- READ MORE: I’m a fashion editor and I’ve just tried on 67 pairs of jeans
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Britons spend a staggering £3.2billion a year on denim, according to Primark. It’s no surprise when we’re all guilty of hoarding multiples; the same survey found 12 per cent of Geordies and Mancunians own ten or more pairs of jeans.
Admittedly, I’m with them. I have 14 pairs in my collection, and I know a fellow editor who has 20 and counting.
But even with full trouser drawers, we often have that one trusty style we keep returning to because it’s the perfect length, fits your backside nicely or is comfy enough to wear all day.
Denim feels personal. What suits you varies wildly depending on your height, age and body type.
And it can feel tricky to get your denim just right. So, we asked the women on YOU’s editorial team to share the jeans they find themselves wearing on repeat.
For long legs
Read more in our best jeans for tall women guide
Loved by Kath Brown, 61, features director
Height 5ft 7in
Nice pins? These fit well on the waist – not too high and no muffin top. The denim is nicely stiff for this lower price and I love the dark indigo colour. They are properly straight, too. Not baggy, not skinny, so very flattering.
£59.95, massimodutti.com
For fans of rigid denim
Loved by Hannah Skelley, 29, fashion editor
Height 5ft 9in
Nice pins? These come in an excellent rigid denim and they fit wide hips and smaller waists. The 34in leg option is a game changer for us taller ladies, and for petites there’s a 28in length, too. You’ll be pushed to buy just one pair. I’m afraid I’m guilty of owning a few!
£130, bellstjeans.com
For an hourglass figure
Loved by Leo Walstow, 54, senior sub editor
Height 5ft 6½in
Nice pins? I have four pairs of these in different colours, but all in a short length, despite me being in no way petite. Barrel cuts have a wide silhouette that tapers in, and I find finishing just above the ankle keeps them flattering. The denim is soft, they are true to size and generous in all the right places – the derrière and thighs. While they work with trainers, I love them with a kitten heel. As for the price – serious bargain!
£30, marksandspencer.com
For stretch in all the right places
Loved by Kanika Banwait, 29, social lead
Height 5ft 7in
Nice pins? It infuriates me when jeans have waistbands that fit around the front, but gape at the back. Because these are a Lyocell blend, they have a bit of extra stretch, so they’re not as stiff as pure denim and they actually bend to my curves. They also don’t dig in – I could happily wear them for hours – and I think they make my bum look great.
£49.50, marksandspencer.com
For the petite and slim
Loved by Nicole Gray, 37, interiors director
Height 5ft 3in
Nice pins? I love these jeans as the high waist makes my legs appear longer and they look just as great with a tucked-in tee and trainers as with a shirt, blazer and heels. Plus, because they are relatively affordable, I’m not precious about wearing them when playing with the kids or the dog. Meanwhile, I have a pair of Donna Ida jeans in my wardrobe that I hardly ever wear for fear of ruining them. Pointless.
£27, hm.com
For straight shapes
Loved by Ester Molloy, 46, picture director
Height 5ft 6in
Nice pins? I like vintage 501s because they feel comfortable and classic and they’re flattering, too. Good tough denim jeans last a long time and I love the way they age and fade naturally. They also don’t lose their shape like some of the cheaper high-street brands. They’ll cost anything from £6 upwards on pre-loved sites.
For tall types
Loved by Sophie Hines, 37, lifestyle and digital subscriptions director
Height 5ft 9in
Nice pins? Wide-leg jeans may be on trend right now, but these are so elegant I think they have a timeless appeal (hence the name – they’d have looked just as chic 50 years ago!). They nip in the waist and bum, and are a great length if you’re tall like me. The dark indigo colour looks particularly smart and pairs beautifully with a nice blouse.
£125, sezane.com
For a jeans-phobe
Loved by Maddy Fletcher, 29, books editor and senior features writer
Height 5ft 8½in
Nice pins? I don’t generally love jeans, but these are good. Mostly because I can sit in them for (semi) long periods of time and stay comfortable. Also, I think they are flattering. Although I’m not sure if this feeling is universal because my boyfriend calls them my ‘rodeo trousers’ and says ‘yeehaw’ every time I wear them. So do with that what you will.
£108, freepeople.com
For small waist, big hips
Loved by Sophie Dearden-Howell, 34, fashion director
Height 5ft 10in
Nice pins? This brand is expensive, yet it has changed my life (dramatic but true). I have always struggled with jeans – they either look frumpy or naff on my shape, or fit my thighs but not my waist. Being curvy, I thought the tapered barrel style would look horrific on me. However, the way they slope out to the side is very flattering and it elevates even the simplest of looks. I’m also tall and have never found jeans that are long enough. Time and time again, this brand stocks the ideal length – tall girls assemble! I love these, I feel fab in them and I know I will choose them forever. The cost per wear is already minimal.
£330, agolde.com
For a luxe look at a high-street price
Loved by Lila Flint Roberts, 31, senior bookings editor
Height 5ft 7in
Nice pins? I bought them in a petite size so they hit just below the ankle. They have a good amount of stretch, they cinch and exaggerate my waist and look much more expensive than they are.
£40, marksandspencer.com
For shorties
Loved by Marianne Jones, 60, features director
Height 5ft 3in
Nice pins? Until my 50s, I thought I didn’t suit jeans. I just couldn’t find a style that didn’t either sag or turn my thighs into sausages. Skinnies aren’t for me, but nor are flares, which drown my short frame. A fashion friend suggested this style and I’ve since bought them on repeat. They have a flat, high waistband, so they are really flattering around the middle and hips, and they have a perfect wide leg with a hint of comfy stretch. I live in fear of them being discontinued.
£29.99, zara.com
For smart meets comfy
Loved by Hope Palmer, 26, fashion assistant
Height 5ft 4in
Nice pins? I love these jeans because of the lightweight feel. They’re so unbelievably cosy but you don’t look frumpy in them. I pop them on when I need to look presentable, but also want to feel like I’m in my comfies!
£139, baukjen.com
For a skinny waist
Loved by Alice Robertson, 35, deputy beauty editor
Height 5ft 5½in
Nice pins? These are high waisted, so they sit nicely on the smallest part of me. I usually find it quite hard to come across jeans that fit at the waist and also manage to fit my sizeable cheeks – often it’s one or the other. But these work well, don’t flatten my bum and look very flattering.
£29.99, zara.com
For petite and curvy women
Loved by Jessica Carroll, 28, junior style editor
Height 5ft 3in
Nice pins? Expensive? Yes. But absolutely worth every penny. Made from regenerative cotton in a deep indigo, which works for both casual and dressier occasions, this pair of petite jeans falls to the perfect length – a rare thing!
£320, citizensofhumanity.com
For tall women with long legs
Loved by Charlotte Cox, 42, chief sub editor
Height 5ft 9in
Nice pins? I’m tall and have long legs – less ideal than that sounds when jeans shopping. And whether they’re on-trend (rarely) or written off as 1970s throwbacks (usually), I’ll be sweeping pavements in these maxi flares till the 2070s. They are high waisted, balance broader hips and are very comfy. An investment, but I do intend to wear them for the next 50 years, after all.
£310, dl1961.com
For a smart, trouser-like finish
Loved by Stephanie Belingard, 50, picture editor
Height 5ft 9in
Nice pins? Jeans that look and feel like trousers get a big tick from me. I love the flattering high-rise cut of this J Crew pair, and they feel elevated and polished, rather than like usual casual jeans. The front patch pockets, plus the ones that are hidden at the back, also mimic classic tailoring, which makes them feel both office appropriate and great for an evening event.
£177, jcrew.com
For cool without looking try-hard
Loved by Marion Jones, 62, sub editor
Height 5ft 8in
Nice pins? I have bought some foolishly expensive jeans in my time, but these were an impromptu online purchase, when I saw a ‘last pair’ bargain at £12.50. I wear them far too often. They are in my favourite darkest-denim wash, which incidentally lends my creamy tops a chic new lemony hue, so double bargain. The fabric is gorgeously soft, so they’re as comfortable as pyjamas and look far more expensive than they have any right to. They’re a little big and baggy on me so I wouldn’t say they’re ‘flattering’, but I don’t care about that. I like them. Maybe they’re slightly cool, yet without looking like ‘mutton’. A fashion miracle, really.
£37.99, hm.com
For tall girls who love to wear heels
Loved by Rosie Green, 51, assistant editor (beauty)
Height 5ft 10in
Nice pins? It’s hard to say in a few lines how much I love these jeans, but I’ll try. They’re incredibly flattering, elongating the leg and emphasising the waist. The adjustable buckles mean a customisable fit and the soft, stretchy fabric is comfortable (no camel toe here), yet they look smart. As a tall person I find it hard to get trousers long enough, but these jeans are so generous I can even wear heels! Oh, and they wash well. They are the most valued item in my wardrobe, without a doubt.
£235, wolfandbadger.com
For a boyish figure
Loved by Tracey Lea Sayer, 54, head of channel @YOUmagazine
Height 5ft 8in
Nice pins? I go two ways with my jeans: high-waisted dark indigo wash with a tailored fit, or totally scruffy and comfy. My current favourites are the latter. This 90s cut was reissued a few years ago, and as soon as I put them on it was like hanging out with an old friend. I used to buy vintage 501s during the Eighties and Nineties so have always rated love-worn jeans. These make your bum look fantastic – and I say this as someone who isn’t blessed in the booty department!
£100, levi.com
