ILLUSTRATED GLOSSARY · TROUSERS & JEANS
Types of pants, by leg shape.
Most trousers and jeans are named after one thing: the shape of the leg from hip to hem. Learn the eight shapes below and you can describe almost any pair.
Updated · By the Delve to Life editors · Editorial standards
THE QUICK ANSWER
Shops add their own words ("dad", "mom", "boyfriend"), but these usually describe a fit on top of a leg shape. Start with the shape, then add the rise (where the waist sits), the colour and the length.
Straight-leg
The same width from the hip to the hem.
How to spot it. Draw a line down the outside of the leg: it stays straight. The hem is roughly as wide as the knee.
How to wear it. The easiest everyday shape. Works with trainers, loafers and ankle boots, and with tops tucked in or left out.
Wide-leg
Loose from the hip down to a wide hem.
How to spot it. The leg is already wide at the thigh and keeps that width, or gets wider, to the hem. Often high-rise.
How to wear it. Balance the volume with a closer-fitting or tucked-in top. Let the hem nearly reach the floor in the shoes you'll wear.
Barrel
Curves out at the knee and back in at the ankle.
How to spot it. The outside seam bows outward like a horseshoe or a pair of brackets. Also sold as horseshoe or curved-leg jeans.
How to wear it. Shows off a shoe, so ankle length helps. Pair with a simple fitted top so the curve is the main shape.
Flare
Fitted through the thigh, opening out from the knee.
How to spot it. Narrow at the knee, then a clear widening to the hem. A small flare is called bootcut.
How to wear it. Long and lean with a small heel or platform under the hem. A 1970s classic that comes back regularly.
Skinny
Close to the leg all the way to a narrow ankle.
How to spot it. Follows the line of the leg with no extra room. The hem is the narrowest point.
How to wear it. Works under long jumpers, tunics and knee-high boots, where a wider leg would bunch.
Baggy
Roomy everywhere, often sitting lower with a longer hem.
How to spot it. Extra room at the seat, thigh and hem; the fabric often stacks at the ankle. Similar to relaxed or loose fit.
How to wear it. Relaxed and casual. A belt and a shorter or tucked top stop it swallowing you.
Tapered
Roomy at the hip and thigh, narrowing to the ankle.
How to spot it. Fuller at the top than at the hem. Mom jeans and carrot trousers are tapered.
How to wear it. Good with a visible ankle and a flat shoe. Tuck a top in to show the higher waist most tapered styles have.
Cargo
A loose leg with big patch pockets on the thighs.
How to spot it. Look for flap pockets on the side of each thigh. The leg itself is usually straight or baggy.
How to wear it. Utility, casual. Keep the top simple; the pockets are the detail.
Easily confused
| Pair | The difference |
|---|---|
| Wide-leg vs baggy | Wide-leg trousers are wide from the hip but usually sit at the waist and look deliberate; baggy ones are roomy everywhere, often sit lower and stack at the hem. |
| Barrel vs tapered | Both narrow at the ankle. A barrel leg curves outward at the knee first; a tapered leg just gets steadily narrower from the hip. |
| Flare vs bootcut | Same idea, different size: bootcut opens a little below the knee, just enough for a boot; a flare opens wide. |
Still not sure what yours is called? Tap through the pictures, or add a screenshot, and we'll name it and find real ones.
Describe it with picturesThe illustrations on this page are AI-generated so each style can be shown in the same colour, angle and light. They are not products.