The thing to know before you buy relaxed jeans is that relaxed doesn't mean baggy and it doesn't mean shapeless, it means there's room through the thigh and a straighter line down to the ankle, so you want to try them sitting down in the changing room, not just standing in front of the mirror looking pleased with yourself. If they feel fine standing but pull tight the second you bend your knee, that's not a style you're reading wrong, that's just the wrong pair.
They're not the ones to reach for if you want your legs to look longer or your waist to look smaller, because that's not the job they're doing. Anything with a lot of stretch in the denim tends to lose the shape by lunchtime and go a bit saggy at the knee, so I'd look for something with a decent cotton content, maybe five percent elastane at most, so it keeps its line. A rigid, slightly stiffer denim actually softens into a better shape over a few wears than anything too soft to begin with. They're brilliant for a day where you're walking a lot, sitting on trains, picking things up off the floor, the ordinary physical business of a Saturday, but I wouldn't wear them anywhere I needed to look pulled together in ten minutes flat, because they take a bit more styling than a skinny jean does.
Where they really earn a place is autumn through to early spring, with boots and a jumper that's got some weight to it, or in high summer with nothing on your legs and a flat sandal, when the straighter cut stops your ankles looking swamped. What they don't get on with is anything else oversized up top. A big jumper over a relaxed leg just reads as a lot of fabric and not much shape, and you end up looking like you've borrowed the whole outfit from someone taller. Tuck something in, or at least go for a top that ends at the hip, so there's a line somewhere on you. I'd also steer clear of chunky trainers with a very wide sole underneath them, it tips the whole thing into clumpy rather than easy, and easy is the entire point of the cut.
Before you commit, sit down in them properly, do the squat test by the mirror even if it feels daft, and ask yourself whether there's room through the thigh without looking like you've borrowed your brother's jeans by accident.
Embroidered JeansEmbroidered Relaxed Baggy Jeans on Our Radar
Embroidered JeansEmbroidered Relaxed Denim Jeans We’ve Been Saving
Embroidered JeansThe Embroidered Relaxed Jeans We’re Eyeing Up This Season
Embroidered JeansA Closer Look at the Best Embroidered Relaxed Wide Leg Jeans
Ecru Relaxed Denim Jeans That Feel Special
The Ecru Relaxed Jeans Your Wardrobe Is Missing
Wide Leg JeansA Closer Look at the Best Ecru Relaxed Wide Leg Jeans
Dark Blue JeansDark Blue Relaxed Straight Leg Jeans on Our Radar
Dark Blue JeansDark Blue Relaxed Bootcut Jeans: Our Honest ShortlistAlso worth a lookStretch JeansThe question I get most about stretch jeans, usually from someone holding two pairs with the same label…See the collections →
Dark Blue JeansDark Blue Relaxed Denim Jeans: Our Top Picks
Dark Blue JeansThe Dark Blue Relaxed Jeans Your Wardrobe Is Missing
The Curve Relaxed Denim Jeans We Swear By
Curve Relaxed Jeans Edited Down to the Best
Slim JeansCurve Relaxed Slim Jeans That Have Caught Our Eye
Straight Leg JeansEasy Curve Relaxed Straight Leg Jeans for Every Day
Wide Leg JeansCurve Relaxed Wide Leg Jeans: Picks We Stand By
The Cream Relaxed Denim Jeans Your Wardrobe Is Missing
Cream Relaxed Jeans We Think You’ll LoveAlso worth a lookSlim JeansThe thing worth knowing before you buy slim jeans is that the fabric weight matters more than the…See the collections →
Slim JeansCream Relaxed Slim Jeans Worth Adding to Your Wardrobe
Blue JeansBlue Relaxed Mom Jeans: The Edit
Skinny JeansThe Prettiest Blue Relaxed Skinny Jeans Around Right Now
Blue JeansOur Pick of the Best Blue Relaxed Slim Jeans
Blue JeansThe Blue Relaxed Straight Leg Jeans We Swear By
Blue JeansBlue Relaxed Wide Leg Jeans That Make Dressing Easy
Blue JeansBlue Relaxed Baggy Jeans: The Edit
Blue JeansBlue Relaxed Barrel Jeans on Our Radar
Blue JeansBlue Relaxed Bootcut Jeans on Our RadarAlso worth a lookStraight Leg JeansFor years I thought straight leg meant shapeless, a sort of denim tube that did nothing for anyone who wasn't six foot and built like a pencil.See the collections →
Blue JeansThe Blue Relaxed Boyfriend Jeans Shortlist
Blue JeansBlue Relaxed Denim Jeans That Feel Special
Flared JeansBlue Relaxed Flared Jeans on Our Radar
Blue JeansThe Blue Relaxed Jeans Worth Your Wardrobe Space
Black JeansBlack Relaxed Bootcut Jeans We’ve Been Saving
Black JeansEasy Black Relaxed Boyfriend Jeans for Every Day
Black JeansOur Pick of the Best Black Relaxed Denim Jeans
Black JeansBlack Relaxed Jeans That Make Dressing Easy
