Jeans are the most common form of clothing today, worn by people across different age groups, genders, occupations and lifestyles. However, did you know that jeans were once worn only by men in the army and other significant professions? Since their clothes were more prone to wear and tear, they zeroed down on a durable material such as denim and got them tailored to cover the length of their legs.
It’s hard to believe that jeans were once not as mainstream as they are today. Nowadays, your wardrobe is incomplete without a good pair of jeans. While the definition of a good pair of jeans can vary from person to person, the standard expectation is that it should fit well in all the right places.
Some like their jeans to be tighter near the thighs and airier at the bottom. Some like them to be loose and flared throughout. Some like them to be figure-hugging. To meet these different demands, fashion brands have introduced a plethora of styles like boot cut, tapered, flared and loose jeans.
Among the form-fitting category, the two most popular styles are skinny jeans and slim-fit jeans. While they tend to be referred to interchangeably, there are some differences between the two. You should be able to tell one from the other so that the next time you look for a fitted pair of jeans, you find the one that meets all your expectations.
AskMen India makes it easier for you by distinguishing slim fit and skinny jeans on the basis of five categories:
Roomy And Not So Much
While both slim fit and skinny jeans are form-fitting, there is a slight difference in their sizes. When compared to skinny jeans, slim fit jeans are airier and more spacious. They have more room despite being well-fitted. Slim fit jeans sit close to the legs, but do not completely seal them. Skinny jeans, on the other hand, cling to the skin and have a fitting that’s similar to that of a pair of yoga pants.
The Fit Around Your Thighs
Although both slim fit and skinny jeans sit close to the legs, their fitting at the thighs is comparable. While slim fit jeans give a good shape to the seat and the thighs, skinny jeans take on their natural shape.
Slim fit jeans are reasonably tight near the thighs, but skinny jeans cling to the surface of the skin to mould itself as per the outline of your legs. Moreover, slim fit jeans are tight only near the thighs, but skinny jeans are tight throughout the length of your legs.
The Tapering
Slim fit jeans and skinny jeans are both tight around the waist and thighs. However, it’s their tapering that makes them different from one another. Slim fit jeans have a gentle tapering below the knees. Their circumference reduces very slightly as you go lower.
On the other hand, skinny jeans tend to have an aggressive tapering. This means that their circumference is substantially less at the bottom, as compared to the width of their knees. From the knee down, skinny jeans see a dramatic increase in their tightness.
The Leg opening
Since the tapering of slim fit and skinny jeans is different, it goes without saying that their width at the ankles is different too. Although the leg opening of slim fit jeans is smaller in circumference as compared to the knees, their leg opening still allows some free space.
Skinny jeans are more extreme. They circumference clings to the ankles, leaving no room for any air to pass through. This makes their taper more apparent.
The Material
Since skinny jeans take on the natural outline of your legs, they are made using stretchy denim fabric. Slim fit jeans, on the other hand, are made for the purpose of adding definition to your lower body, especially when it’s not in good shape.
Hence, they are made with robust, non-stretch denim fabrics. The material used for skinny jeans is softer, more malleable than that of slim fit jeans.
Now that you know how to identify a slim fit and skinny pair of jeans, you can tell exactly which of the two would suit your body best. If your legs are naturally thin and toned, you should go for skinny jeans to take on their outline. If your legs are slim, but unshapely, opt for slim fit jeans to add more definition.
Cover artwork by Dhaval Punatar/AskMen India
