I'm Finally Ready to Embrace Skinny Jeans—Here Are 15 Pairs I Love as a Skeptic

Even when skinny jeans were popular, I was never the biggest fan. Wearing pants doesn't come naturally to me, and skinny jeans represented everything I disliked about them. They are restricting and tight, offering no movement. I also found them tough to style for that exact reason.

With everyone claiming 2026 is the new 2016 (this has yet to be seen IMO, but I digress), there's no hiding the fact that skinny jeans are finally making a comeback. I might as well embrace them—not because I feel the need to follow a trend but because I do genuinely feel inspired by the chic women I've seen wearing them around. There's no denying they have a rock 'n' roll sensibility that makes them intimidating but endlessly cool.

I decided to scour the internet for pairs of skinny jeans that don't make me cringe. I was surprised by how much there was out there.

I think the key to loving skinny jeans is just trying a pair that doesn't feel that out of your comfort zone denim-wise. For me, that just meant looking into pairs that felt not so tight and had a wash that gave a vintage feeling. Skinny jeans that look a little worn in also seem to be the norm now, and plenty of them come in a warmer wash than was popular in 2016. That small detail makes them feel a bit more current and a little less twee.

Below, shop the best skinny jeans I could find that just might make me a convert instead of a skeptic.

Gap

High Rise True Skinny Jeans

Madewell

The Pencil Jean in Super Stretch Denim

Mango

Mid-Rise Skinny Jeans

Paige

Hoxton Ultra Skinny Jean

Bdg

Skylar Low-Rise Skinny Jean

Mother

High Waisted Looker

Reformation

Cynthia High Rise Straight Jeans

Mango

High-Rise Skinny Jeans

Abercrombie & Fitch

High Rise Super Skinny Ankle Jean

Calvin Klein

High Rise Skinny Jeans

We the Free

Paloma Low-Rise Cropped Jeans

Moussy Vintage

Wahneta Skinny Jeans

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