Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually have to be skinny to be able to pull off skinny jeans. If worn right, skinny jeans can enhance your legs and make them look longer and leaner. They look the most flattering with loose and voluminous tops. Since the bottoms are already tight, loose tops balance the outfit. You can also create the elusion of longer legs by wearing heels.

Not only can these jeans be flattering, they can also accentuate certain features depending on your body type. On a tall, lean figure, they emphasize long legs; on a curvaceous figure, they show off the curves; on a petite figure, they accentuate the smaller proportions of the legs and, if worn with heels, create the illusion of length to the human eye.

So what should you look for on your hunt for the perfect skinny jeans? First, a girl must know the importance of stretch in any type of jeans. Stretch is a girl’s savior. It makes jeans fit like a glove and emphasizes the curves. Usually 1-3% stretch in jeans is enough because more would stretch out too much and less would be too rigid and hard to break into.

Another aspect to look out for in jeans is the pockets. Generally, big, plain pockets won’t make your butt look too large, but will draw attention to it. Decorated pockets attract attention to your bottom, while smaller pockets make the derrière look bigger than it is. Again, what you choose depends on your body shape.

Everything else is just preference, like the jeans’ color. Dark denim does make you look slimmer, but light denim has a nice, summery feel to it. It all depends on what you like and your body type.

WHERE TO BUY

Uniqlo
The Japanese are known for their denim, and Uniqlo is one of the cheapest places to get great fitting jeans. Prices range around $50 and tailoring is free. The only downside to Uniqlo is that the only store in the U.S. is in New York City.

Delia*s
This store gets a bad rep for being a teenybopper attraction, but there are a wide variety of skinny jeans for $30-$50 a pop. Not only are the prices attractive,but the fit is also fantastic.

Urban Outfitters
If you want to experiment with different types of skinny jeans such as bleached, ripped, or high-waisted, this is the place to go. These trendy jeans have a great fit and prices vary from $40-$100.

Levi’s
Levi’s is the traditional, old-school brand that you can rely on your comfortable boot cuts. But with a new transformation of the brand which includes their eco-friendly brand, Levi eco, and their high-end brand, Levi Capital E, their skinny jeans got an upgrade, too. Prices vary depending on the brand, but the superior fit of the jeans remains the same.

J Brand
This is a high-end denim brand with prices ranging from $100-$200, but if you are willing to invest, they are well worth it. Almost every fashionable starlet has donned these jeans for their simple, blank back pockets. Another reason for their popularity is their incredible fit and wide range of inseam lengths.

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