Expert guide to finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly over 50 – I’ve tried on more than 60 so you don’t have to and these are the very best

MSNBCTV-STAFF September 23, 2024

3 5 minutes read

You might not want to wear jeans to a wedding – but apart from that there’s otherwise now a pair for every occasion.

You can wear loose fit, wide jeans with a turtleneck to the office, or with slick, tailored kick flares and a velvet jacket you’re cocktail party ready.

The average woman is now meant to have as many pairs of jeans as she has earrings – one for every imaginable event in her life, from walking the dog to a job interview – and frankly we are swamped for choice.

Marks & Spencer offers eight denim styles, and the John Lewis total is ten. But we need to know our way around these many jeans styles to maximise their potential.

With that in mind, I tried on 60 pairs from those high street shops doing the best denim in the four key styles of the season.

After much rotating in front of the mirror – some huffing and eye rolling and plenty of grimacing – I’ve now narrowed them down to ten of the most wearable and versatile wide legs, flares, bootcuts and straights. (If you want skinnies or cigarettes they’re available, but they’re not top of my list for autumn.)

Generally, most brands provide their popular styles in six colour washes, including black and grey and sometimes leopard, but I’m talking about a blue midwash unless otherwise specified.

THE WIDE BUNCH

On the catwalk at the Gucci Cruise 2025 show

Pinstripe baggy, £50, gap.co.uk

Gap’s ‘high rise stride’, £55, gap. co.uk

Baggy jeans, £35, johnlewis.com

The easiest way to upgrade your jeans is to add volume. It’s that simple. We’re at a point when your 20-something niece is swooshing about in jeans that look like a floppy A-line maxi skirt from a distance. But how do we do this look?

First, don’t assume that loose legs make thighs look big (often the opposite is true), then aim for the midway point, usually described as ‘wide leg’, rather than ‘barrel’ or ‘baggy’ or ‘palazzo’.

I tried on a few barrel styles – roomy and tapering at the bottom – and felt as if I’d left the house in an emergency and grabbed the 19-year-old’s jeans. It’s my view that anything wide in the thighs and narrow at the bottom does you no favours, so that excludes carrot cuts and mom jeans.

I’m also saying no to cargos, another wide-leg style but with pockets on the legs. Tailored cargos can look smart, but it’s hard to find a flattering cargo jeans style (I did try). And palazzo styles, the very wide swooshy ones, only work if you are narrow-hipped and tall.

So, wide legs and flares are where I’d put my money – and these are the best on the high street.

First up, M&S’s high rise wide jeans (£35, marksandspencer.com). Full disclosure, I had never tried on a pair of M&S jeans before. I had always assumed you get what you pay for with jeans, so I’m amazed to report these hit the spot.

High rise – as in the waistband button covers your tummy button – is the most flattering, and what we should all be wearing now. These are cut well, falling smoothly from the hip, in a good-quality denim – substantial but not heavy with just the right amount of stretch to give you comfort plus a little bit of a corseting effect.

I’d buy these in black for extra smarts for the office and evening.

Length is important: cropped is not the look of the moment. M&S offers its top denim styles in small, regular and long. I’m almost 5ft 9in and take a regular.

Other wide jeans worth a mention include John Lewis’s indigo straight leg jeans (£59, johnlewis.com). They call themselves straight but they’re much the same shape as the M&S wide jeans, only quite a bit roomier in my size.

I like the starchiness of them and the yellow top stitching, both of which makes them smart enough to wear to the office with a blazer.

Gap’s ‘high rise stride’ in a stretch demin (£55, gap.co.uk) are fitted on the waist and hips with a relaxed wide leg. Don’t be put off by the denim belt, which you can remove. These are flattering on the bottom with good big pockets, though the raw hems – designed to look like you’ve taken them down a couple of times – make them more casual.

Gap’s pinstripe baggy style (£50) are floppier and mid rise, not high, but are still flattering.

There’s a fine line between dad jeans and wider jeans. John Lewis’s Richmond baggy jeans (£35, johnlewis.com) aren’t fitted enough on the hips. Likewise River Island’s wide-leg style (£50, riverisland.com) with two front pockets, which were too clingy.

Marks & Spencer’s high rise wide jeans, £35, marksandspencer. com

John Lewis’s dark indigo straight leg jeans, £59, johnlewis.com

River Island’s wide leg style, £50, riverisland.com

FLARES AND BOOTCUTS

A word about flares. When they’re right they can look very good and smart, especially worn with a cropped or just hip-skimming jacket. They should never be tight – forget about the Seventies and wear your flares slouchy and looser on the leg.

Bootcuts or slim flares can be a neater fit and are always flattering. Once again, M&S comes in first with its high-waisted crease-front slim flare (£39.50).

I’m starting to understand why M&S is the market leader in women’s denim; you do get a lot for your money, and I would happily pick these over most designer brands. These are also worth getting in black.

For a different style of bootcut, your best bet is Zara (£29.99, zara.com). A slouchier fit and longer in the leg, they’re arguably less tidy but cooler and better with a pair of mid-heel boots.

As for roomier flares, I’ve been complimented more on my old, sloppy Me+Em flares with contrasting denim inserts (not for everyone) than anything else I’ve worn below the waist. Me+Em’s current flared style is side-fastening with lots of stretch (£175, meandem.com) and like all its trousers, they make your bum and legs look good. But I miss the fly front and they look a bit too stretchy and therefore lacking in the rakish glamour flares need.

I’d go instead for Me+Em’s subtle flare with two front patch pockets (£175). As the name suggests, these will not scare the horses while making you look on point.

With all these wider cuts it’s important to keep your top neat and waisted, or you’ll end up looking swamped.

Flared jeans, £39.50, marksand spencer.com

Bootcut mid-rise, £29.99, zara.com

Crease front slim flare, £39.50, marksand spencer.com

Subtle flare, £175, meandem.com

STRAIGHTS OR COLUMNS

Some people will always love a straight jean, and the classic vintage style, loose through the hip and thigh Levi’s 501 ’90s’ (£100, levi.com) are still a safe bet and has the label kudos, although I don’t find it does much for me.

I would go instead for Zara’s relaxed fit high waist jeans (£29.99). This particular straight style has a neat small turn-up with red details on the seams. I wouldn’t normally advise a turn-up (there are some deep ones around for autumn), but this looks chic.

There’s always a place for a black straight leg jean in your wardrobe – they have the advantage of showing off your boots or shoes (patent or red) and serving as smart casual tuxedo pants – and Next’s column jeans (£32, next.co.uk) are a good fit and price.

Be careful, in general, with high-rise, straight fit, rigid ankle jeans (as they’re known) as they can end up looking like don’t-really-care, any-old jeans. And our jeans for autumn are all about looking like we know exactly what we’re doing.