How to buy the right pair of jeans for your shape.

Straight, skinny, ripped, cropped, slim, bootcut, boyfriend, flared; retailers now carry a shape and style to suit everyone (hurrah!).

The trick to avoiding a changing room meltdown is knowing where to shop for your shape. Read on for our handy guide to buying the right pair of jeans for your shape and you’ll never get stuck in a pair of skinny jeans again.

Wait! Nic, you said you’d tell me what the trends are! Oh, yes THAT. I think you should go with what suits your body shape (see below) but alas, this season you’ll find boyfriend and ripped styles continuing to be on trend (be prepared for the inevitable ‘You’ve got holes in your jeans’ dad jokes coming your way).

Dark and coated denims are starting to come into stores for winter, as are printed styles, and you can indulge your inner dag in a pair of ‘mom’ jeans. Yep, ‘mom’ jeans are exactly what you think they are; the high-waisted, sometimes acid-washed, almost-but-not-quite-camel-toe, denim of yore. They’re exactly the type your mum sported in the late 80s/early 90s, and they’re best avoided IMHO.

If you’re short…

Besides having the distinct advantage of fitting into kids sneakers, finding clothes to fit a vertically challenged body is, er, a challenge. Even if you go for an ankle-length style expect that you will have to have them hemmed #shortgirlproblems. To lengthen your silhouette, choose a skinny style over a bootcut or flare as they won’t swamp your small frame.

TRY: Jeanswest Petite Super Skinny Jeans in Indigo, Topshop Petite MOTO Black Joni Jeans, ASOS PETITE Jameson Low Rise Denim Jeggings In Mid Wash, Glamorous Petite Ripped Boyfriend Jean, ASOS PETITE Exclusive Brady Low Rise Slim Boyfriend Jeans.

ASOS PETITE Jameson Low Rise Denim Jeggings In Mid Wash

If you’re tall…

Congrats, as a tallbie the world is your denim oyster. Well, as long as you don’t mind having cold ankles that is. As for which styles suit: you can successfully pull off boyfriend and ripped jeans without looking like a teen skater, same goes for ‘mom’ jeans if you don’t want to heed my advice to avoid them, and skinny, cropped, bootcut and flared styles also suit.

TRY: Brands that do longer hem lengths (well, duh) like Topshop Tall MOTO New Dark Vintage Jeans, ASOS Glamorous Tall Ripped Boyfriend Jean, NEW LOOK Tall Supersoft Skinny Jean,

Topshop Tall MOTO New Dark Vintage Jeans

If you’re pregnant:

Leggings are fantastic to don when you’re with child, but you will inevitably have to leave the house and go someplace where they are frowned upon (BOO!). For when that occasion arises maternity jeans will do just the trick (you only need one pair for your entire pregnancy, unless you’re going to wear them for work a few times a week).

TRY: Angel Maternity jeans (I wore these non-stop during my pregnancy), ASOS Maternity jeans, Jeanswest ‘Allie’ Maternity Jeans.

Jeanswest ‘Allie’ Maternity Jeans

If your hips don’t lie…

Shakira recently revealed the meaning behind her single ‘Hips Don’t Lie,’ was that when her hips start to move in the studio, she knows she has a hit on her hands, which doesn’t exactly help us now, but it’s useful for your next trivia night… maybe?? Apologies, I digress. If you’re plus size or have the loveliest of lady lumps, there are stacks of options for you.

TRY: Alice & You Ripped Boyfriend Jean, ASOS CURVE Ridley Skinny Jean In Washed Black With Ripped Knee, Embody denim, Target Moda straight jeans, and NYDJ go up to a size 24.

Alice & You Ripped Boyfriend Jean

If you like boyfriend jeans…

I mean, what’s NOT to like? Boyfriend jeans are comfy, won’t create a muffin top and are least likely to lose their shape because they’re kinda shapeless. Some may argue they’re not so flattering but comfy clothes rarely are. See: Dhoti pants.

TRY: Rusty Boyfriend Jeans, Elwood Boyfriend jeans, A Brand Boyfriend Jeans,  J Brand Aiden Boyfriend Jeans. 

Elwood Lenny Boyfriend Jean

If you fancy yourself a soccer mum…

I’ve just donated a pair of white jeans that had been torturing me for years, but if you regularly take your kid to soccer, secretly want to be Liz Hurley or just plain like ‘em (don’t mind me, I’m just jealous) you will find plenty of white denim in stores this winter.

TRY: 7 For All Mankind Slim Illusion Skinny Jean, Pepe Jeans Soho Skinny Jeans, J Brand Maria High-Rise Jeans.

J Brand Maria High-Rise Jeans

If you have a pancake bum…

Rather than becoming a squat ‘belfie’ champion a la Jen Selter, you can get a little help in the bum department with a pair of jeans that have flap or detailed pockets.

TRY: Mademoiselle Tara Boyfriend Jeans, G-Star Raw Slim Tapered Jeans, Guess Power Skinny, MAVI Sophie Jeans.

G-Star Raw Slim Tapered Jeans

If you live in skinny jeans but want to try something new…

Kate Moss put skinny jeans on the radar back in the mid 2000s, and although they are still bang on trend you’re b-o-r-e-d and already own several different washes.

TRY: Coated or printed denim like Neuw Marilyn Black, RES Denim Black Coated, or detailed version like Cotton On’s Moto-X or this ripped pale pair from Rag & Bone.

RES Denim Black Coated Jean

If you can’t get skinny jeans above your thighs…

Join. The. Club. Also thanks to Kate Moss, curvy girls have been getting stuck mid-thigh in changing rooms since the mid 00s.

TRY: Levi’s Demi Curve, G-Star loose tapered jeans, RES Denim slacker, 7 for all mankind, Jeanswest ‘curve embracer’ range, Kardashian Collection Khloe Curvy High Rise Boot jean.

Kardashian Collection Khloe Curvy High Rise Boot Jean

If you don’t like showing your bum whenever you bend down…

Back in the 90s, it was cool to wear low cut hipster jeans and show off your g-string (Shudder). Now? Notsomuch.

TRY: High-waisted: Jeanswest Tummy Trimmer Jean, Lee High Licks Polooza, Wrangler Hi Twiggy, MAVI ‘Alissa’, Nobody Cult Skinny, J Brand Maria High Rise.

J Brand Maria High Rise Jean

 Check our our gallery of dressy jeans done 100 per cent right:

Follow Mamamia Style on Facebook

Follow Mamamia Style for all the best fashion and beauty news from around the world.

Follow @nickychamp