The One Styling Shift That Makes Barrel Jeans Work (On Real Bodies)
As a personal stylist for women, I have the advantage of listening to women as they face their style conundrums. Some are overarching challenges, like creating new outfits from existing pieces or understanding how to liven up your existing wardrobe.
Others are more specifically focused on the friction between wanting to wear a new trend and actually being able to make it happen.
Few trends have been as perplexing to women as barrel pants.
There was a time when women would ask similar questions about “Mom Jeans.” They were frustrated because as hard as they tried, Mom Jeans just didn’t look good on them. I’d reveal the sad truth that Mom Jeans were actually part of the overarching Normcore trend, meaning they didn’t look good on anyone. And that was the point. Much like so many designer pieces, they are intentionally unattractive, giving the person wearing them the opportunity to show confidence and wealth by wearing these pieces anyway.
Barrel pants are different. Yes, they can look awful. But, they don’t have to. And here’s all you need to know to be one of the women who are “pulling them off” and one of the women who aren’t.
This Easy Trick Will Make You Look Good in Barrel Pants
Before we dive into the tip, just a quick FYI. Our most popular blog post of 2025 was What Body Types Look Good in Barrel Pants aka Barrel Leg Pants or Balloon Pants? If you’re struggling to see how to style barrel pants for your figure, that post is for you.
Now, onto our easy solution.
The most common complaint I hear about barrel pants is that they are frumpy or that they make her feel, “bigger all over.” For women who loved skinny jeans, the contrast between barrel jeans and skinnies is even more striking. And, these complaints are spot on. A full length barrel jean can be unflattering. The ideal way to ensure the leg is as flattering as possible is to nail the length. And ankle length barrel pant is always more flattering because you can see the actual barrel shape, making your waist feel smaller in contrast to the rest of the leg. If an ankle length isn’t for you, opt for a full length that does not have a leg break, that is the part of a pant leg that wrinkles because the pant leg hits the top of the shoe. That’s the key.
Personally, I’m a super fan of ankle length pants in general as you can pair them with any type of shoe. I recommend trying a petite barrel pant or an ankle length style, even if you aren’t petite. (Remember that petite will be shorter at the rise and the length, so this may or may not work for you.) If the jeans come in full length only, I highly recommend having them tailored to ankle length.
As part of the Continuum client membership, we share OOTD photos, so I’ve grabbed a couple images of me in barrel jeans to illustrate my point.
Obsessed with these barrel jeans. I wear them all the time, especially with sweatshirts and a great coat or jacket.
These are the same barrel jeans I’m wearing. Sadly, they are out of black. I’ve been wearing them for about a year and love them. They are mid-rise full length. I’m 5’6 1’2 and bought a petite to get the ankle effect. Typically, petite is designed for women 5’4” and below. You can see in the image how they look with a full shoe at the standard full length. It’s not as flattering as ankle length. If the length is extra long, it’s less awesome.
A Full Length High Rise barrel jean for the win!
This time I’m in my house shoes, without makeup and just working from home. I had these barrel jeans hemmed at Nordstrom when I purchased them and LOVE the fit. (Nordstrom tailoring is included as a sort of store credit as you get the cost of tailoring refunded to you in the form of a Nordstrom note.) The store tailor seemed very confused by my request until she saw the final product. Even she was excited. And yes! They are shiny IRL.
The full length choice works well with a heel or clog, but is pretty frumpy with a pair of boots or sneakers. As for how to style this fabric, I’ve found they are best with white or other light colors.
And there you have it. I can’t wait to hear how you style them. And remember to check out the other blog post for a better understanding of balancing your frame in this silhouette. Enjoy!
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