811 Mid-Rise Skinny Jeans
The early skinny that put J Brand on department-store denim walls.
Story & heritage
Wikipedia's brand history notes that J Brand launched in Los Angeles in 2005 with women's denim only, and that the 811 Skinny was one of the fits that quickly became popular in the brand's opening chapter.
A 2012 SELF roundup on J Brand's City Year charity capsule called the 811 its best-selling skinny fit twill, which helps explain why the number-led style code still reads as the house's original calling card even after newer high-rise fits arrived.
Materials & craft
The 811 is defined by a mid-rise waist and a narrow skinny leg. In the City Year capsule it appeared in twill as a streamlined five-pocket jean, keeping the fit close and uncomplicated.
How to choose & style
This is the pair for anyone who wants the pre-high-rise skinny look: neat through the hip, easy under jackets, and still clean with a heel or ankle boot. White and bright twill versions feel especially 2010s in the best possible way.
