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Original poster

So, are bootleg jeans a complete no no?

108 replies

DanglingChillis · 14/09/2013 20:24

I'm just too short and curvy to get away with skinnies (plus I wore them when they were called drainpipes and I was 2 sizes smaller). Can I give in to my age (mid 40s) and wear bootlegs that actually suit me?

OP posts:
KosherBacon · 15/09/2013 13:44

I'm 33 and an hourglass size 16. If I wear skinnies I look like an upside triangle on my bottom half. I go from broad hips down to little ankles and it looks awful. I have to wear a straight leg or SLIM boot cut. I think the people that hate bootlegs must all be size 8 ruler shapes. Real shaped women need an alternative to skinny jeans.

invicta · 15/09/2013 13:52

I'm a classic pear and love Bootcuts. I've just thrown out ( via charity shop) some straight trousers, because they make my thighs look hideous.

I think that wearing clothes that don't suit your figure makes you look far more frumpy, then a style that suits it.

( I'm also in mid 40s, and weigh more then I used to)

Belindaearl2 · 15/09/2013 14:22

Gok for Sainsbury's all about the bootcuts for A/W13. I knew mnetters wouldn't approve, but I did try-on denims in black & made my pair shape surprisingly ok - close to Squoosh's pic #1. Was put off buying by going retro tho Blush

Belindaearl2 · 15/09/2013 14:24

Argggh pear

QueenCadbury · 15/09/2013 14:31

Bootlegs are fab and I've never stopped wearing them. I had a phase of skinnies but hated them as they felt o restrictive. Bootlegs/flares and straight leg are so much more flattering on me. As someone else said bootlegs of today are totally different that bootlegs from years ago.

Fuckitthatlldo · 15/09/2013 14:33

Oh here we go... it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned "real" women.

I was born with a vagina ok Kosher? Just because I am a size 8 does not mean I am not an authentic female.

Jeez.

DuchessFanny · 15/09/2013 14:45

I'm a short size 16, bootlegs make me feel frumpy, skinnies only work with high heels, but I find peg trousers, tapered boyfriend and straight leg much more flattering and I feel more confident in them .
Am intrigued that the shape of bootlegs may have changed slightly as I used to live in them before they were called mumsy and I was put off !

ithaka · 15/09/2013 14:49

I wouldn't buy anything associated with vile Gok - another reason to give bootlegs a body swerve.

They will come back in, everything does in the end.

higgle · 15/09/2013 14:49

The trouble is that bootlegs only look good on the very tall and slender types that don't often wear them. Little dumpy people look better in straight jeans ( speaking as someone who used to be one of these) I have just lost 3 stone and look better in skinnies now.

itsnothingoriginal · 15/09/2013 16:27

I'm a size 8-10 too and as mentioned previously skinny jeans look awful on me. I have larger hips which taper down to very skinny ankles - hence skinny jeans manage to make me look fat.

The DP boot cut jeans I've just bought are perfect as they are slim at the top but have a little flare so balance out my shape. I'm only 5'2 and they also manage to make me look taller (well they will once I get some nice boots with heels!).

Karbea · 15/09/2013 16:59

Thanks to this thread I wore some straight leg jeans today that I've not worn for years, even they look pretty flared around the ankle, but hey at least it's a little step away from just wearing skinnies all the time! (Real women but of petite proportions ;) )

HarrietSchulenberg · 15/09/2013 17:09

Seeing as I look utterly ridiculous in skinnies, and straight legs don't suit me too well either, I've stuck with boot cuts all the way through. It's much better to have something that fits well and suits your shape than to look and feel uncomfortable in something that is meant to be in fashion.

Bunbaker · 15/09/2013 17:22

"A quite skinny jean from thigh to above ankle and then a small flare is far more flattering that a baggyish jean that flares from knee to ankle."

Only if you have skinny thighs.

squoosh · 15/09/2013 17:35

I disagree, baggy jeans are the worst thing you can wear if you've got chubby/fat thighs, they just add the illusion of more weight.

Fitted is far more flattering.

Inthebeginning · 15/09/2013 17:54

I wear skinny flares. I like vintagey clothes anyway so they look good with what I wear. At other times I wear skinniest. I'm a size 18.
As long as they are fitted and long enough I think go for it!!

Bunbaker · 15/09/2013 17:56

It depends on how skinny they are. I agree that baggy is unflattering, but speaking as a chunky thighed person the skinny flares are too tight on my thighs and just accentuate their size. I am wearing a pair of Tommy Hilfiger bootcut that I bought about 7 years ago and they skim the thighs rather than hug them, but are not at all baggy.

blueberryboybait · 15/09/2013 18:01

I tend to wear Joe Browns bootlegs because I look like a blue carrot in skinnies - wide at the top and skinny at the ankles. They just slide down to the skinnier part of my body so I am always hitching them up.

PrincessFlirtyPants · 15/09/2013 18:09

I like skinny jeans because I can wear them with flat shoes. The issue with boot cut jeans is that they only look good with heeled shoes and I just can't be bothered with that!

Bunbaker · 15/09/2013 18:18

I don't agree. I only wear bootcut with flats and mine aren't long enough for heels. In fact I just don't wear heels with jeans at all as jeans are, for me, casual wear. And I associate heels with dressing up.

AuntieMaggie · 15/09/2013 18:23

I bought a pair of bootcut jeans last week in new look and they are fab imo. There were loads of them too so they can't be that bad.

The trendy young shop assistant told me it depends what you normally wear on your feet as to what jeans you should buy. For me its trainers.

Jeggings and skinnies look awful on me because they end up baggy on certain parts of my leg but straight legs are ok.

pourmeanotherglass · 15/09/2013 18:36

Sitting here in my bootleg jeans (size 16).

I'd look ridiculous in skinnys, unless I wore a dress over them. 'Boyfriend' tend to be quite low on the waist, which isn't a good look if you've got a bit of a belly.

However, I'm old enough (43) to not care about what is in. Bit worried about my DD1 though.

Skinny jeans look fab on my skinny 9 year old. My nearly 11 year old is wearing bootleg - she's not (at all) fat, but has wide hips, and doesn't feel comfortable in skinnys. There isn't much choice for kids, her jeans are from Debenhams, practically everywhere else does skinny ones. Am I going to have to persuade her into skinnys so she doesn't stand out?

LillethTheCat · 15/09/2013 18:55

I wear bootcut jeans and nothing else and I will not stop as I like them.

Then again I dont follow fashion.

LillethTheCat · 15/09/2013 18:56

Im 34 BTW if that means anything and a size 14.

Fishandjam · 15/09/2013 20:17

I don't agree either princessflirty. I never wear heels anyway as they kill my feet and knees. Bootcuts look fine IMO with the aforementioned Docs, Converse, Fly ankle boots or Rocket Dog sneakers that I possess. Or Birkenstock-type sandals. Actually I think it's the bootcut+heels combo that's given them the mumsy reputation. Though as I said before, if it works for you, why the hell not!

MorrisZapp · 15/09/2013 20:31

Well I'm gutted. Discovered the bliss, joy and liberation of boyfriend jeans about a month ago. Bought them from Marks's, lovely high waist, flattering cut and I swear they are so comfy I keep them on in the evening for sofa lounging. My skinnies, I rip off as soon as I get in the door.

Now it's actually autumn and if anybody can tell me wtf to wear on my feet with boyfriend jeans in colder weather I will give them half my kingdom. Damned if I can fathom it.