French Women Are Skipping These Denim Trends Right Now

She skips ultra-low-rise jeans

and shops mid-rise cigarette jeans

It pains me to say this as a lover of low-rise jeans who feels uncomfortable when I slip into mid-rise jeans, but this isn’t about me, a New Yorker who likes her jeans to start at her hips. It’s about French women who look far chicer because of their preference for mid-rise and high-rise jeans. You won’t catch me in super-high-rise jeans anytime soon, but to emulate my favorite French women, a mid-rise moment is up next for me.

She skips puddle pants

and shops tailored straight-leg jeans

While I love puddle pants, I might not call them the most practical, especially with the number of rainstorms in NYC lately, because they need to run through the wash a bit more often than normal. French people love a cropped and tailored pair of jeans more than anyone, so they’d skip these baggy styles for a straight-leg silhouette any day.

She skips cargo jeans

and shops indigo and black jeans

Adding cargo pockets to denim has been a fun way for brands to remix classic silhouettes in recent years, and that will still be a thing for years to come among the fashion crowd of NYC. Paris, however, has a completely different vibe in this regard. For a utilitarian look, a French woman might not be a fan of cargo jeans but would love to wear an indigo pair or even black to give off a cool girl flair.

She skips distressed denim

and shops frayed-hem jeans

Distressed denim always comes and goes in the fashion cycle, especially in New York, but in Paris, this definitely happens less often. The traditional and classic French woman would avoid gaping holes and overly distressed denim, but a frayed hem would catch her eye.

She skips patchwork and statement colors

and shops white jeans

A French woman’s idea of making a statement is choosing a stark-white pair of jeans in a sea of blue. Don’t even bother trying to get her in a bright-colored pair or overly patched style. Instead, break the “no white after Labor Day” rule for an effortlessly cool look.

and shops rigid denim