I don’t trust the phrase “high rise.” Don’t get me wrong, a pair of waist-cinching, vintage-inspired jeans is my idea of denim nirvana. But as someone whose five-foot-seven height is decidedly not of the long-legged variety (the family joke is that we’re taller sitting down than standing up), finding jeans can be a bit of a struggle.
Sure, a so-called high rise seems made for me, but more often than not, they barely make it to my belly button. At best, they just look like a mid-rise and at worst, they’re smooshing my abdomen in all sorts of unflattering ways. (Let’s agree never to discuss the dark ages known as the early 2000s, when I didn’t have the good sense to abstain from the low-rise trend.)
So now when I shop for denim online, I skip past the description and go straight to brass tacks: The measurements. These magic numbers have the power to determine whether the pair in question will awkwardly bisect my midsection or make me look like an especially stylish extra on That ’70s Show.
Ten inches? Please. Eleven? What is this, amateur hour? I don’t waste my time unless that rise is 12 inches or more. If you, too, are a member of the long torso club, scroll on for the best super-high-waisted jeans that actually live up to their name.
