Closet Case: Skinny Jeans

The lovely Allison commented on my Defining Style article with a jean dilemma that I'm pretty sure almost everyone (except possibly Posh Spice) can relate to:

"I have a jean dilemma. I really like to wear skinny jeans, not so much skin tight like I used to, but I do enjoy a very slim fit. My dilemma is that I have very wide hips and a very big bottom ( I measured about 40 inches in the area where my hips are the widest) and when I stand with my feet together, I look like I am making a "V", my hips being the top of the V. When I do find a pair of pants that fit decently around my waist/hip area, they are usually very baggy and long on my legs. I have read that wider leg jeans are a bit more flattering on someone with my shape, but I am not sure if I want to go wide yet. Do you have any suggestions on pants or pant styles I could try that would be more flattering, or more towards what I would like without having to get them taken in?"

Skinny jeans have been having a serious "moment" for some time now, and the style is starting to peter back out in favor of more forgiving shapes, but the plain fact is that a super-slim-legged pair of pants is always going to be en vouge -- it's a classic shape that can look as elegant or as rock 'n roll as you like.

Any woman with even the slightest semblance of hips will suffer from the dreaded "V" shape that Allison described (check out Lauren on this season of "America's Next Top Model," for instance -- she's slim enough to be a supermodel, but decked out in her punk peggers her body starts to resemble an upside-down pyramid!) if she doesn't put her skinny jeans together with the right outfits. Here are some tricks:

Play with proportions.
You don't have to 86 all the jeans in your wardrobe in order to achieve a more flattering look, just play with the proportions of the things you wear with your jeans. Your basic slim-legged jean hits at the hip, drawing attention to the widest part of the torso. To pull the eye away from that spot and toward your slimmer sections, you need to create interest of varying lengths on top.

Here are two examples of proportionally interesting outfits that work. All clothes are from Forever 21, except for boths pairs of shoes and the black fringed scarf, which are from Urban Outfitters. Click for full-size.

Pairing a long tunic top that falls at least two inches past your hip with a cropped jacket that hits around your natural waist is practically a foolproof equasion. Cinching a belt around the narrowest part of your midsection or arranging a lightweight scarf around your neck are a couple of bonus ways to create interest above your middle. As long as you keep it voluminous around the hip and cinched or sectioned at the waist, you'll keep the eye away from the problem area that creates that unfortunate V look.

Consider your footwear.
Here is a plain fact: no matter what you are wearing, it is going to look a hundred times more fabulous paired with heels than it will if paired with flat shoes. Even the most adorable ballet flat in the Western world is not going to do for your legs what a pair of heels will. This is especially true when you're wearing skinny jeans. Case in point: I went on the Forever 21 website and selected two styles of slim-legged jeans, one modeled with ballet flats and one modeled with a pair of heels.

Now, obviously these sets of legs belong to models, but see what a heel does even for a model compared to a flat? Legs look longer and hips look slimmer. If you aren't heel-inclined, try a wedge, which is easier to walk in and has the same effect.

If even a wedge seems a bit much (and sometimes it is -- frankly, even I don't want to be tromping around in a pair of four-inchers every day), the other footwear solution that really slims up a pair of skinnies is boots of any length, height, or shape. It's all about eliminating the hemline that hits at your ankle and drawing the eye up. The higher the shaft of the boot, the longer your legs will look, thus the narrower your hips will appear -- an ankle boot is good, a midcalf boot is better, and a knee-high boot is fit, fierce, and fabulous. The greatest thing about this is that you can wear a flat boot and get the same leg-lengthening effect.

If you must wear flats with your skinny jeans, make sure that you're balancing out your midsection with the proportion trick I mentioned above. Also, a ballet flat or sandal -- anything with an open top or toe -- will be more flattering to your leg than a flat that covers the foot, like a sneaker.

Try a higher waist.
I know that high-waisted jeans can be absolutely terrifying to the uninitiated, but mark my words: if you try them, you will grow to love them. High waisted pants are totally on trend right now, so they're relatively easy to find. A high-waisted slim jean eliminates the upside-down pyramid shape that skinny jeans create because the waistband hits at your natural waist, which is the slimmest part of your midsection. The high waist also serves as a corset, sucking you in from the waist to the hips and keeping all your curves in place. There's a reason those '40s and '50s pin-up girls looked so luscious in their high-waisted outfits!

These pairs of high-waisted skinny jeans are from Forever 21; less extreme versions are available all over the place right now. Click for full-size.

There are two rules for pulling off a high-waisted, cigarette-legged pant:

1.) Always tuck in your top. Covering the high waist will completely negate its effect. Choose blouses and shirts in lightweight materials and experiment with how you tuck things -- some styles look better tightly tucked, others work better if they bubble out a little at the bottom.

2.) Heels or boots, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS. There is no wiggle room here. Ever. A flat with a high-waisted, skinny-legged pant will look frumpy, even if you are six feet tall and 100 pounds.

Experiment with a monochromatic color palette.
Keeping your outfit all in one color family -- blacks and greys, or denim blue with navy, for instance -- will create a cohesive look that slims down your overall line. Try playing with a monochromatic palette while using the proportional tricks above.

Treat your jeans like leggings.
For pairs of really skinny jeans, the trick is to eschew the idea that they are jeans at all. Treat them like leggings or opaque tights. Would you wear a t-shirt and sneakers with leggings? I don't think so (unless you are Lindsay Lohan, in which case, knock that shit off!). It's an easy way to figure out if something is working or not.

Look for jeans with straight or slightly bootcut legs instead of tapered ones.
They look way better with flats and don't emphasize your hips. 'Nuff said.

Go for broke and buy a pair of wide-legs!
If all else fails, just try a pair. Forever 21 carries several styles of wide-leg jeans right now for around $30 a pop, so you can try them out and not feel like you wasted a lot of cash if you're not into them.

A slew of wide-legged options from Forever 21. Click for full-size.

Here's why I think wide-legged jeans are worth a try right now, even for the hardest-core skinny jeans devotee:

1.) They're on-trend at the moment.
2.) You can throw on any old t-shirt with a pair and look great -- they have an easygoing '70s sensibility that makes a boring outfit look stylish and rock 'n roll.
3.) They go equally well with heels or flats. Just make sure to get them tailored if you choose to go the flats route.
4.) When summertime hits and the weather is hot, you'll be shocked at how much cooler they are to wear than a tighter fit!

If you're ready to take the leap, look for a pair that fits close in the hip and upper thigh and gets wide around midthigh or the knee to avoid a late-90s raver look. They're available in varying degrees of wideness and waist heights so choose one that feels comfortable for you. Pair them with fitted tops to keep the look from getting sloppy.

Further inspiration:

Check out these fashionable European women putting their spin on skinny jeans. Pictures from Face Hunter and Hel-Looks.

High-waisted skinnies with heels in Paris. Click for full-size.

Playing with proportions in London, Stockholm, and Helsinki. Click for full-size.

Skinny jeans with boots in Helsinki. Click for full-size.

I hope that helped demystify the skinny jeans dilemma! If you have a question about fashion leave it in the comments or e-mail me at waitinround@gmail.com, and I'll do my best to answer it for you.