The 13 Very Best High-Waisted Jeans

Sizes: 23–39 (plus-sizes 14-26 here) with 26-, 28-, and 30-inch inseams | Rise: 10.85 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Style: Tapered straight-leg | Price: $

I’ve heard about the Wedgies from Levi’s over and over again. Named for their cheekier backside, these don’t have the highest high-rise on this list. But because of their high-enough rise, good fit, and affordable price, I’ve named them the best high-waisted jeans. Though they initially felt a bit snug due to the stiffness of the denim, they became more comfortable on the second wear. The hint of stretch (in the form of one percent elastane) really helped. These are described as “curve highlighting,” and they hug just right everywhere, especially from behind. They haven’t overstretched in the slightest, becoming a pair I can always reach for. The 10.85-inch rise hits me right at my belly button.

I also appreciate that the Wedgies come in a large size range and have the distinction of working for petites and talls because they are available in three different inseams (26, 28, and 30 inches). I’m around five-two and didn’t have to cuff the shortest version, something that almost never happens (even when I buy a pair branded as petite). The jeans also have an ever-growing following that includes Bird founder Jennifer Mankins; Dianna Cohen, founder of hair-care line Crown Affair; Sara Zucker, director of social media at Korres; and Madewell’s former head of design, Joyce Lee.

Sizes: 23–37, with 26.5-, 28.5-, 30.5-, 32.5-inch inseams | Rise: 11 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Style: Straight-leg | Price: $

At five-feet-two, I often have a hard time finding petite jeans that are actually petite. But in the sea of petite-branded jeans, Abercrombie’s 90s Ultra High Rise are a standout for its two petite-specific lengths: “extra-short,” made for those who are under five feet, and “short,” designed for those between five-feet to five-feet-three. (If you’re on the taller side, the jeans also come in “long” with a 32.5-inch inseam, and “extra-long,” though the inseam for that length isn’t listed.) One caveat is that the “extra-short” is limited to sizes 23 through 30, while the “short” is available in all sizes (23 to 37), but I still think the jeans are worthy of this title. These have been repeatedly praised by petites we’ve talked to: Photographer Lizbeth Hernandez likes how they fit her “curvy body,” and content creator Amy Serrano describes them as the best kind of butt-hugging. She says they’re so comfortable, she could wear them while doing “a round of high kicks with the Radio City Rockettes.”

Sizes: 23–33 (plus sizes 14W–28W here) with 25-, 26.5-, 27-, 30-, and 33-inch inseams | Rise: 11.25 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Style: Wide-leg | Price: $$

If you’re tall, Madewell can be a gold mine for jeans — as long as there’s enough stock. Its tall section sells out often, in part because it offers two inseams for people who are “tall” (between five-feet-eight and five-eleven) and “taller” (six feet and up). The “taller” sizes are usually the first to sell out, but these wide-leg crops from Madewell’s Perfect Vintage line are currently available in both lengths. The jeans feature a wider leg, with a higher rise than our top-pick Levi’s Wedgies at just over 11 inches. Though these are branded as cropped, the inseams of 30 inches and 33 inches should still be full-length for many taller people.

No matter what Madewell has in stock when you shop, two former Strategist staffers who are also tall women, Chloe Anello and Hannah Starke, have only praise for the brand’s jeans. Anello, who’s five-nine, has a collection of Madewell’s “tall” pairs in a number of cuts. Starke, who’s five-ten, says Madewell’s jeans are the only ones “that fit my body correctly.” And stylist Sahra Brandt regularly recommends the Perfect Vintage to clients of all shapes and sizes as well. “I get little texts, out of the blue, like, The best thing I got during our shopping session was the jeans. I’ll do a check-in every once in a while and ask them, What have you been wearing all the time? The answer is the jeans a lot of the time,” she says.

Sizes: 00–40 with 26- and 30-inch inseams | Rise: 11 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Wider straight-leg | Price: $$

Almost all of my go-to plus-size sources have recommended something from Universal Standard to me at least once. But the brand’s jeans get the most praise for being size inclusive. They’re available in sizes 00 through 40 — and usually in different inseams, ranging from 24 inches to 32 inches — and come in a range of well-fitting cuts. And even if you’re not plus-size, they’re very good jeans. The Baes are my favorite of the jeans I’ve tried out from the brand, beating out the Seines, which took this title in a previous version of this guide. I find them to be super-comfortable without needing to be broken in at all. You know the feeling of unbuttoning a pair of jeans and finally exhaling? I never feel that with these. They hold me in without making me feel like my guts are getting rearranged. And while the jeans might be billed as “boyfriend,” they’re in between a straight-leg and wide-leg. It’s a flattering silhouette even on my curvy, short frame. You have the choice between the cropped (with a 26-inch inseam) and regular (which is 30 inches long) lengths, and I suggest sizing down one waist size in them.

Sizes: 23–31 with 29-inch and 33-inch inseams | Rise: 12 inches | Stretch: Not stretchy or stretchy options | Style: Slightly cropped straight-leg | Price: $$

Strategist managing editor Kelsie Schrader had a “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants moment” when she first tried out this pair. “Normally, when people call jeans ‘comfortable,’ I want to ask them how much the brand is paying them to say that, but, truly, these are comfortable,” Schrader insists. The straight-leg isn’t too slim or too wide, and the jeans aren’t too long on her five-foot-two frame. But these work for taller people as well — artist Melly Wirtes, who’s six-foot-two, says the 33-inch inseam version fits her like a glove and isn’t so cropped. Katie Schmidt, owner of Passion Lilie, points out that Reformation’s denim is well suited for leggier body types, and these jeans give the illusion of much longer legs. (Reformation also now offers the Cynthias in different fabric blends, including one made with cotton and Tencel, another that features recycled cotton, and one with elastane.)

Sizes: 24–35 with 24- (petite), 26- (regular) and 28-inch (tall) inseams | Rise: Not listed | Stretch: Stretchy | Cut: Looser straight-leg | Price: $

I’ve been buying Banana Republic Factory’s jeans for years. They’re cheap — often under $100 and regularly marked down for half off. They wear well and last a long time (my oldest pair is almost a decade old). And, probably most important, they make my butt look fantastic. Of course there’s a catch: Banana Republic Factory, admittedly, has a smaller selection of jeans than Banana Republic proper. And styles can come and go quickly whenever there’s a big sitewide sale. Its Girlfriend Jean is reliably stocked, though. I have two of them, and got the first a few years ago and the second just this month. I like the ease of the jeans, which are a looser, cropped-length straight-leg. Like Universal Standard’s boyfriend style, Banana Republic Factory’s Girlfriend has a good fit from the beginning; I could wear them right out of the bag without needing to break them in. The company doesn’t list a rise measurement in inches on the jeans, but they came with a tag marked “low-rise,” which I disagree with: The top of the jeans stop right at my belly button. They’re not as high as, say, Levi’s Ribcages, but I think they’re a good jean for someone who’s hoping to go higher than their usual mid-rise.

Sizes: 23–40 (plus sizes here) with 28-, 30-, and 32-inch inseams | Rise: 10.25 inches | Stretch: Very stretchy | Style: Skinny | Price: $$

To me, Levi’s 720s are the platonic ideal of skinny jeans. These have a super-tight-fitting leg — almost jeggings-esque — and a generous amount of stretch (3 percent Lycra), which is needed for the style to fit properly. Writer Diana McCorry says they feature “enough stretch to avoid that nasty tummy compression but enough shape to create a great silhouette when you stand up.” And while McCorry often feels she has to choose between comfort in the rear and excessive tightness in the midsection, “the 720s are a little loose in the waist, but not quite enough to necessitate a belt, which is nice.” (An honorable mention goes to the slowly selling-out Levi’s Mile Highs, which according to Strategist associate editor Jenna Milliner-Waddell are “super stretchy to the point where you can size down and have enough compression to suck everything in.”)

Sizes and lengths: 23–34 with a 34-inch inseam | Rise: 10 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Style: Skinny through thighs, flare from knees | Price: $

The flare on these Frames is “like a cherry but on the bottom,” says Cadmus. They are meant to be reminiscent of bell-bottoms, with a decidedly more form-fitting shape through the hips and thighs that widens into a flare at the knees. The cut adds even more interest to their waist-defining ten-inch rise (which is at the lower end of “high,” and the lowest on this list) and butt-sculpting shape. Plus, they’re comfortable to wear, promises Cadmus. “Actual vintage high-waisted flare jeans sans stretch from the ’70s feel constricting,” she says. These have enough stretch to be comfortable but keep their structure while you’re wearing them.

Sizes: 24–31 with 28.5-inch inseam | Rise: 11.75 inches | Stretch: Stretchy | Style: Wide-leg | Price: $$

Digital content creator Carrie Carrollo introduced me to Australian denim brand Rolla’s Sailor Jeans after discovering them at Article& in Cobble Hill. Carollo, who’s five-foot-five, was slightly dubious about whether they would work for her — the ultra-high-waisted, dramatically flared jeans seemed more suited for someone taller. But as it turns out, “The waist-to-hip ratio, for my body type, really works,” she says. And the wider wide-leg really does call back to disco-era bell-bottoms: “Paired with a vintage T-shirt, I always feel like they look extra ’70s.”

Sizes: 22–34 with 16- to 30 inch-inseam alteration options | Rise: 11 inches | Stretch: Not stretchy | Style: Wide-leg | Price: $

These wide-leg jeans from Uniqlo are about half the price of Rolla’s Sailors. The jeans were the runner-up when writer Mya Gelber went on the hunt for a pair that were dark-washed, cuffable, and came with a more flared leg. She ultimately held out for a more heavyweight pair, where these are slightly thinner. But for jeans that are less than $50 and made from 100 percent cotton, you can’t really beat them. (These won out over jeans Gelbert tried from the Gap, Cos, and A.P.C.) Gelber likes the looseness of the leg, and folds the hem into a dramatic cuff (as seen here). Uniqlo also offers a unique alteration option: You can choose any inseam length between 16 and 30 inches, to the nearest half-inch, as well the type of stitching on the hem. (Alteration fees vary, from free to $10 depending on the stitch.)

Sizes and lengths: 23–34 with a 30- or 32-inch inseam | Rise: 11.125 inches | Stretch: Not stretchy | Style: Straight-leg | Price: $$

Back in 1873, Levi Strauss invented the jeans now known as the 501s. These are as classic as they come. I’ve heard lots of folks describe the 501s as a standard bearer to judge their other jeans, with many owning vintage versions of the style. They’re made of a sturdy, rigid denim that has no stretch. You don’t have to shop secondhand to get them, though — the company has kept its familiar fitted straight-leg silhouette for more than a century. In comparison to the Wedgies, which have a rise of 10.85 inches, and the Ribcages, with their ultra-high 12-inch rise, the 501s come in at just over 11 inches. So you’re getting a “semi-high waist,” says musician Aly Michalka. She adds that “the more worn they are, the better they look and feel.” Celebrity stylist Karla Welch (who has collaborated with Levi’s in the past) stole her first-ever pair of 501s from her brother — and agrees that they only get better with age. The 501s top our list of the very best men’s jeans, too — with Drew Westphal, who works in digital marketing, saying, “There’s a reason that modern-day denim companies use the fit of the 501 to make their own jeans.”