For the longest time, it felt like baggy jeans were the only choice for the street-style crowd – ideally low-rise, with pointy or Tabi boots being swallowed up by the pooling hems. But as temperatures have dipped and the winter layers have come out, another style of jeans has been quietly shuffling their way back onto our moodboards. We’re talking, of course, about straight-leg jeans – not baggy, not skinny, but that sweet spot in between.
A noticeable return to the humble straight leg emerged around fashion month earlier this year, when it was clearly the go-to uniform for off-duty models slouching around Paris and New York. Usually low or mid-rise, and worn with loafers, ballet flats or boots, the straight leg feels casual and low-effort without totally swamping you like some baggy jeans can. And if you’re someone that will never be on board with a return to skinny, the straight leg is an easy alternative that feels like a classic.
Really, it’s no wonder that models have jumped aboard the straight leg train en masse – the style has made an appearance on the autumn/winter 2025 catwalk, too. Think: the low-slung straight leg jeans for Diesel’s, or all the shimmery and glitter-studded straight legs at Versace’s show, or even the slouchy, not-quite-skinny jeans for Dsquared2’s collection. While straight-leg jeans surged in popularity during the run-up to summer, the style has proved itself truly seasonless – and shows no signs of fading as 2026 approaches.
Bella Hadid – a soothsayer when it comes to jeans – has also been on the straight-leg jeans trend for a minute. Often pairing hers with a vest and trainers, or sometimes a lil’ stiletto, the 28-year-old model has got straight leg outfit combos down to a fine art. She’s also not averse to a high-rise straight leg with a belt, which feels very “early 2010s mom” in the best way possible.
Fortunately, finding the most perfect straight-leg jeans for winter is a relatively painless experience (unlike, say, piling a gazillion bootcuts into a harshly-lit changing room). My colleague Alice Cary swears by vintage straight legs, as the denim has a bit more life to it. “The pair of Levi’s 501s I found in a vintage store in the US several years ago are perfectly worn-in and will continue to age as I wear them,” she wrote for British Vogue recently. “They have a finish that’s hard to replicate in a factory.”
Looking ahead to 2026, the straight-leg jean is set to become a new winter classic. With designers and high-street retailers introducing thicker, weightier denims and winter-friendly tones, including deep indigos, charcoal blacks and icy stone-washes. When it comes to how to wear straight-leg jeans, expect to them styled with oversized scarves, sturdy boots, long wool coats and soft, voluminous knits or pillowly bombers, polo shirts and loafers. In short, the humble jeans type’s unfussy geometry works perfectly with piling on as many layers as possible in the coldest of months.
Obviously, models look good in anything – that’s literally their job. But if there’s one trend that’s worth replicating this year from the GOATs of low-key cool, it’s the straight leg. Whether you’re a model or not, you can’t go wrong with this straight-up-and-down classic.
-641.png)
