These Pants Are the Reason I Ditched Skinny Jeans
I remember when skinny jeans were the *only* cool pant style to wear. I was in middle school and, for whatever reason, it was deemed by the fashion gods that bootcut, wide-leg, and straight-cut jeans were OUT, and denim so skinny you could barely get your ankles through the holes were IN.
Like most trends, it's hard to pinpoint the genesis of this style. But because I was a fashion novice who also wore Abercrombie polos and Hollister tank tops to fit in (didn't we all, though?), I easily accepted them into my life and have worn them with every outfit that has required pants ever since. Case in point: these extremely tight pants in 2016.
When @danielletullo buys you Starbucks and choreographs your insta @_madisonline @irisgoldsztajn
A post shared by Lauren Adhav (@ladhav) on Jul 22, 2016 at 9:37am PDT
But last summer, I found myself in a dilemma. I was hunched over my laptop, frantically adding items to my cart in an online sale, when I stumbled across a pair of wide-leg cropped Brock Collection jeans. They were unlike any pair I owned, yet I found myself clicking on the product page, unable to look away. I was transfixed by the high-waisted cut, the wash, the oversize leg holes, the crop at the ankle that was just right, and, duh, the amazing deal, so I overcame my hesitation and took my biggest fashion risk yet: buying a pair of jeans that were - gasp - NOT skinny.
I bought them at Moda Operandi, a luxury e-commerce site I worked for at the time, and everyone at the company absolutely raved about the fit of straight-leg Brock Collection jeans. Although I only heard great things about them, I wasn't about to drop $500 on denim. But when a sale hit, and the wide-leg version was available in my size for just $69, it would have been a crime not to buy a pair. Or at least that's how I convinced myself, anyway. And let me tell you, they are the best thing that's ever happened to me - and that includes the time I entered a raffle and won free DreamDry blowouts for a month.
As soon as I clicked "Complete Checkout," however, I panicked - I had no idea how I'd style them. The slight ankle crop, wide legs, and high-waisted look was not what I was used to, and I wasn't sure if the silhouette would look strange. But that was only because I was so used to wearing super-tight, blood-constricting, jump-up-and-down-to-squeeze-in-them skinny jeans with everything I own.
When I finally received them and tried them on, they fit perfectly, although seven months later they've stretched to the point where I wash them more frequently just so they'll temporarily shrink. But the more relaxed fit also isn't a bad thing, and I actually really like it.
Despite my initial hesitation about how to style them, they've turned out to be one of the most versatile pieces in my wardrobe. I pair them with my go-to white Vans and a tucked-in shirt, lace-up flats and a knit sweater, or sandals and a cropped tank - it's surprisingly easy to incorporate these jeans into any outfit.
So easy, in fact, that I've also (completely unintentionally) worn them every day this week, and I'm 100 percent sure my co-workers have noticed. But hey, when you love something, you never let it go. Or, in my case, when you almost always get compliments from strangers on your jeans, you wear the sh*t out of them.
A post shared by Lauren Adhav (@ladhav) on Apr 6, 2018 at 5:34pm PDT
They're so comfortable, the denim isn't stiff, the high waist has made me wear more of my crop tops that were just sitting in my closet, and I wish I owned at least five more pairs all in different washes. Plus, your legs will feel amazingly breezy in a way that's impossible with crazy-tight skinny jeans. I'm currently coveting this similar version from Everlane.
If, like me, you can't get enough of this style, here are more wide-leg options - so you, too, can feel the freedom of never wearing uncomfortable-to-sit-down-in skinnies again.
Follow Lauren on Instagram.
You Might Also Like
