Shh, It's a Secret: Zara Is Low-Key My #1 Go-To for Buying Jeans

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(Image credit: @elizagracehuber)

I live in an apartment the size of some people’s master bathrooms, and yet I still manage to make room for what many would argue are way too many pairs of jeans. Apart from shoes, denim is, without a doubt, the fashion item that I own the most styles of, with everything from vintage Levi’s to $300+ designer denim lining the top shelf of my closet. That being said, neither is responsible for my all-time favorite pairs. 

The brand that is? Zara. I’ve talked up the Spanish fashion brand for as long as I can remember, ever since I first stepped foot into one of its brick-and-mortar stores way back in middle school. Now, I frequent them as often as possible, testing out products and seeing what new trends they’ve come up with since the last drop a few days prior. But while trends are what Zara is known for, they’re not what I believe the brand does best. Rather, it’s denim that Zara excels at most. 

To prove that you don’t need to spend upwards of $150 for jeans that fit great and look even better, I test-drove a few of Zara’s latest denim styles, from straight-leg to mom jeans. 

Straight-Leg Jeans

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(Image credit: @elizagracehuber)

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(Image credit: @elizagracehuber)

Zara has a lot of good jeans in its new collection, but none quite compare to this classic straight-leg style, which comes in a dark wash and a black wash, and are as close to perfect as a pair of jeans can get. Tight in the butt, loose in the legs, these mid-rise, non-stretch jeans are well worth spending $46 on.

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Ripped Wide-Leg Jeans

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(Image credit: @elizagracehuber)

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(Image credit: @elizagracehuber)

After trying on multiple pairs of Zara’s new wide-leg jeans, I came to realize why exactly last year’s version from Zara was such a hit on TikTok. With a super-high rise, a wide (but not too wide) leg, and two perfectly placed knee rips, Zara’s just-released Ripped Wide-Leg Jeans are about to go viral. I can feel it. 

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ZW the Marine Straight Jeans

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Though cropped jeans with a wider leg aren’t usually my style (I prefer a longer silhouette to elongate my legs), I couldn’t wait to try out these new sailor-style jeans, specifically because of the luxe-looking colors they come in. From chocolate brown to hunter green, these cool shades are changing my mind about culottes.

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Z1975 Mom Fit Jeans

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(Image credit: @elizagracehuber)

It’s official: Mom jeans have surpassed trend status and are now timeless. Well, at least this pair from Zara is. Just like the pair in every photo of your mom from the ’80s, these have almost zero stretch, a high-rise, and a slightly tapered leg. In other words, they’re perfect.

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Slim Jeans

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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of skinny jeans. Truly, I feel blessed that Gen Z finally got rid of them. That said, I don’t have the same distaste for slim-fit jeans, which lack the super-stretchy feel of skinnies while maintaining their flattering, fitted silhouette. 

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Next: Zara's Sale Is Selling Out Like Crazy—30 Under-$100 Fids That Aren't Gone Yet

Senior Fashion Editor

Eliza Huber is a New York City–based fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and celebrity style. She joined Who What Wear in 2021 after almost four years on the fashion editorial team at Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a marketing degree from the University of Iowa. She has since launched two monthly columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled the likes of Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top trends from fashion month, season after season. Eliza now lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, running in Central Park, and scouring eBay for '90s Prada and '80s Yves Saint Laurent.