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Mom jeans have come a long way. The once-mocked, now-trendy style has become as beloved as the flare and the wide-leg. Today’s mom jeans are more sculpted, says stylist Jessica Cadmus, and meant to be a little cheekier too. But the basic blueprint has remained the same: Mom jeans have a higher waist, a straight-leg cut, and mostly come in lighter washes. To find the best mom jeans, I asked more than a dozen denim enthusiasts about theirs. Then I tried a number of pairs to see for myself how well they fit and how comfortable they are. Read on for the best mom jeans, and if you’re shopping around, we have a guide to every style of jeans, from high waisted to plus size.
What we’re looking for
Sizes and lengths
Stretch
Most jeans now include some stretch, usually spandex or elastane, to make the denim more comfortable and easy to break in. You don’t need much — around 2 percent is plenty. For a jean to be considered non-stretch, or “rigid,” it should be made from 100 percent cotton. Though it will take longer, non-stretch jeans will form to your figure over time, which is why denim aficionados find them so appealing. I labeled each mom jean below as either “not stretchy” (if they’re made completely of cotton), “stretchy” (if they contain 1 or 2 percent stretch), or “very stretchy” (if they contain more than 2 percent stretch).
Rise
A curve-accentuating high rise is a mom-jean must. Expect it to land somewhere near or above your belly button, with most high-waisted jeans starting at 10 inches.
Cut
A true straight leg is what makes a mom jean a mom jean. The leg is neither tight nor too relaxed, explains style coach Kim Hancher. And on the subject of length: If you’re going classic, a mom jean, according to Hancher, is “just shy of full length” to show off your tennis shoes, the footwear of choice back in the day. I did my best to describe the shape of each pair below so you can compare (and contrast) the different pairs.
Wash
There are two schools of thought on the proper shade for mom jeans. Historically, Cadmus tells us, the jeans will be in a light wash without any sort of treatment (so no distressing or fading). But as the style has evolved, many brands have started making deeper blue washes that are not “too light and definitely not dark,” Hancher says. It’s a matter of preference, so I noted whether each pair below is light, medium, or comes in both.
Price
Each recommendation is denoted as either $, $$, or $$$ for under $100, under $200, or $200 and up, respectively.
Best mom jean overall
Sizes and lengths: Sizes: 23–39 (plus-sizes 16–24 here) with 26-, 28-, and 30-inch inseams | Stretch: Stretchy | Rise: 10.85 inches | Cut: Slightly tapered straight-leg | Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $
The Wedgies from Levi’s are a great mom jean: The straight-leg silhouette is an ideal in-between, neither too narrow nor too wide. They are the jeans I have written about the most while working at the Strategist, and they have one of the widest range of sizes of any pair I’ve seen — available in sizes 23–39 and plus sizes 16–24, along with 26-, 28-, and 30-inch inseams to cover petites and talls. Factor in their affordable price, too, and they’re quite deserving of the “best overall” title. I found them to be somewhat stiff in the beginning, even with 1 percent elastane, but I was rewarded for my patience: The jeans have enough give to feel comfortable, while the weight of the denim has helped them shape to my body over time. The Wedgies’ fit has also endeared them to blogger Hailey Rizzo: “Where they elevate the ‘mom’ look is through the booty, whether you’re working with one or not,” she says (there’s no flat pancake butt here). Or, if you’d like an even slimmer style, Sara Zucker, director of social media at Korres, has a version of Wedgies called the Icon Fit: “If you’re going to dip your toe in the pool of frump, it’s the easiest way,” she says.
Best (splurge-worthy) mom jean
Sizes and lengths: 23–33 with a 26- and 28-inch inseam | Stretch: Not stretchy or stretchy options | Rise: 11.5 inches | Cut: Cropped, slimmer straight-leg |Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $$
Agolde is another brand I heard a lot about while reporting this guide. The Rileys are a best seller, and there’s a whole collection of the cut in different washes and two cropped lengths (26 and 28 inches). Most of the stock is made with a stiffer, thicker, non-stretch denim, but there’s a stretch version as well. Though the jeans are a splurge at close to $200, these make my butt look unbelievable. The denim is high quality and has shaped to my curves in the six months since I first tried them on. But you don’t just have to take my word for it: The jeans have a following that includes Strategist staffers and a self-proclaimed mom-jean fanatic, filmmaker and former New York photo editor Stella Blackmon. Blackmon only owns mom jeans and says the Agoldes are “like an ode to the jeans my mom loved when I was growing up.” (If you’re on the taller side, the brand also makes a longer style called the Lana, with a 31-inch inseam, which comes recommended by Chelsea Portner, a former project manager at BuzzFeed, who says the jeans suit her well “as a lanky girl with hips and no butt.”)
Best mom jean for tall women
Sizes and lengths: 00–15 (equivalent to 22- to 32-inch waists) with 30-, 32-, 34-, 36-, and 38-inch inseams | Stretch: Not stretchy | Rise: 11.75 inches | Cut: Slimmer straight-leg | Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $
Two discerning tall women — Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens, who’s 5 foot 11, and 6-foot-2 artist Melly Wirtes — recommend these Wranglers, which come in 30-, 32-, 34-, 36-, and 38-inch inseams (meaning there are long-enough lengths for those who are tall and taller).
Wirtes likes that the jeans are old school for being snug, and says she feels “like ’90s Shania Twain” in them. Note that the waist sizes are odd numbered instead of even — Kitchens suggests rounding up (take a size 3 if you’re a 2, and so on).
For $55, the jeans are made from a heavier twill denim that Kitchens has described as “unaffected and unadorned,” like something “fresh out of A.P.C.” She likens them to deadstock Levi’s and offers the following advice: “After a few washes, they’ll ease into the comfortable, thrift-store-faded patina these jeans are known for. Or wash them a little less and prolong their A.P.C.-like stiffness.”
Best mom jean for petite women
Sizes: 23–37 with 26.5-, 28.5-, 30.5-, and 32.5-inch inseams (extra-long inseam not listed) | Stretch: Stretchy | Rise: None listed | Cut: Classic straight-leg | Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $
Abercrombie’s ’90s Ultra-High-Rise jeans come in not one but two, petite-friendly lengths: “extra-short,” for those who are under five feet and “short,” for those between five-feet and five-feet-three. Though the extra-short length only goes up to size 30, the short length is available in the jeans’ full size range of 23 to 37. Content creator Amy Serrano and photographer Lizbeth Hernandez like how the jeans fit their curves and accentuate the backside. They also have some built-in stretch (1 percent elastane), so as not to feel as inflexible as the name might imply.
Best mom jean for plus sizes
Sizes and lengths: 16–30 with a 31-inch inseam | Stretch: Stretchy | Rise: None listed | Cut: Traditional straight-leg | Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $
Content creator Sydney Scott introduced me to Target’s in-house, plus-size label Ava & Viv as an affordable alternative to some of the higher-priced, size-inclusive denim brands. She’s been impressed by the quality of these jeans, especially since they usually cost less than $50. Scott notes that while straight-leg styles can be hard to find in plus sizes, hers fit “pretty shockingly great,” without any of the waist gapping that sometimes happens even with curvier-minded styles.
Best super-high-waisted mom jeans
Sizes and lengths: 23–33 (plus-sizes 14–24 here) with 27- and 29-inch inseams | Stretch: Stretchy | Rise: 12 inches | Cut: Slimmer through hip and thigh with a classic straight-leg |Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $
Levi’s Ribcage jeans are a longtime Strategist favorite (Strategist editor Maxine Builder and New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff are on-the-record fans) for being the “Goldilocks of jeans” — leg lengthening, figure hugging, and vintage-looking all at once. The super-high waist (with a 12-inch rise) is the jeans’ biggest selling point. In trying them alongside the Wedgies, I thought the Ribcages took a little longer to break in, even though they have the same percentage of elastane as the Wedgies. But eventually they loosened up, giving me the right fit. These have wider legs as well — so more of a traditional cut for mom jeans than the slightly tapered leg on the Wedgies.
Best (splurge-worthy) super-high-waisted mom jean
Sizes and lengths: 23–31 with a 29-inch inseam | Stretch: Not stretchy or stretchy options | Rise: 12 inches | Cut: Slightly cropped, fuller straight-leg |Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $$
Like the Ribcages, the Cynthias from Reformation have a high rise of 12 inches. Jeans from Reformation are made with leggier people in mind, usually coming in longer inseams, though Katie Schmidt, designer of Passion Lilie, points out that the Cynthias can give anyone the illusion of longer legs. There are stretch and non-stretch versions, but Schmidt likes the stretch and says they have that vintage mom-jean feel despite otherwise being made from Reformation’s rigid denim. Wirtes has gotten hers to “fit like a glove.” And Strategist managing editor Kelsie Schrader calls them truly comfortable — especially for not being tight in the thighs.
Best rigid-denim mom jean
Sizes and lengths: 23–34 with 30- and 32-inch inseams | Stretch: Not stretchy | Rise: 11.125 inches | Cut: Classic straight-leg |Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $
Levi’s 501s are the jeans that started it all, and vintage 501s will always be highly sought after. But this “original fit” version is close to the pair the brand invented in 1873, featuring a true straight leg and a buttoned fly. Gabrielle Arruda, a designer-slash-blogger (and Project Runway alum) is a recent convert. “They are the jeans you can actually wear all day,” she says, and points out that the darker washes seem to have a slightly tighter weave, so they don’t naturally stretch as much. These 501s are also a favorite of stylist Karla Welch and musicians Aly and AJ Michalka. Welch says only “wearing them, and wearing them, and wearing them, and wearing them” will give you the proper, perfect fit. But AJ Michalka adds that “Levi’s never fails — they just get jeans and always have.”
Best (splurge-worthy) rigid-denim mom jean
Sizes and lengths: 24–38 with 28.5- and 32.5-inch inseams | Stretch: Not stretchy | Rise: 10.5 inches| Cut: Classic straight-leg |Wash: Medium wash | Price: $$$
The Feel Studio was started by stylist Stevie Dance, a “devout Levi’s wearer” who modeled the Genuines after old 501s. They come recommended by Kitchens, who says that “like vintage jeans, they also have no stretchiness” — but after wearing them a couple of times, “they literally molded onto my body.” Dancer Eva Alt agrees, adding they’re “like the pair you always hope to find at a vintage store.” The label suggests these run small — those who like their jeans stretchier might find them even more so — so double check the size chart against your measurements and purchase accordingly.
[Editor’s note: Some sizes are currently sold out, but you can sign up to be notified by email when yours is available again.]
Best vintage-style mom jeans
Sizes and lengths: 23–33 with 26.5-, 28.5-, and 30.5-inch inseams | Stretch: Not stretchy | Rise: 11 inches | Cut: Tapered straight-leg | Wash: Light and medium washes | Price: $$
If you’re searching for something especially reminiscent of the jeans seen on ’90s sitcom moms, turn to the ’90s Cheeky from Everlane. “Strangers have stopped me on the street to ask me where I got my pair,” says former Strategist audience-development senior manager Mia Leimkuhler (who is a noted Everlane fan). According to Leimkuhler, the jeans are made from a “sturdier, more rigid denim” compared to the brand’s Original Cheeky Jean. I also favor the vintage-y, stonewashed quality of the ’90s version. But the Original is another acceptable mom jean. Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo — whose “ultimate denim dream” is to look like Geena Davis or Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise — describes the pair as comfortable and confidence-boosting.
Some more mom jeans we’ve written about
Our experts
• Eva Alt, dancer
• Chloe Anello, former Strategist writer
• Gabrielle Arruda, designer and blogger
• Stella Blackmon, filmmaker
• Sahra Brandt, stylist
• Samantha Brown, stylist
• Maxine Builder, Strategist editor
• Jessica Cadmus, stylist
• Lauren Chan, founder of Henning
• Piper Gore, stylist
• Allie Greenberg, brand director at Richer Poorer
• Kim Hancher, style coach
• Tessa Jennifer, founder of Auralie
• Simone Kitchens, Strategist senior editor
• Ali Levine, celebrity stylist
• Aly and AJ Michalka, musicians
• Chelsea Portner, a former project manager at BuzzFeed
• Hailey Rizzo, style blogger
• Katie Schmidt, designer of ethical fashion label Passion Lilie
• Kelsie Schrader, Strategist managing editor
• Sydney Scott, content creator
• Karla Welch, stylist
• Melly Wirtes, artist
• Sara Zucker, director of social media at Korres
Additional reporting by Lori Keong and Chloe Anello
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