What Jean Rise Should You Wear?

Can’t decide on what rise for your jeans? We’re breaking down low, mid, and high-rise denim and how to choose the right rise for the perfect style & fit.

When it comes to unspun jeans, we have three - pretty standard - different jean rise options: low rise, mid rise, and high rise. These shouldn't feel foreign to anyone who's worn a pair of blue jeans before. Nevertheless, the rise is important because it determines where your jeans will sit on your body, which can work for you, or against you. You might be having a hard time choosing the right waist rise for your body type or preference. So, how do you know which one is right for you?

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The Difference Between Low, Mid, And High-Rise Jeans

The rise is the distance from the top of the waistband to the seam where the crotch meets the legs of the pants; it typically ranges from 7 to 12 inches. At unspun, we custom-make each pattern, so the length of your rise is determined by your torso length and will be custom according to your specifications. Selecting an appropriate rise height is important because it determines where your pants sit, thus affecting both comfort and appearance.

What Is A Low Rise?

How low can you go? Not too low! When you select the unspun low-rise option, the waistband will rest near the top of your hip bones. They aren’t made to conform to the natural waist (the smallest section of your torso) instead, they’re made to sit well below the waist. While low rise became popular during the 60s and 70s, they made a comeback in the 2000s and most recently in 2021.

What Is A Mid Rise?

Mid-rise is also known as normal rise or regular rise. This is our most popular option and it falls differently on the feminine fits vs masculine fits. If you're selecting a style from our feminine collection, you can expect to have the mid-rise resting an inch or so below your natural waist. You can also think of it as resting at or just below your navel. Mid-rise jeans cover more of your lower stomach than low-rise jeans do, but not as much as high-waisted jeans cover. If you're interested in selecting a style from our masculine collection, the mid-rise option will rest just over your hip bones, and well below the navel.

What Is A High Rise?

High rise is also known as high-waisted and often viewed as “retro”. They feature a waistband that covers the navel and fits above the navel in the natural waist. They were popular in the 70’s, late 80’s, and late 90’s. High-waisted eventually became known as “mom jeans” in the 2000s and continues to be one of the most popular styles to date.

Choosing The Right Rise For Your Jeans

Something to keep in mind is that each type of rise has a fashion vibe that goes with it. For example, low-rise jeans are trendy, vintage, and always a statement. Mid-rise is your everyday wear and classic. High-rise can give off sophisticated or retro, depending on the wash or hem (flare vs. skinny) but will always be a bit more mature.

When it comes to body types, if you’re below average height or have shorter legs, it’s not recommended to buy low-rise pants as the proportions might be off. However, if you have a short torso, the waistband might make you look taller and slimmer. Athletic body types tend to rock low-rise jeans because they typically don’t have curves in their hips.

High-rise is better suited for those of below-average height because it makes your legs look longer. It’s also great for tall people as it gives the illusion of a shorter torso. High-rise jeans also have a waistband that curves in so it can also make curvier people feel more comfortable.

Mid-rise tends to work well for many body types, especially anyone with a slender or petite figure. Not only is it known as the most figure-friendly rise, but it’s also really compatible with almost any top length.

Straight Leg Hem

Straight leg hem jeans run straight from the hips down to the ankle. They’re not too tight and not too relaxed. These jeans usually appear more tight in the seat and thigh than they are around the calves. They typically have a leg opening measuring 8 inches across. Straight leg jeans were all the rage in the late 70’s and early 90’s.

Wide Leg Hem

Wide leg jeans are relaxed in the butt, thigh, and knees. They have a generous cut that allows room for movement, and generally are very comfortable. Wide leg hem jeans don’t run straight through the legs, nor do they narrow through the legs. They lean towards a laid-back and playful aesthetic. They flatter almost everyone, and originally became popular in the early 1990’s to the early 2010s and came back in 2022.

Skinny Jean Hem

Skinny jeans have narrow legs, and are the slimmest at your ankle. They are tight from the waist to the ankle and feature a more snug fit. The 1960’s were the golden age for skinny jeans. They then became very popular in men’s fashion in 2008, and later entered mainstream fashion in 2011.

The Perfect Rise Jeans Custom Fit To You: How Unspun Works

Unspun has the superpower of making you a pair of jeans that fit like a glove. Before us, you had to bring your jeans to the tailor to achieve the same effect. Thanks to the face ID on your iphone and our custom-fit technology, we save you the Google search of finding a great tailor. All you have to do is download our app, pick out your favorite style of jeans, customize them, and complete a scan with your phone. The rest of the work is on us. If your jeans don’t fit you perfectly, we’ll make you a pair that does for free. Simply put, we make the best damn jeans.