I’m Easing Back Into Skinny Jeans With This Flattering Pair on Sale From $60

This past fall, I found myself growing tired of the quintessentially hourglass silhouette I always recreate in the colder months, namely with wide-leg, full-length jeans, a fitted T-shirt and a short and/or boxy sweater or cardigan. I was officially on the market for a pair of pants with a slim, not classic straight, leg. 

With the exception of one very tailored jean trouser made by my favorite Milanese independent designer, all the jeans I own come from Madewell. IMO, the retailer has the best cuts, fabric, and price points, and, in my ten years of buying them, I can safely say that the styles are very accommodating, whatever size one might be wearing; they hardly gape at the waist and have enough room in the upper thigh area.

To ease back into a skinnier denim silhouette, I landed on the brand’s Stovepipe style. Unlike most skinny jeans that look like jeggings, the leg is slim and straight throughout, and it does not taper, legging-like, at the ankle, which makes them feel dressier and give each outfit a subtle gamine effect. 

The main reason for my need for slim-leg jeans comes down to styling. I now gravitate more towards slouchy, oversized sweaters, blouses, and shirts, which, unless you succeed in tucking them, do not work as well with high-waisted, wide-legged or ‘90s straight leg jeans. Plus, they’re trending, like it or not — Instagram account @databutmakeitfashion seems to validate my inkling, as it reports that searches for skinny jeans have doubled in popularity in the last month.

I got my Stovepipe jeans in the Dalesford wash, a dark, slightly warm-toned wash made of 98 percent cotton. That wash is currently on sale and selling out, but there are a few other similar washes available, such as Rinse and Pendleton. You can also snag the Stovepipe jeans in a lighter wash with a cropped, frayed hem if that’s more your jam.

So far, I’ve worn the Stovepipe jeans on two international flights with an oversized cable-knit sweater, at a birthday dinner with a velvet duster-like tunic, and around the house with a rotation of sweaters, oversized Oxford shirts, and other layering pieces. Shoes-wise, these jeans pair very well with loafers and, shocking to no one, ballet flats. 

Plus, I am hardly alone in my appreciation for Stovepipe jeans. “Stovepipes are my new favorite fit,” one shopper raved. “They're super flattering, stretchy enough to be comfortable, and so much less constricting than skinnies.“ Another customer echoed the same sentiment that they’re “ not too skinny and they're just the right amount of stretchy,” while someone else said that they “feel like leggings” and are “extremely flattering.”

Snag your pair of Madewell’s Stovepipe jeans while some styles are marked down — they’re bound to sell out.