Wide-leg jeans: how they differ from flares, what a third polyester does to denim, and how to wear the width

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Researched. We have not used this one long enough to give you a verdict, and we would rather say so than invent one. What follows is how it works, who it suits, and what it will not do. When we have used it properly, this page carries the verdict and the date.

Sidefeel High Waisted Wide Leg Jeans

Wide-leg jeans and flares get mentioned together, and they are not the same shape. Flares hug the leg to the knee and widen below it. Wide-leg jeans are wide from the hip all the way down — a straight, roomy column. That difference changes how you wear them.

Balancing the width

Because the volume starts at the hip, wide-leg jeans look best with something closer-fitting on top: a fitted tee, a bodysuit, a tucked-in shirt, or a cropped jumper. A loose top over a wide leg turns the whole outfit into one large shape. The high waist — these are high-waisted, according to the listing — helps by marking the narrowest point.

Length and shoes

Like any wide leg, they look best nearly skimming the floor in your shoes. Trainers and flat boots give a relaxed look; a platform or heel adds height hidden under the hem. Decide which you will wear most before you judge the length. Sidefeel also sells this cut in several washes, including a raw-hem version, which is designed to be worn a touch shorter.

What the fabric blend means

The listing gives the denim as 65% cotton, 33% polyester and 2% elastane, with a zip fly. A third polyester makes the denim tougher and better at holding its shape and colour than all-cotton denim, at the cost of some of the softness and fading that cotton develops. The 2% elastane adds stretch, which makes a high waist comfortable to sit in; like all stretch denim, it will relax a little during a day's wear.

Keeping them in shape

Wash them less often, inside out, in cold water, and hang them to dry. Heat breaks down the elastane that gives them their stretch and recovery. We explained why jeans last longer with fewer washes in why the advice on jeans is always to wash them less.

What they will not do

They will not work with a big, loose top without looking shapeless. They will not look right hemmed for the wrong shoes. And they will not keep their stretch through hot washes and drying.

The product

High-waisted, stretchy wide-leg jeans in a sturdy cotton and polyester denim, sold in several washes. A comfortable, easy shape, at its best with a fitted top and the right length.

The one people are searching for is the Sidefeel Women's Wide Leg Jeans, High Waisted Stretchy Denim.

Sidefeel High Waisted Wide Leg Jeans

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Written by JamieG in Garner Town, Tennessee.