The choices in the jeans department today are HUGE! The fashion industry has been busy creating new looks for the ever-hungry jeans marketplace, and has developed a language of its own. Here are some definitions to help you understand what you're looking at.
- Ankle - refers to the length, which comes down to the ankle. Can have decorative features like slits, zippers, etc., to draw attention to attractive ankles.
Baggy - just like you'd expect! Baggy jeans or "baggies" are a specific type of cut with wide legs, the same width all the way down the leg. They are closely related to loose fit and are sometimes incorrectly labeled as such
- Bootcut - this is a type of flared jean that widens from the knee downward. Bootcuts are generally moderate in the flare department, as they were designed so that a pair of cowboy boots could fit under them.
Bell-bottoms - this is a flared jean that widens from the knee downward. The term was coined in the 1960s. Bell-bottoms were generally wider than bootcut or flared jeans. An exaggerated form of bell-bottom was called "elephant leg" jeans.
Boyfriend - this is a term coined by the fashion industry to refer to women's clothing that was adopted from a man's garment. These tend to look more unisex but were made for a woman's figure.
Carpenter - loose-fitting jeans with lots of pockets and loops from which to hang tools (or your thumbs)
Destroyed - ripped, shredded, cut, bleached, whisker-washed, or otherwise destructed. You can buy them ready-ripped or have some fun altering a perfectly good pair of jeans yourself.
Flare - a category of jean that widens from the knee downward. Includes bootcut, bell-bottoms, and hip-huggers.
High-waisted - these are pants with a normal or higher waistline, one more in line with one's natural waist. Some people think that high-waisted jeans is just another term for "mom-jeans."
Hip huggers - a flared jean that fits tightly around the hips and thighs. Can also be low-rise jeans.
Low-rise - worn by both men and women, are made to sit low or, or below, the hips. They are also called lowcut jeans, hipsters, hip-huggers, and lowriders. Usually they sit at least three inches lower than the belly button. Low-rise jeans have existed since the 1960s are popular again.
Mom jeans - this is a derogatory term to refer to any jeans that look unattractive on the wearer.
Phat - or phatties are a cut of jeans worn by male ravers that are fitted at the waist but get wider down the legs all the way to the ground where they enclose the feet due to their width.
Relaxed fit - fits at the waist with roomier seat and thighs. They can have straight or slightly tapered leg. This is a style that is made for those of us with relaxed bodies...
Skinny - this is a style with a past AND a present! Skinny jeans are slim-fitting pants that are quite tight and have a small leg opening. Some require a small zipper to allow putting on and removing. This was a style of pants that became popular with the bad-boy rock and rollers in the 1950s, including Elvis Presley. Other names include carrot leg, cigarette pants (actress Audrey Hepburn was famous for these), drainpipes, peg-leg pants (I recall this term from the 1960s and 70s when we used to "peg" our pants to make them tighter!), pencil pants, skinny pants, slimjims, tapered pants, old-school hood jeans (think James Dean!) and ice-cream pants. A new term, freaks, is used to mean that this style is "cool." Adding spandex to the fabric allows for a super-slim fit.
Straight-leg - Straight, but not too narrow. Trim, but not too tight. Usually the same width through the thigh, knee and leg opening.
- Wide leg - a variant of baggy jeans, this was a style popularized in the 1990s especially by men trying to achieve an "alternative" style. This style is also called hip-hop and its still popular with this subculture. They differ from bell-bottoms and other flared pants in that the entire leg circumference is large, and not just the part below the knees. Wide leg jeans are usually at least 24" in circumference at the hem. They completely cover the wearer's foot and shoes.
Colors/treatments
There are two broad categories of denim jeans. Dry or raw denim is not washed after being dyed and often looks very dark when new. It is appealing because over time the fabric will fade and distress naturally and take on the characteristics of the wearer. It ages very naturally as it is worn and is unique to the wearer. Dry denim is mostly found in premium denim lines and represents a small niche in the large jeans market.
Most denim is treated and/or washed before the jeans hit the store. This is to make it softer and to eliminate shrinkage that can make your expensive pair of new jeans not fit the next time you put them on.
Beyond just washing, some manufacturers artificially "distress" the jeans to give an instant worn-in look. Or they can manufacture the fabric to look older than it is - "dirty denim" is where the filler yarns are brown instead of natural which is woven in with the indigo. Even in the early days, "stone-washing" of jeans with pumice stones was done to eliminate that new look. Today, enzymes, sand, ceramic balls, and other methods are used to make jeans look older than they are.
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