inches of fabric folded on top of the shoes.
That’s four adjustments he needed to make, and only one of them required him to buy new clothes.
1. He needed to bring the jeans up to his actual waist and secure them with a brown belt.
2. He needed to switch his long grey t-shirt to a boxier off-white one and tuck it in.
3. He needed to switch his black running shoes to a pair of white leather sneakers with a thick sole that he already owned.
4. He needed to take his jeans to a tailor and have about two and a half inches taken off the hems, so that there was a light break at the tops of his shoes.
Same jeans, different guy in the mirror. Hamza wears them all the time now, and he has bought himself two more pairs since, so I think I did a decent job.
The point of this entire exercise was to show you that most of the time the problem is not the clothes you have, but the fit and the way you wear them, and most of the time the adjustments are simple and require minimal effort.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Wearing the jeans low on the hips. The number one mistake.
Not having them tailored. Unhemmed wide leg jeans ruin everything.
Wearing long tops with wide leg jeans. Pick one.
Wearing thin, narrow shoes. Your feet disappear.
Stretchy denim. It clings to you in an unflattering way.
Going straight for the widest possible leg opening on day one. Start with a moderately wide leg and work from there.
Trying to dress up wide leg jeans. They are casual by nature, so smart casual is as dressed up as they get.
How To Buy Your First Pair Without Guessing
Check the leg opening. Look for a moderately wide leg. On average, that means about 8-9 inches wide at the bottom hem. 10-12 inches is wide, and anything more is baggy. Check the rise. Look for something high or mid, that hits your natural waist. For that, look at front rise. It should be around 11-13 inches, give or take.
Buy your jeans in your actual waist size, as the waistband of wide leg jeans is meant to sit higher on your waist than your hips. Don’t buy them too big, as they will drag you down. Then, budget for hemming.
Making Cheap Jeans Look Expensive
Price is not really a factor when it comes to making budget jeans look expensive, but a few simple tricks can make a huge difference.Avoid fake whiskering, sandblasting, and other distressing techniques, as they look cheap and fake. Plain denim in a nice, even wash always looks more expensive than heavily distressed denim, regardless of price.
Machine wash them less often. Denim looks better when it’s worn in, and machine washing damages the fibers and makes them look worn out faster. Wash them cold, inside out, and hang to dry when necessary. Spot cleaning is better.Look at the hardware and the stitching. Cheap jeans usually look cheap, so trim the loose threads when you get them. It takes a minute, but it makes a big difference.
And hem them, again, because I can’t stress this enough. A pair of well-hemmed budget jeans looks better than an expensive pair of unhemmed jeans.
Another thing that is easy to forget is that wide leg denim wrinkles across the front of your thighs, and these wrinkles are part of the aesthetic. Don’t try to press them out, because the last thing wide leg jeans need is to look like dress pants. The clean, unwrinkled look of tailored trousers doesn’t lend itself to jeans, especially in denim.
FAQs
Are wide leg jeans in style for men? Yes, and they are set to continue being in style for the foreseeable future. Slim fit jeans were the default for the last decade or so, but the pendulum is swinging back.
Fits have been getting wider for the last few years, and they are not showing any signs of stopping, with relaxed and straight leg jeans taking over as the default fit in men’s denim. Even if the most extreme examples of wide leg jeans fall out of style, the more relaxed and straight ones are right on schedule to take over.
What shoes go best with men’s wide leg jeans?
Any shoes with presence. Avoid skinny and minimal shoes, such as running shoes or pointed dress shoes. Choose from chunky sneakers, loafers with a thick sole, boots, and skate shoes.
Can short men wear wide leg jeans?
Yes, but they should be high rise and tucked in at the waist. Jackets should also be short, socks should match the color of the jeans, and the hems of the jeans should also be tailored so that they do not sag at the bottom. A moderately wide leg is better than the most extreme ones, as well.
Should I tuck in my shirt with wide leg jeans?
It is best to do so, as it creates a visible waistline, but if you can’t or don’t want to, you should wear a cropped or boxy top that hits at your fly, not your hip bones.
How long should wide leg jeans be?
There are two acceptable ways for the hem of wide leg jeans to be: either a single soft break at the top of your shoes, or cropped at the ankle bone, about an inch or two above the ground. Anything else is too long.
What is the difference between wide leg, baggy, and relaxed fit jeans?
Relaxed fit jeans are roomy around the thigh, but usually have a leg opening that is not much different from a regular pair of jeans. The wide leg jeans, on the other hand, have a leg opening that is consistently wide from the thigh to the bottom hem. Baggy jeans are more loosely cut everywhere and often have a lower rise as well.
