Ribcage Jeans Are So Yesterday—18 Pairs of Low Rise Styles That Are Unintimidating and So 2026

Everyone who is scared of the skinny jean comeback is also fearful of the low-rise denim return. The later has certainly faced far less scrutiny and controversy because low-rise jeans don't have as bad a reputation as their tighter counterpart. And while both of them are certainly associated with the Y2K fashion aesthetic, only skinny jeans have truly scarred millennials. So if you're looking to channel the 2000s, why not look to the tired and true low-rise? If you're a skeptic, we promise, they're not as scary as you remember.

Somewhere in the 2010s we all collectively decided that jeans were only acceptable if they covered our belly button. In recent years we've even seen gravity-defying high-rise jeans like the popular Levi's ribcage and the exaggerated take Jonathan Anderson introduced on the Loewe runway, with pants that covered nearly the entirety of the model's torsos. Naturally the pendulum has swung in the other direction, and we're seeing everyone wearing jeans that fall at their hips again.

And that's what's fun about a low-rise jean. It's less stiff and more loose. It allows you to show a sliver of skin if you'd like or none at all. And while high-rise jeans are a bit constricting, and not the most comfortable to wear all day, low-rise jeans can be worn with a relaxed ease. That nonchalance is probably why everyone who is wearing a pair also looks so cool. It's the kind of fashion you don't have to think too much about.

Most of the skepticism about the low-rise jean trend resurgence seems to come from the fact that the silhouette can be a bit skin-baring, which is not something that everyone likes. But you don't have to pair low-rise jeans with crop tops! They look just as good with oversized sweaters or longer tops. Call us crazy but we even think they'd look great layered under a lace-y dress a-la Chemena Kamali's Chloé.

Don't believe us? We're scoured the internet to source 18 pairs of low-rise jeans that easily can help you channel the early 2000s if you'd like but also feel modern enough to make total sense in 2026.

Shop the best low-rise jeans, below.