Since the skinny died a timely death in 2016, I've been all about mom jeans: namely the mid-rise, straight-leg style of Levi's 501s. Slim enough to feel 'flattering' (whatever that means) and baggy enough to read as 'cool', they're the best jeans for me, whatever the trend cycle is saying. But while my usual personal style idiom is: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', there's another denim contender creeping into my periphery this season.
While I'm not quite ready to jump back onto the skinny jeans bandwagon (yes, they're back), eight years into my monogamous relationship with those trusty 501s, I'm considering opening my relationship up to the barrel-leg jean.
Best Barrel Leg Jeans
We The Free Lucky You Mid-Rise Barrel Jeans
This Y2K iteration comes in over 20 different shades and washes.
Cos Arch Jeans
Slung low on the hips and ending sharply on the ankle, Cos' Arch is your entry-level barrel-leg jean.
Slightly higher and tighter on the waist, Frame's dark-wash jean is an especially flattering option.
Zara's floor-pooling barrel jeans come in a host of washes and colours, and are slouchy enough to look nonchalantly cool, whatever you wear them with.
H&M has delivered the ultimate everyday jean with a gently tapered leg.
Toteme Barrel Jeans
The off-white hue of Toteme's Barrel jeans is perfect for pairing with neutral separates.
Ganni Dark Blue Stone Stary Jeans
Ganni's stellar pair comes in a host of blue tones, as well as some liveler metallic finishes.
These rugged, rounded jeans are the style that started the entire trend, and they're still one of the best to buy.
The visible front seam on Agolde's Luna jean look so cool in the flesh, particularly when paired with mesh flats and a heavy knit.
Usually, high-waisted, barrel-leg jeans are notable for their extreme tapered leg. Coming in all different washes, their slim ankle and baggy knee seem to be the perfect combination of relaxed and sleek. And I'm not the only one with a wandering eye: according to Citizens of Humanity (the brand that birthed the trend), retailers have bought heavily into the horseshoe style once more for AW24, while everyone from Cos to Marks & Spencer has introduced the player into the arena.
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It began with Alaïa, whose creative director Pieter Mulier sent a fabulously extreme pair down the runway last autumn, and the trend has only grown steadily ever since. Free People, Frame and Toteme (the top-searched denim brands for barrel jeans on Lyst) have all released (more affordable) styles that would work as well with with heels and mesh flats as they would with trainers and loafers.
As we shift into a new season, I'm going to pair mine with a With Nothing Underneath shirt and a pair of easy heeled boots. Oh yes, and that's another new-season style resolution I'm setting; it's time to ease myself back into heels one again.
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Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
