Bootcut Vs. Straight Leg Jeans

• Straight leg jeans are the traditional jean cut and have been in existence since Levi Strauss introduced them into the American market in the late 1800s. Boot cut jeans are a more modern version that became fashionable in the 1990s.

Straight Leg Jeans

• Straight leg jeans can either be low or high wasted. As the name suggests, they have a straight, narrow leg. This means that at the thigh, they do not cling, and at the knee, they hang without any taper or flare at the bottom. This is because the jeans are normally the same circumference from the knees to the hem. Straight leg jeans normally end 1 or 2 inches below the ankle.

Boot Cut Jeans

• Like straight leg jeans, boot cut jeans can be low or high wasted. However, unlike straight leg jeans, at the thigh, they are tight fitting, and at the knee, they gradually taper outward until they form a flare at the opening.

  At the ankle, they are designed so that a wide boot or shoe can fit under them. Consequently, they are normally longer than straight leg jeans, with the back hem skimming the floor, and the front hem covering your shoe.

Gender Differences

• Straight leg jeans normally take the same shape for men and women, whereas boot cut jeans differ between genders. Women's boot cut jeans have a 1- to 2-inch difference in circumference between the knee and the leg opening, whereas men's boot cut jeans have the tapering starting at the crotch area, with the jeans loose all the way from the crotch to the hem.

When to Wear

• Boot cut jeans are considered more informal, and so should be worn at relaxed social occasions such as parties. Straight leg jeans are suitable for more formal occasions, and in some casual dress offices, can even be worn for work. Boot cut jeans are often used to disguise curvy hips, whereas straight leg jeans are ideal for short women.

Shoe Styles

• Boot cut jeans should be worn with chunky shoes or boots, whereas tennis shoes and pumps are suitable for straight cut jeans. However, in 2009, tucking straight leg jeans into boots became fashionable.

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