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May 5, 2013

Shopping: Where to find jeans for flat, small, and bony butts

It can be really hard to find jeans, but it is even harder when you have a flat, bony butt like I do.

I am not being mean or self-critical, but honest and blunt.

I have very small hips, and a small butt, and everything falls off it when it doesn’t fit properly especially in the waist.

You think this might be a blessing if you have a bigger butt, but this is a curse because while everything might fight my hips, my waist always ends up being a good 1″ – 2″ too loose (which makes me groan and imagine having to get them tailored $$$).

So here goes, my wealth of experience from the past 6 years of trying to find a good pair of jeans, in a short, sweet post and 2 solid, personal recommendations for jeans:

AVOID LOW RISE JEANS & LOOK FOR A SUPER HIGH RISES

Honestly, the higher the better. High-rise 10″ – 10.5″ pants are perfect because they really hang on to your body and they don’t fall down.

They hug to my waist, and my lack of hips is not a problem at all.

I know they probably remind you of old lady jeans or mom jeans, but frankly, I just wear a top or a sweater over the jeans, and you’ll never even see the high waistband. You’ll just feel super comfortable and secure.

You won’t have to continually pull them up either (which is what I hate about low-rise jeans)

The only downside is that it cuts into your stomach when you sit down.

HIGH-RISE JEANS TO TRY:

Citizens of Humanity Ultra High Poison Skinny Jeans @ 10.5″ rise

citizens-of-humanity-ultra-high-poison-skinny-jeans

I own these, and wear them quite often, especially with knee-high boots. They’re super soft but I think they might be discontinued now.

I took them in a 26, and they fit perfectly.

LOOK FOR MID-RISE JEANS WITH HIGHER, SMALLER POCKETS

Okay you’re wrinkling your nose at me because you don’t want to wear 10″ rise jeans. Fine.

Look for mid-rise at the very least. 8″ is the lowest you can go because any lower, and it will really create a flat line in your profile which makes your butt look even flatter.

You’ll have to tug them up once in a while, but not as often as low-rise.

You also want to look for higher-placed, smaller pockets to make your butt look rounder and not as flat.

Big, flat pockets that totally cover your butt just make your butt look flatter and not as round.

MID-RISE JEANS TO TRY:

Lucky Brand Sweet or Sofia Jeans

(The ‘Sweet’ style has a higher rise about 2/3 more than the ‘Sofia’).

lucky-brand-jeans-sweet-jean-boot

They are SUPER SOFT and comfortable. A bit thicker than Citizens of Humanity jeans, but they feel solid. They run larger, and I take a size “0 / 25” in these. (If they had “00 / 24”, I’d take those instead).

I may be buying these sometime (made in Mexico, which I am not sure is any better, but I trust them more than if they were made in China).

If you sign up for their email newsletter online you can get 20% off.

These jeans are also great because they have higher, smaller pockets that make your butt look rounder and not as flat.

FABRIC MIX SHOULD BE ABOUT 2% SPANDEX, MAX

The best jean for this is Lucky Brand jeans — 98% cotton and 2% spandex.

Any more spandex and it could be too stretchy or too tight, which will flatten your butt even more.

This is not the case with the Citizen Poison jeans above (74% cotton, the rest in elastane and polyamide), but you should be careful not to buy SUPER stretchy jeans because it looks awful and flattens your butt even more.

OTHER BRANDS OF JEANS AND JEAN-LIKE ITEMS I HAVE TRIED

I also own a pair of Rag & Bone Legging jeans in a mid-rise (8.5″). They come in a bunch of colours and I have Charcoal.

rag-and-bone-midnight-legging-jean

I find that they fit great in the legs and hips, but the waist is 1.5″ too big (I am a size 26 normally, I took a 26, and I may need to get them taken in because they stretched at least a size or two).

I would still love a higher rise than 8.5″ but they are so comfortable and much better looking than those too-tight yoga leggings that are unacceptable and vulgar to wear in public, that I can make such concessions.

H&M PREMIUM DENIM

I remember trying on H&M premium denim once and liking it. They felt very soft and very true to the more expensive jean brands, but I don’t think they make them any more.

NYDJ — NOT YOUR DAUGHTER’S JEANS

NYDJ (not your daughter’s jeans) is a STUPID name for a jean company, but they do make higher rises for the “older” woman because presumably, your daughter is a tween who only wants to wear low-rise or super low-rise jeans (*scoffs*). They make some decent jeans too.

OTHER PREMIUM DENIM: SEVEN’S, HUDSON..

I’ve also tried on other jeans in the past — Seven’s, Hudson, and other premium denim brands, but never liked them much for either the lack of a high rise (8″ or higher) or that the material wasn’t soft enough.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR GO-TO JEAN BRANDS?

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14 Comments

  • Melissa
    April 14, 2021

    So what do you suggest for small hips, small butt, but thicker waist as in the same as my hip measurement?

    Reply
  • Maggie
    January 19, 2015

    I did find this article informative, though with all of this talk about butts….I was very disappointed that you only showed the front view of any of the suggested jeans… smh

    Reply
    • save. spend. splurge.
      January 20, 2015

      Well the websites only show the front of the jeans. At any rate, the best ones that are high waisted will always make your butt look high and round. A model’s butt is always perfect anyway. I try on every pair I buy to see which brands fit me best (Lucky, and Citizens)

      Reply
  • Krystal
    May 8, 2013

    Argh. I find shopping for jeans to be near impossible. I have a small waist, but have bigger hips/thighs – and a butt. Oh, and I’m short. And like you, I want something that’s not low rise. Plus I’ve been trying to stay away from higher priced jeans (have been buying Levis Bold Curve for the last few years at least than $90/pair), but I think I’m about ready to take the plunge in the $200-300 range. It’s worth it if it fits properly. I’ve heard that True Religion and 7 For All Mankind are really great. So maybe I’ll check it out.

    Reply
  • Tania
    May 6, 2013

    Are you under 5’7″? You could also give Allison Izu a try. Premium petite denim made in Hawaii. A lower price point than contemporary denim. She wholesales to contemporary boutiques in Honolulu, not sure if she does to the mainland but you can order online. If you write to them with your measurements and preferences, I’m sure they could make a style recommendation for you. Hawaii has a large Asian demographic with cute tiny butts so she might have something that’ll work.

    I have a big apple butt (my butt apparantly took after my German ancestory, not my Japanese side), which has its own fit problems. But I have helped many a flatter butted friend find jeans and I’d agree the contemporary brands might be the answer. I think Joe’s Jeans does some higher rises too and they have different styles dependant on your body type. Something with flap pockets too adds bulk like True Religion or Hudson (but Hudson has a ton of stretch).

    Reply
  • Janine
    May 5, 2013

    My favorite pair of jeans are J-brand and I got them on-sale for $99 at Aritzia. I’m a 24 (I have a really hard time finding jeans) and they fit perfectly and are never big in the waist. They basically the only pair of jeans I wear because everything else is too big in the waist!

    Reply
  • Michelle
    May 5, 2013

    I have the Asian flat bony butt… 🙁 I went to the mall one day and tried all the jeans in almost every store. The one that fits me the best is Citizen of Humanities because it makes me look like I have a butt! 😀 I like Ava (straight leg), but it was in low rise… however, the back was sewn like a mid rise (covered the whole butt and gave me full coverage), but the front a low rise… so I think that was the secret. 🙂

    Reply
  • Bridget
    May 5, 2013

    I don’t wear jeans often, but the only pairs I own are AG Stevies. You can get them at Anthropology. I have hips so I’m not sure how they’d fare on small bony frames, but I really like them because the length is just perfect. I think most inseams are a 32 then for talls you have to get 34 and my inseam is like, 33 so I’m always in the middle. AG Stevies are just right!

    I don’t find the size consistent across all colors though — I bought 3 pairs in February and the gray and black ones are 27 and the traditional blue denim are a size 28. I have a pair of blue ones too that are a size 27 that don’t fit anymore, so I’m surprised I fit into 27 of the other colors, but reading the tags the blends are really different so some are stretchier than others.

    Reply

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