Leave Me & My Low-Rise Jeans Alone, OK?

As autumn approaches, I’ve reached a hard-fought decision: It’s time to embrace my long torso and wear low-rise jeans. Yep, I said it. If you’re keeping tabs on the latest fall jean trends, you might notice the loud absence of low-rise denim—a glaring oversight since they’re kind of hot. After all, who doesn’t love a peek-a-boo hip moment? On second thought, it’s definitely millennials. That’s why Gen Zers like Zendaya and Olivia Rodrigo are leading in the low-rise jean resurgence.

Before you get your panties in a twist, I am fully aware the trend is polarizing. Low-rise jeans are a blast to the Y2K past and sometimes not the most flattering, but let us recall the trailblazers who continue to rock low-rise jeans despite the modern-day slander tossed their way. To start, Rihanna (of course). Baby bump or not, she loves pairing crop tops with a low-rise waist to get that ’00s-inspired look. Lucy Lui hasn’t done the trend dirty since the ’90s (Charlie’s Angels was crawling with low-rise jeans); Julia Fox is so unapologetically and flawlessly releasing her midriff daily; and remember when Bella Hadid’s extremely low-rise cut-off shorts rocked everyone’s boats in the South of France in 2022? She really pushed people’s buttons with that one. 

I love a high waistline just as much as the next person, but low-rise jeans offer that double-take from passersby that I live for. I once wore a pair on a first date, and I had to keep picking his jaw up off the floor. Kidding (sort of). My fashion rule of thumb: if you’re making heads turn, you’re doing something right. Below, how to style low-rise jeans.