The Key Way People in Their 20s Vs 30s Wear Bootcut Jeans

The rumors are true: bootcut jeans are so back. All year, we’ve been reporting on the surprising comeback that the denim shape has been experiencing, including the non-boot shoes fashion people are wearing with them, the pretty tops that pair especially well, and the petite-friendly pairs our 5’1″ editor recommends. I’d even go so far as to say that they’re beginning to dethrone straight-leg pairs as the default style for when you feel like wearing jeans. It’s a bold statement, to be sure, but the reason I know they’re here to stay is that bootcut jeans aren’t merely a niche trend worn by the more experimental 20-somethings among us—they’re being universally adopted across ages and aesthetics.

Everyone from 25-year-olds in the Lower East Side to 40-somethings in TriBeCa are adopting bootcut jeans into their everyday outfit rotations, but with one key difference: the rise of your jeans. I’ve noticed that if you’re a 20-something, you’re far more likely to be wearing your denim low on the hips, but if you’re, say, in your 30s or 40s (or 50s or 60s), you’re probably opting for a high-rise fit. It’s the classic generational divide—no matter how someone of any age dresses, you can always tell their birth year (or at least decade) based on where their jeans fall on their waist. Obviously, it goes without saying that you should wear whatever you like at whatever age you are, but this is just a pattern I couldn’t help but notice.

For a visual guide to the low-rise-versus-high-rise divide, look no further than the below bootcut jeans outfits from Bella Hadid to Rosie Hutington-Whiteley, and then shop my favorite pairs depending on your age—er, preference.