20 Pairs of Plus-Size Jeans That Don’t Suck

No matter your shape, tracking down the perfect pair of jeans is, to put it lightly, a task. (We are all beautiful and unique snowflakes: one woman’s hero cut is another’s butt-flattening nightmare.) Of course, this process is doubly — if not quadruple-y — tricky for those in search of good plus-size jeans.

Why? Because, despite the various reports calling out the vast and largely untapped buying power of the plus-size market, most premium denim labels have yet to expand their size offerings. But hope is not entirely lost. A handful of buzzy labels have shown the masses that it is possible to shape denim, notoriously constrictive though it may be, into bottoms that flatter a variety of body types.

To wit: for a recent feature in W, up-and-comer Lorod dressed curve model Paloma Elsesser in its highly recognizable contrast hem, zip-through designs (though the set appears to have been a one-off). This past July, New York It label 3×1 teamed up with Glamour to design a (single) pair of limited-release cropped jeans. AYR, another Vogue favorite, also dabbles in extended-size denim, albeit lightly. And then there’s Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede’s Good American, which has made size inclusivity part of its DNA.

Suffice it to say, the tides are turning. Plus-size women in search of legitimately stylish jeans have more options than ever before, thanks to the aforementioned labels, plus trusty mass retailers like ASOS, H&M, Mango, Modcloth and Levi’s. Still, pickings being relatively slim and hidden as they are, we figured we’d help out with the legwork. Below, 20 of the best plus-size jeans for women right now, all of which are actually cool, not a poor imitation.

[ Next: Finally! 34 Plus-Size Fashion Sites That Don’t Suck ]