Best Plus Size Jeans: Universal Standard’s Seine High-Rise Skinny Jeans
Most people describe their aesthetics las “always wears black” or “free-spirited, could-be-at-a-music-festival-anytime boho chic.” Mine is “never wears pants.” I’m like the opposite of Tobias Funke in Arrested Development, because you will rarely catch me in denim.
I’m a petite (5’1”), plus size (18/20) woman with a long torso and short legs. Pants always ride too low on my hips and are so long they could be a denim wedding gown train, so I stick to dresses, skirts, and jumpsuits that work on me proportionately. I actually boycotted pants for 10 years and only recently came around to them again. And that’s largely in part to Universal Standard’s Seine high-rise skinny jeans.
I had my first encounter with these jeans at Universal Standard’s showroom in New York. I was trying on dozens of pants for a different Glamour story, and was skeptical at first. They’re true skinny jeans, which can be too constricting and make me feel like a sausage. But immediately I noticed how these struck a delicate balance of adhering to every curve of my body, yet were forgiving enough that I didn’t have to hop into them to get them up. They slid on smoothly and had enough stretch that I could do high kicks, dance, squat, and—most importantly—sit in them without feeling constricted. And the 24” inseam meant they actually were ankle jeans on my very short legs.
The term “high waist” can vary across brands, but Universal Standard’s Seine hits a few inches above my belly button, but not touching my bra. It’s also able to hold my stomach in so it doesn’t jiggle about, and my flat ass doesn’t look so teeny tiny from the way it sculpts in the back from the bit of stretch.
The material is soft and comfortable, but it’s also sturdy enough that I can wear these jeans a few times in a row without them sagging at all. I get why it won a Glamour Plus-Size Fashion Award. I have the Seine in distressed blue, but am contemplating buying a pair of sleek black ones next.
I tend to wear longer shirts with these jeans just because I don’t like seeing a stomach outline, but one perk of the design is that it has little distressed lines across the torso that pull the focus away from that. Even after a few washes, the jeans have held their shape and haven’t pilled or ripped between the thighs. I dried them on low once and they shrink slightly, but if you wash cold and hang dry as Universal Standard recommends, they should be fine.
