How to Choose the Best Jeans for You

Bootcut, slim, relaxed, and skinny: There are a lot of jeans shapes, styles, and cuts to choose from. We carry a variety of denim options that are designed for a perfect fit for cowgirls and cowboys, whether that look is for a casual night out or hitting the trail. Below, we explore some of the most popular cuts and fits from Stages West. Put on your hats and boots and let's learn about all the styles of jeans, from classic to trendy.

Denim Jeans Styles and Cuts

The “cut” refers to the shape of the leg of your jeans. We carry a variety of popular jeans leg shapes, everything from wide-flared and bootcut to skinny and slim-fit styles. Learn the differences between each, and decide which is best for you, right here.

What Are Bootcut Jeans?

Bootcut jeans begin to flare out toward the top of the foot. Sometimes the flare for boot cuts start below the knee, most often it starts at mid-calf. Bootcut jeans began and started with cowboys needing jeans that would fit over their iconic cowboy boots and styles today are designed to make room for cowboy boots, fashion boots, or work boots.

For women, the bootcut is a favorite because it offers a streamlined fit from waist to thighs and looks good on all body types.

What Are Flared Leg Jeans?

Flared jeans take inspiration from the retro fad of 70s bellbottoms. This style can range from a wide bootcut style or a steep flare at the hem to subtle panels that widen the whole leg.

How Are Wide-Leg Jeans Different?

With bootcut or flared, only the area below the knee or toward the ankle widens out. With the wide leg style, they begin to widen at the upper thigh and continue all the way down. They first became popular as baggy jeans back in the '90s, but have been renamed wide-leg as the style updated.

What Does Classic Cut or Straight Leg Mean?

Classic cut or straight-leg jeans are a no-nonsense style. They’re not too tight to the calves, nor do the legs flare out—they’re a perfect middle-of-the-road choice between skinny jeans and bootcut styles. This cut often allows for room in the leg and seat for added comfort.

Jeans Lengths

Jeans also come in various lengths. You may find lengths listed as tall, regular, and short—these lengths help you find the right jeans size rather than style. When it comes to alternate lengths for fashion, there the most popular options are:

• Cropped jeans are most often found in denim designed for women. This style is shorter and generally stops just above the ankles. These are an excellent option for casual wear.
• Capris are similar to cropped jeans, except they hit at mid-calf rather than the ankle.
• Cuffed jeans can come in all sorts of cuts and fits, but always have one thing in common: Cuffed jeans will always have the ankles rolled. It can be a single fold, double, thin, or wide—plenty of options that show off your favorite boots or shoes.

What Do Jeans Rise and Fit Mean?

There’s more to jeans than cut alone: Rise and fit are also important in finding your perfect pair of jeans. The “rise” refers to where the waist of the jeans sits when you’re wearing them, while “fit” tells you how loose or tight the jeans are through the thighs and seat.

Jeans rise options include:

• High rise jeans rest above the belly button and are suited perfectly for cowgirls with an hourglass figure.
• Mid rise jeans have a waistband that lands between the hips and belly button.
• Low rise jeans feature a low-waisted band and zipper closure that settles at just below the belly button and right above hips.

When it comes to fit, you have plenty of options. Some of the most popular denim fits include relaxed, boyfriend, skinny, and slim.

Relaxed Fit Jeans

Relaxed fit jeans for men and women are made to be extremely comfortable. The thigh and calf areas are larger for plenty of room for movement or larger leg sizes—and because of the cut, relaxed style jeans tend to look fantastic on everyone.

Boyfriend Jeans

Women’s boyfriend-cut jeans are designed to look as if cowgirls borrowed their jeans from their cowboys. They offer a relaxed cut, with no snug-fitting areas, and are very casual. They’re the ideal cut for women with any body shape.

Skinny and Slim Fit Jeans

Skinny fit jeans are one of the most popular styles of jeans worn by women today. They are a super snug fit from top to bottom with narrow leg openings that cling to the ankles. These jeans are great paired with high heels or if you want to show off your cowboy boots.

Men’s skinny fit jeans contour almost perfectly to the shape of your body, with a fit that is snug at the thighs and calves. These are perfect jeans for men with short legs who want to create an elongated appearance.

Slim-fit jeans are similar to skinny fit jeans, but are a touch more relaxed. They offer a not too tight, not loose lower body fit that’s the perfect balance between skinny and relaxed fit.

Armed with this jeans style guide, you should be more than ready to find the exact pair for whatever outfit and need you may be looking for. At Stages West, we've got the best and most beloved jeans for cowboys and cowgirls from all over the world. Explore our blog for more Western fashion tips.