Skinny

A skinny leg hugs from thigh to ankle, drafted with a hem opening narrower than the knee and close to the ankle's own girth. Rigid cloth cannot do this and still let you sit. Nearly every skinny jean blends in 1 to 3 percent elastane, the stretch fiber, and relies on it for all movement.

The payoff is display. This cut shows the full line of the leg and the entire shoe. It also slides into boot shafts without bunching, which no wider cut manages cleanly. Quality lives in recovery, the fabric's ability to snap back after stretching. Squat once in the fitting room, stand, and look at the knees. Cloth that stays bagged after one squat will bag worse by mid afternoon. Good stretch denim returns flat within seconds.

You pay in comfort ceilings and wear points. Constant contact means the fabric thins first at the inner thigh, and heat builds in warm weather because no air moves inside the leg. Muscular calves can turn the ankle opening into a struggle. The cut amplifies rather than balances a fuller hip, because the narrow hem gives the eye no counterweight below. Stretch fiber also degrades with heat, so wash cold and skip the dryer to slow the sag.