Are Jeans and Pants the Same Thing?
When you peek into your closet or your dresser, you likely see lots of options for bottoms. And, of course, the different bottoms in your wardrobe serve other purposes in your life. With that in mind, it’s important to understand the difference between various categories of clothing, so you don’t accidentally wear PJ bottoms to your next board meeting, for example (okay, we’re kidding about that one, but you get the idea!).
If you do have an office dress code, though, or even reservations coming up at a nice restaurant that lists approved attire, it’s helpful to understand the difference between two of the most common bottoms we own: jeans and pants.
What Are the Differences Between Jeans and Pants?
In short, jeans and pants are both long bottoms that cover the lower half of your body. While all jeans are considered pants, not all pants are jeans. It really comes down to the material more than the style, as jeans and other pants often share similar styles. Instead, jeans are recognizable and distinguishable from other types of pants due to their distinct durable cotton material, whereas other types of pants can be linen, other types of cotton, velvet, or a wide range of other fabrics.
What Are Some Types of Pants?
While jeans are a type of pants, there is a huge array of women's pants styles that extend beyond jeans. Pants can be anything from corduroy bell bottoms to cropped linen chinos to straight-leg khaki slacks to crushed velvet lounge pants or leggings, just to name a few.
The type of pants you’ll want will be dependent on your personal style and where you’ll be rocking the outfit in question, in addition to the season. Opt for dress pants like boot cut chino pants or velvet ankle pants for the office or if you have dinner reservations somewhere with a dress code. Dress pants paired with a nice sweater or tunic top can be a perfect alternative to dresses or skirts if you want added warmth or simply feel more comfortable with these types of bottoms.
For the warmer months, you can still absolutely incorporate pants into your outfit rotations. Opt for capri pants any style of cropped pants in an airy material like linen or chambray cotton. While chambray looks very similar to blue denim, pants made of this fabric don’t fall into the jean category. So for a pair of pants, that’s super on-trend and perfect for a springtime picnic or a somewhat casual summer dinner date, opt for a pair of wide-leg chambray pants that you can pair with mules and a breezy quarter-length sleeve tunic top.
What Are Some Types of Jeans?
As we mentioned earlier in the article, while jeans are technically a type of pants, they’re really in a category of their own. While many of us might immediately think of classic blue denim jeans when we picture these bottoms, there are a ton of different types of jeans to choose from. In addition, jeans provide a durable option for pants that you can wear repeatedly, although they might not be appropriate for all settings. For example, some office dress codes don’t allow jeans.
While there might be a few instances where you can’t wear jeans, they’re still an essential part of any wardrobe, in part because there are so many different styles to choose from. Plus, we all know that instant confidence boost we get from rocking the perfect pair of jeans.
If you’re looking for your perfect pair, try high-rise jeans. High-rise jeans create a flattering and streamlined silhouette by sitting right above your belly button. This style tends to look great on everyone, however, if you happen to find this rise uncomfortable, you might find your favorite new jeans in a pair of mid- or low-rise instead.
There are also a ton of different cuts of jeans, like skinny jeans, boot cut jeans, and the oh-so-trendy straight leg jeans. Since the straight-leg trend seems to be here to stay, opt for a universally flattering pair like high-rise cropped straight-leg jeans in a light denim wash or even a print like an indigo stripe. These jeans are perfect with a pair of sneakers or ankle boots.
While classic jeans tend to be a shade of blue denim, you can absolutely find jeans in other colors, like women’s black jeans if you want to feel a bit dressier or white jeans for a summer soiree.
It’s important to have both pants and jeans in your wardrobe since different settings might call for one over the other. Plus, having a balance of casual, durable jeans and dressier, more breathable pants in your rotation will make for endless outfit options for any occasion!