The coolest jeans style to wear this season
Let's face it, jeans shopping can be a right slog. I can't count the number of times I've schlepped around the shops, trying on countless pairs, only to leave with nothing but deflated hopes of ever finding 'the one'. So, when a new 'It' silhouette comes onto my radar, you bet I've got to really love it to put myself through all that again. Back in spring, barrel-leg jeans tempted me, and I'm pleased to report that they're still the shape to know for autumn/winter. Not only that, but I've also found what I can confidently say are the best pair on the high-street, giving you all of the gratification with none of the graft.
One of the hardest-working capsule wardrobe staples, great jeans are the bedrock of so many of my favourite looks. Straight- and wide-leg styles are classics, but I find trying a new denim trend an easy way to refresh my go-to outfits. Spawned by hip LA denim brand Citizens of Humanity and sent down Alaïa's AW23 runway in eye-catchingly extreme fashion, barrel-legs feature the wide leg that team Red love, flaring out around the knee before tapering at the ankle. Think your trusty mom jeans, with polish. They're actually flattering, too – I'm pear-shaped and love their looser cut in the hips and thighs.
Sienna Miller and Katie Holmes are among the many celebrities, fashion editors and influencers to sport barrel-leg jeans – aka horseshoe or balloon jeans – this year, often as part of easily imitable everyday looks. Team your chosen pair with loafers and knitwear for a casual laidback look, or elevate them with slingback heels, shirting and a blazer if you're heading out or to the office. The styling possibilities are endless...
Our editor-in-chief Sarah Tomczak is a fully signed-up barrel jeans fan, praising them as a versatile shape that look just as good with flats for an effortless look as they do with heels for something dressier. I have Sarah to thank for tipping me off on the wonder that is Whistles' barrel-leg jeans, which I'm wearing in the office as I type with a striped shirt and my new Puma Palermo trainers.
Sarah bought hers last autumn (see her wearing them below), but they're a mainstay in Whistles' collection and are still in stock this season. She opted for the authentic option in dark denim to bring 'an instant contemporary style update to a heritage check blazer', while I've gone for the stretchy black (I agree with Sarah that starchier no-stretch is cooler and holds the balloon shape better, but the fit wasn't quite right for me in this case). They're £95, which felt to me like a decent price for a piece that gets so much wear, and they've washed well without fading.
If you're sold on adding some barrel jeans into your denim rotation, here are a few more of our favourite pairs from the likes of Cos and H&M, Ganni and Frame...
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