Trendy Tuesday: How to Wear Straight Leg Jeans

Everyone’s talking about how skinny jeans are out and straight leg jeans are in. But how do you wear straight leg jeans without looking like a teen?

Today’s Trendy Tuesday Tip is how to wear straight leg jeans!

I’m so excited to introduce a fun new series on Merrick’s Art called TRENDY TUESDAY. There are lots of new trends floating around all the time, and it’s hard to figure out how to incorporate them into your style without losing your style AND looking immature or too trendy. Today’s TRENDY TUESDAY is all about how to wear straight leg jeans.

I just did a 4 Ways to Wear It post with straight leg jeans last week, but today let’s deep dive for a second about this trend and how to best incorporate it if you’re over the age of 23.

Get the right fit with your straight leg jeans

Fit with jeans is going to vary from person to person, but a pair of jeans that fits you well is always the key to a good jeans outfit. So let’s start here.

• Look at the length of the jeans: This style of jeans should hit around your ankle bone, no matter your height. Longer than ankle length with a straight leg jean is going to hide your ankle and go right into your shoe, which gives a blocky leg look. So keep it ankle bone length or shorter. Avoid TOO short though because they’ll start to feel like “capri pants” of the 90’s and we don’t need those.
  • Lots of tailors hem jeans for only a few dollars, so if find the perfect pair, but they’re too long, get them hemmed.
  • I also have two hemming tutorials on the blog (how to hem and keep the original hem, and how to shorten your jeans with a raw hem)

• How does the waist fit? It’s trendy right now for younger kids to wear oversized clothes, including jeans. So you see a lot of young girls wearing jeans with the waist gap in the back. If you’re a grown woman, you can wear the trendy jeans, but skip the trendy ill-fit.
  • If you have a pair with a waist gap and need to fix it, I have a post right here.

• Should they be snug or loose on your legs? The fit of your jeans will be personal preference, but keep in mind that straight leg jeans look amazing on young girls and models who often don’t have a woman’s hips. So if you have hips, be mindful of how these straight legs accentuate or don’t accentuate different parts of your body.

• What about that booty? The long, flat booty is typical in a pair of “mom jeans,” but there are some ways to avoid it (or at least minimize it).
  • The shape and size of the back pockets makes a huge difference in how your backside looks.
  • When the waist fits well, the booty will always look better.
  • Fully tucking in your shirt will help accentuate your waist in the back and give a nice curve so you don’t get as much “flat mom bum.”

Here’s a  little chart to show you a few fit options and how they work with different body types:

How to wear straight leg jeans and still look my age:

This is the question of the moment! We all see GenZ’s wearing straight leg jeans, but we’re not sure how to wear them without looking like a teenager.

• Choose your footwear wisely. Lots of GenZ-ers are wearing clunky 90’s boots and chunky sneakers (like this) with their straight leg jeans. To keep your outfit feeling age appropriate and mature, try one of these shoes:
  • slim white sneakers
  • block heeled ankle boot
  • pointed or almond toe flat
  • loafer
  • heels

• Accentuate your waist with a full or half tuck. With straight leg jeans, it’s easy to lose your shape. So accentuating your waist is very important, and keeps your outfit looking polished instead of scrubby.
  • Half tuck your shorter tops (long tops will get bunchy in the back when half tucked into a high waist)
  • Fully tuck your longer tops and blouses
  • Try a body suit

• Add classic accessories: Classic jewelry, a chic neck scarf, a classy watch, a nice leather belt, or another classic accessory will help your outfit feel age appropriate and chic.

Three classy outfit ideas with mom jeans

These are the straight leg jeans I’m wearing

they’re true to size, but I cut the hem off of mine to make them a little shorter on me.

If you have any other questions about straight leg jeans, leave a comment here or over on my Instagram post this morning!

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE POSTS

• When to half tuck or fully tuck your shirt

• The 2021 Winter Style Guide

• 4 cute straight leg jeans outfits