TL;DR:

The skinny jeans reign is over; wide-leg, straight-leg, and bootcut jeans are trending. This guide covers styling tips for each, helping you balance proportions, pick tops, and select shoes to keep your denim looks fresh and stylish.


We are gathered here today in memory of the humble skinny jean. This sleek style icon served us well between the early aughts and sometime within the past few months…or years?

It has been a slow, painful death, girlies. They’re def in a better place now. RIP.

All to say, different styles of jeans are taking center stage this season. We love the wider silhouettes, boot cuts, funky flares, and high waists we’ve seen lately. After two decades of skinny supremacy, however, how do we style these denim dynamos?

We’ve got you, sis. In this jeans fit guide, we’ll teach you how to style different types of jeans for women so you can keep up with the trends. Keep reading to put together the perfect fit featuring the cool, contemporary cuts we love.

How to Wear Different Styles of Jeans

According to Cosmo, the theme for this year’s jean trends is “what goes around, comes around.” It’s time for a throwback, baby!

Wide-leg jeans are the new flare jeans inspired by the bell-bottom revolution of the 90s. Straight-leg jeans are a classic that comes back in rotation on a cyclical basis. And boot-cut jeans have been, well, rebooted for 2025. The style icons at Vogue gush about how they lengthen the leg, helping us literally walk taller!

Truly, we cannot begin to pick a fav. Let’s chat a bit about how we’re styling all three different styles of jeans. That means triple the outfits, right?

How to Wear Wide-Leg Jeans

The trick with styling wide-leg jeans is balancing their proportions. If you load your look with too much bulk, you run the risk of looking frumpy instead of chic.

As a rule of thumb, the bigger the flare on the bottom, the more tailored to make the top. Even a cute fitted tee can balance the bulk. Throw a trendy blazer or oversized open shirt over the top to keep things casual.

Want something more polished? We love tucking a button-down blouse into a high-waisted wide-leg jean, no belt required. It’s a great day-to-night look that’s somehow trendy and timeless.

For shoes, slip on a chunky modern loafer or a bootie with a heel. In contrast, go sleek to balance out the bulk. We love pairing our wide-leg wonders with a classy pump.

How to Wear Straight-Leg Jeans

A fashionable woman in wide-leg jeans standing in front of a vintage car

Embrace the cuff, my darlings. That’s key to styling this trendy, relaxed silhouette.

This classic style is like a blank canvas, ready for you to make it your own. Lean into the trend of feminine details with a frilly, bow-adorned blouse. Straight-leg jeans also look great with a cozy, oversized knit top in the fall.

Even moto styles are making a resurgence. Pair your straight-leg denim with a biker jacket and a more delicate blouse for a trendy contrast.

A pair of moto-style boots, chunky heeled booties, or even fashion sneakers are a great accompaniment. Or, better yet, go for some adorable ankle boots and put that cuff to work! Cute!

How to Wear Bootcut Jeans

Bootcut jeans are the subtler sister of the flare jean, which is also making a comeback this season.

However, this early 2000’s throwback has gotten a makeover. We’re seeing high rises and fun new colors and prints. Metallic denim, anyone? Yes, please!

Consider making the jeans themselves the star of your next fit. Choose a sleek, understated, solid top. You can even aim for a Y2K throwback and pull out a crop top!

Heading for the office? We’ve even seen girlies swap bootcut jeans for trousers in business casual looks. Casual Friday just got trendier!

Pairing boots with your bootcut jeans is an obvious choice, but not the only one! We’re also obsessed with a pointy toe peeking out from under your bootcut jeans. A pair of pointed, colorful pumps is an amazing finishing touch.

Swoon Over These Silhouettes!

All three different styles of jeans look best on a range of body types. For example, high-waisted jeans are best for hourglass shapes. In contrast, straight-leg jeans make apple shapes look taller and sleeker.

Choose the rise that suits your personal comfort level. And petite girlies might want to go for a cuffed style rather than swimming in flared fabric.

Whatever you choose, you’re sure to find a pair you love at your favorite NOLA boutique! Shop Swoon's denim collection and start styling, sis! We can’t wait to see your finished fit!

Alyssa Mannina