I'm Hopping on the Barrel Jeans Bandwagon

I have been seeing a lot of baggy and wide-leg style jeans lately and the barrel jeans, sometimes called horseshoe jeans, had me very intrigued. However, I suspected that barrel jeans wouldn’t work on my frame. But there’s no harm in trying them on — Let’s see if I can pull it off.

On the hunt for the perfect pair of barrel jeans

I’ve seen some really rounded, more “horseshoe” versions, and was looking for something in that vibe, but not too extreme. I set out to try on a few different pairs of barrel jeans by different brands. Philosophically, I do not like to spend $200+ on jeans unless they are extremely special. But I was open to trying on a range of brands, and price points, to see what looked the best on me.

First stop, Anthropologie. I have been an Anthropologie early adopter since the late 90’s. Whenever I visited my grandmother, I would hop in her car and go a just a few towns over to their original store in Wayne, PA. Each trip, I was able to pick up unique pieces that no one in Chicago would have yet. Thankfully, they now have stores everywhere and I can always find something. Their Pilco line seems to fit me well. They were out of their true barrel jeans in my size which is typically size 28. The salesperson gave me their only remaining pair to try, it was a 26 and too tight, but I got the idea of the style. I tried on a different version that was wider through the legs – I even sized up to 30. And they were cute, but not exactly what I was looking for.

I have the baggy style on, sized up but not exactly what I’m looking for. The true barrel in size 26 are hanging behind.

At Nordstrom, which typically has a wide selection of all jeans the salesperson hadn’t heard of “barrel” or “horseshoe” jeans. Really?!?

Next, I went to Evereve, which also has a great selection of jeans and caters to hip women of a certain age. Evereve has great service; you can stand in the dressing room, and they will bring you pieces that they think will fit and build cute outfits. It’s a sales technique that usually results in me buying cute things that I didn’t initially intend on. Thankfully this salesperson knew what I was talking about and gave me a few to try. She brought a pair of Citizens of Humanity that looked huge on the hanger; I was skeptical but tried them on. To my surprise, they were pretty cute but not exactly what I was looking for – and at over $250 I wanted to be sure.

Finally, the barrel jeans for me!

Last Stop, Free People. I decided to try the ones that I’m seeing everywhere. I suspected they would be too much for my frame – to my surprise, I loved them. More to my surprise was the price point – only $98.00!! I bought them immediately. I’m now obsessed – and may buy a few more colors. Love it!!

PS — My favorite white shirt is from COS.

Woman in Free People dressing room trying on their barrel jeans.

Woman in a white shirt and Free People barrel jeans.

I Tried the Amazon Barrel Jean “Dupes”

I have seen so many people in the Amazon version that I decided I had to try it. The brand is Faretumiya, and at $33.49 it was worth a try. I read the reviews which said that the waist was tight, to I decided to size up to a Large in the white. The fabric is a lighter weight which will be perfect for summer. I think they are a great option, if a little less “horseshoe” shaped than the Free People jeans. Link is here.