A good pair of jeans can make your day. You know what I’m talking about. I remember when expensive jeans first came out and I was like $200 for a pair of jeans!!! But then I tried them on and I was like I’ll take five.
So I decided to do a totally objective skinny jean review. At first I was soooo excited to do this post, but as I got the photos back I was like ‘oh man … ‘ But it’s all in the name of finding some flattering, comfortable and ultimately ‘worth it’ skinny jeans. Obviously jeans all depend on your body type, certainly, so what might be flattering on you might not be flattering on me, and vice versa. It’s just a guide because I LOVE a good pair of jeans and I’m constantly desperate to find them.
Ready to see my butt in 14 good and not so good skinny jeans?
H&M Shaping Skinny Regular Jeans
I was shocked that a $49.95 pair of jeans were so form-fitting and yet comfortable. The mid-rise front is good for multiple body types. We debated whether or not we liked the length – to scrunch or to hem?
Comfort: Comfortable enough to sit in at work all day.
Flattering: Shockingly good for fifty bucks.
TOTAL SCORE: I liked these a lot. I bought these after the shoot. So I give them a 9. I’m pretty sure they would be a ’10’ if I were 5 pounds lighter.
Comfort: Not terribly comfortable, so more on the flattering side.
Flattering: Dark washes make me feel skinny.
TOTAL SCORE: A good splurge if you don’t already have a good dark skinny. 7. I wish these were ankle length – just a little bit shorter.
H&M Skinny Regular These have cute little zippers on the bottom that you might not have noticed.
Comfort: Not jeggings but not bad.
Flattering: I loved them from the front.
Verdict: Solid 7. These would be an 8 without the worn spots on the back of the legs, but I still really like them and purchased them from the shoot. Win.
Comfort: Don’t remember. Blocked from my memory.
Flattering: Really dark jeans are always kinda flattering but I felt they gave me a bit of mom butt.
Verdict: I own these left over from a shoot but I don’t opt for them when I’m desperate for jeans if that tells you anything.
Paige ‘Verdugo’ Skinny Size 27. YES.
Comfort: Super comfortable. The waist has a decent amount of give and doesn’t cut in.
Flattering: EVERYBODY agreed these were really flattering, even though that butt shot is not super awesome. It did a good thing for the butt from the side – it made it more ‘bubbly’ and less wide. Trust me.
Verdict: I bought these and they are VERY good.
Comfort: Can’t breathe and my stomach feels cut in half. These could just be too small, though.
Flattering: I do feel kinda skinny In them.
Verdict: These could be good on the right person – they just weren’t worth the $190 splurge for me compared to some of the others.
Madewell The Skinny Skinny Jean
Comfort: Comfortable.
Flattering: For how light they are I found them pretty flattering from the front.
Verdict: Good for a light toned jean. I always feel better in darker toned jeans, but I’m liking these for summer.
Comfort: VERY COMFORTABLE. I wrote down ‘really comfortable Saturday jeans’.
Flattering: Not the most flattering in the world but pretty darn great. For something that I would just throw on to go to the park with Charlie I LOVED them. Especially for $30.
Verdict: Win for comfort and price.
H&M Skinny Jean
Comfort: Don’t remember.
Flattering: Not.
Verdict: Meh.
H&M High-Rise Skinny Jean
Comfort: Fine.
Flattering: Not. Bad rise, bad butt. On me, anyway.
Verdict: Meh.
Comfort: They’ve got some stretch to them for sure. Pretty comfortable.
Flattering: The front was pretty flattering, but the back less so.
Verdict: Fine.
Comfort: Comfortable.
Flattering: They are pretty stretchy so its not going to hold in your pooch if you got one (I do).
Verdict: I liked these enough for sure. They feel like they could stretch out pretty fast, but they were comfortable and flattering enough for $80.
Comfort: Totally fine.
Flattering: Fine unless you consider jeans that give you cankles unflattering. (So no, not terribly flattering).
Verdict: Not my cut.
Comfort: Tight but comfortable. They are the closest things to jeggings that i’d wear. I could tell that if I lost just a few pounds they would fit my waist so much better, but I was surprised at how much I liked them, being in the jegging family and all.
Flattering: Not bad at all considering they are so stretchy and malleable.
Verdict: Pleasantly surprised. I liked these a lot. I bought these after the shoot.
Now it’s your turn to weigh in. Which skinnys would you buy? Which ones would you like to see in your closet tomorrow? You can vote for as many pairs as you would like.
Oh, and in case you were wondering where my tops came from: the blue quilted sweatshirt, which I LOVE, is from JCrew, and that boxy chambray top that I wear all the time is from Madewell. Shoes were a big splurge by A Detacher, and my gold bangle bracelet is from Capwell.
*Photos by Jessica Isaac, denim shopping by Jordan Rudd.