Street Style: Denim Flare Jeans

Background

So in case it wasn't abundantly obvious, I am a denim enthusiast, meaning I love anything that involves denim fashioned into a pair of leg-lengthening jeans. Standing at 5'11" myself, I gravitate towards anything that would emphasize my height even further and I don't have to look much farther than flare jeans.

Back in my high school and college days, I didn't really invest in a quality pair of flare jeans, although I was aware of how they should fit me and what fits flattered me best. However, hours thrift-shopping enlightened my quickly to the kinds of quality brands that was out there. I started going from your run-of-the-mill denim to J brand, and William Rast all at lower-end thrift-store prices. (When I was in college, I attended Penn State, so I lived in a large college town, where people would donate clothes to a little known thrift store called Plato's Closet. It was there I was able to identify countless brands, including the designer variety, which was how I go to quickly learning about the brands out there that offered the quality jeans at those ridiculous prices, since college kids moved in and out of the college town quite often and had to get rid of their old clothes somehow).

Flare denim is definitely making a come back. I remember the years when skinny jeans became a huge hit and at the time, I hated them. That's right, I disliked skinny jeans. I didn't understand the appeal and I wondered who in their right mind wanted to wears skinny jeans? They were uncomfortable and made my legs look like sticks, so I had no desire to shimmy myself into a pair at all.

After a while, Flares began to disappear in a lot of retail stores and with the budget I was currently used to, shopping for Flares became a chore and I gave up altogether searching in malls and clothing stores, since it was easier and more convenient to find what I wanted online. Instead, I had ventured into thrift stores who would offer flare jeans, (since they were going out of style I presumed), at ridiculously low prices, including the designer brands.

Now that they are making a come back, retail stores are stocking them like crazy and at my height, I was glad I was able to see stores stock denim in longer inseam sizes. That was the other frustrating part about buying jeans. Oftentimes, the length wasn't quite what I liked or stopped short. Sometimes the crotch area was a little off when I tried to pull it down to settle how I thought it should settle.

Needless to say, Flare jeans are definitely flatter on all body types in my opinion.

What's so Great About them?

Absolutely everything.

No really, the flattering silhouettes, (fitted a little below the knee and then having it flare out), elongates any pair of legs. They are quickly becoming a Fall trend and you could pair them up with virtually any type of shoe, including flats, sneakers, boots and heels. A dark wash pair will slim your hips and your thighs, while a gradient wash, gives jeans life and if placed strategically can also give you the appearance of slimmer legs. Get it from a designer label and you'll more than likely be in the possession of a one of a kind.

The best part is, you don't technically have to wash your jeans every time you wear them. No. The denim fabric should last you a couple of wears, before you really have to wash it. Washing jeans too many times will distort their shape and before you know it, you'll be shelling out more money, buying another pair when you soon come to realize they don't fit anymore.

Above, Victoria Beckham pulls off a very good pair of flare jeans. She even has her own brand called Victoria Beckham Denim, in which she designs her own label of jeans. (You can find them at Shopbop or net-a-porter.com). They are fitted to her legs down to her knees, before they flare out extenuating the length of her legs considerably. The length is absolutely perfect as it grazes just above the ground, covering her heels. I am a fan of her brand as she tends to design her jeans with a longer inseam for that effect.

Flare jeans come in a number of rises, (low-, mid-, and high-rises). Until recently, I've been wearing low-rises, but now I've ventured more into higher rises partially because they look more flattering on me and they don't leave me with a slight muffin top from too-tight jeans. If you suffer from slight "jean bulge", I recommend either going up a size or trying out higher rises.

For tall girls like me, I tend to of course, gravitate towards brands who offer longer inseams. For jeans that are lower- to moderately-priced, American Eagle and even Target, offer jeans with inseams up to 37-38 inches long. Abercrombie and Fitch offers 35-36 inches long for their flares and Forever21 and Charlotte Russe offer jeans of up to 34 inches long.

For higher-end brands, I like rag/bone that have pretty long inseams as well as J brand. True Religion also carries inseams that are for much taller girls.

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