Best Jeans for Fat Women (Plus Sizes 14W to 40W)

How to find your plus-size jean size

Plus-size labels are all over the place. Lee and Gloria Vanderbilt say "Plus," Woman Within uses plain numbers from 12 to 44, and Levi's uses its own waist-inch sizing for plus. A 22 in one brand can fit like a 20 or a 24 in another. So measure yourself instead of trusting your last pair:

• Waist: Measure where you actually want the waistband to sit. For a high rise that's your natural waist, usually just above the belly button. For a mid-rise it's lower, often under the belly.
• Hips: Measure around the fullest part of your seat.
• Thigh: Measure around the fullest part of one thigh. Size charts often leave this out, but it's the number that decides whether you can sit down.

Then compare all three to the chart and size for the largest one. Hemming a long leg or taking in a waist is easy. Letting out thighs isn't possible.

Plus-size jeans at a glance

Sizes come from the Amazon listings and change as stock comes and goes. Always check the size grid on the listing before you order.

Stretch, rise and the back-gap problem

What fabric blend is best for plus-size jeans?

Look at the fabric line on the listing. The Lee Ultra Lux is 78% cotton, 20% polyester and 2% spandex. Riders is 69% cotton, 30% polyester and 1% spandex. That 1% difference matters: around 2% spandex gives you real stretch through the thighs, while 1% feels much closer to rigid denim. Polyester helps the fabric stand up to inner-thigh friction. All-cotton denim feels great but usually wears out fastest where the thighs rub.

High rise vs mid-rise for a belly

If mid-rise jeans keep sliding under your belly, a high rise like the Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda that sits at your natural waist will usually stay put better. If high rises press into your belly when you sit, a mid-rise with a stretch or pull-on waist, like the Woman Within Flex Fit, is the more comfortable choice. Neither one is the "right" answer. It depends on where your body is happy to hold a waistband.

Fixing the gap at the back of the waist

If you're a pear shape, you know this gap well: the jeans fit your hips and thighs, and the waistband stands away from your back. Curvier cuts and contoured waistbands help. If the gap is small, a tailor can take in the center back seam cheaply. For the opposite problem, a waist that's tight while everything else fits, a button extender buys you an inch or two. See our guide to belt and pants extenders.

How to make plus-size jeans last

Most plus-size jeans die at the inner thigh, not at the knee. A few habits stretch the lifespan a lot:

1. Cut down the friction. A thin layer underneath, like slip shorts or thigh bands, means the denim rubs against fabric instead of fabric rubbing fabric through your skin. Our anti-chafing shorts and thigh bands guide covers options up to 6XL, and an anti-chafe balm helps on bare-legged days.
2. Wash inside out on cold and hang to dry. Heat breaks down spandex, and that's what makes stretch jeans go baggy.
3. Rotate pairs. Two pairs worn on alternate days usually outlast two pairs worn back to back.
4. Patch early. A denim patch or darning over a thin spot costs a few dollars. A blown-out crotch seam usually means the jeans are done.

Should you buy plus-size jeans online?

Buying online gives you far more sizes than any store shelf, especially above 26W, where many stores stop stocking jeans. The tradeoff is fit roulette. Order two sizes if the seller has free returns, try them on in the evening when you're at your most swollen, and sit, squat and climb a stair before you cut the tags off.