Let’s face it: we spend so much time checking the front view of our outfits, but it’s our back view that everyone else sees just as often – if not more.
And yet, unless you’ve got a clever mirror setup or a very honest friend, it’s hard to assess how your jeans are performing from behind.
So let’s demystify one of the most important – but overlooked – elements of great jeans: pocket design and placement.
Why Pockets Matter (More Than You Think)
Jeans pockets aren’t just decorative – they’re strategic. Their size, shape, placement, and detail all contribute to how your derrière is perceived.
Poorly placed pockets can flatten, widen, elongate or overwhelm your bottom half. But with the right pockets, you can create lift, balance and yes – booty magic.
1. Proportional Pockets Make the Best Partners
Think of pockets like the perfect lipstick colour – when it’s right, you barely notice it. When it’s wrong… it’s all you see.
Too big? They swallow your butt and make it disappear. Too small? Your bottom can look unnecessarily larger by comparison.
Pro tip: The pocket should cover roughly the middle third of each cheek – not spill over or float.
2. Flat Bottom? Add Some Flaps.
If your bottom is more pancake than peach, you’ll benefit from:
- Pocket flaps
- Embroidery
- Buttons
- Extra stitching or detailing
These features add volume and interest – visual cues that boost your curves without a single squat.
3. Bootylicious? Keep it Simple (or Flaunt It!)
Got a full, rounded backside? You’re working with volume already. Clean, well-placed pockets keep things sleek.
But… if you want to highlight those curves? Lean into embellishments, bold stitching, or a pop of pocket drama.
Just remember: the more going on back there, the more attention you’ll attract. So choose your level of wow.
4. Pocket Placement: The Hidden Leg-Lengthener
Want longer-looking legs? (Yes please.)
High-set pockets visually lift the bottom and elongate your legs.
Low-set pockets do the opposite – your butt looks longer, and your legs look shorter.
Pro tip: The pocket bottom should sit just above the crease where your butt meets your thigh.
5. Bonus: Front Pocket Pitfalls
We’re all about balance – and what’s going on at the front matters too.
Beware of:
Diagonal front pockets that don’t lie flat – they can pull and gape, which adds width to your hip area (especially on curvier bodies).
Tiny or shallow pockets that add bulk without utility. Go for functional and flattering.
Thanks Imogen! Everything you say makes sense. I wear jeans every day. The only thing that bugs me is that why oh why do all jeans have the tendency to fall down-I struggle to lift them all the time-, due to the low waistline? I don´t want to wear high waist jeans, nor due I want to wear a belt, which broadens the waist/hipline.
Metscan – you may also not have a defined hip (H shapes have a harder time keeping their jeans up as the waist to hip measurement isn't as large) so they tend to slide down (mine do too). If you get them tight enough to not slide, you get muffin top.
Rock and hard place I'm afraid!
Me too … always having to pull them up. Curse of the H, I guess. I do have a pair of highwaisted jeans that fit wonderfully and look suprisingly good, but when I sit down they feel quite strange after years and years of low rise jeans. Can't win!
Tiffany – The high waists of today are generally not as high as the high waists of the eighties and nineties.
Imogen, thanks for answering. Yes I can fit in a tight small size, but lol about that muffin part, so true! I had a great pair of Calvin Klein jeans in the 90´s, they felt like gloves on the hands. I also hate the stretch jeans, they feel good for about a few hours, and then start falling down. Oh, I would pay a great sum for a good pair of jeans, since they are my basics.
There is so much to remember when you go shopping!!! Plus it is not easy to see your backside unless you have a really good mirror in the change room. What about no pockets?
Metscan – the very nature of denim is that it stretches with wear – I'm not sure if you'd ever get a pair that didn't ride down a bit with wear over time.
Ingrid – no pockets tend to look strange on jeans as pockets are the standard look. It can make your bottom look wider as there is a bigger expanse of fabric with nothing to break it up.
Metscan, I've had good luck with Acne Jeans. They have a style that's not high-rise but higher than low-rise. If you know what I mean.
Great advice, as always! I went NUTS when everyone started designing pants with slash pockets. WHO do those look good on? Eesh.
good post, especially remembering how many jeans I've had to hang back eventhough the fit was perfect…but pockets ruinded the overall impression… sad but true. so much to think of when we go shopping!
I really only like one kind of jean, dark wash trouser jeans, and happily none of them go crazy with the pockets as I don't need to add any extra junk to my trunk.
I love jeans. I too have the problem of the stretch jeans falling down! I am not fond of belts but they sure help keeping the jeans up!
Good backside tips! It's funny, I've never been into pocket jeans (being a more streamlined person) but then I realized they make my butt look less flat!
And about jeans falling down. So glad to hear I am not the only one! I am an H-shape, and that totally makes sense. It is very annoying, choosing between the slide down or the muffin top.
I'm so glad I'm not the only H shape around – though I always assumed my jeans kept sliding down because they had too much lycra in them. But any less, and they aren't as comfortable. Thanks for the pockets advice; I thought I knew all I needed to about size and placement, but I'd never considered that high pockets might stretch my little legs out a bit!
Another excellent post! I did buy a pair of jeans from Bebe a few years ago with pockets which would seem correct right? My butt is small, but the pockets were so big I think they took over. I still wear them though, I love them!
I hate those low pockets! They make a flat butt flatter and droopier. Why can't someone make a pair of jeans for me?