Ultimately, this will all add up to your fit. Your fit is how the jeans, quite literally, fit on you. Some people prefer a rocker-style skin tight fit. Others prefer wider-legged denim. There are a handful of basic fits we see, and this can help guide you:
Skinny fits, or “narrow straight,” are seen often in Europe and North America, and Asia but they’re popular everywhere. With the right thigh (again, the thigh is usually the first thing after the waist to be mis-sized) and knee, a skinny fit can be very flattering. We see this a lot in rock and roll type of outfits, which is interesting, as the style began with rebels in the French Revolution, graduated to Ivy League schools in the United States, and ultimately became popular with Hollywood. Western film stars were seen in them and they’ve been iconic since. This fit is often called tight straight, though with denim made in Japan a “tight straight” fit will fall more like a slim fit in The West.
Slim jeans, often seen as a “tight straight” fit, are similar to skinny jeans, but a little bit wider. They’re modern. They’re fitted and trim like skinny jeans but with a little bit more room. They often tend to have a straighter leg, though they have a slim silhouette. They hug the wearer less but still flatter the wearer all the same.
Tapered jeans. These are essential. Essentially, a tapered jean is a jean with a wider top than bottom, thus the taper. They’re popular in very many circles, and for good reason. They give the wearer more room up top in the thigh, and taper off toward the bottom hem opening, giving a fitted look that is more comfortable than a conventional skinny fit. Tapered jeans are the go-to jean for very, very many fans of Japanese denim.
A relaxed or straight leg fit is classic. The first fit ever produced. This is the fit made to be worn over long underwear if you were a Forty-Niner. This is the holy grail. A straight leg fit pair of jeans is where everything began. They’re less form-fitting and more of an “anti-fit,” as they were made to not be trim, initially. This fit is essential — straight leg fits are seen on forties and fifties Hollywood stars, so many hip trendsetters in Southeast Asia and people who know that the fit for them is a timeless fit. We often see jeans like this cuffed high, with pride, and with classic shirts — flannels, white t-shirts and denim jackets.