How a bootcut is built
Every leg shape is a decision about the distance between the knee and the hem. A straight leg keeps that distance even, a flare widens it dramatically, and a bootcut widens it modestly, just enough for the shaft of a boot to slide underneath without pulling the denim tight. That restraint is what makes bootcut jeans for women easy to wear: from the knee up it behaves like a straight jean, and only the last third of the leg changes. On the Marcenia, the opening measures 20 inches on a size 27, against 17 1/2 inches on the Billie, AMO's wide straight crop, a difference that is small on paper and clear in a mirror. For the more pronounced version of the same idea, the flare jeans take the opening further.
The Marcenia, measured
The Marcenia is a pair of low rise bootcut jeans cut to be worn low slung at the hip, which is where AMO places a low rise jean on its fit guide. On a size 27 the front rise is 10 1/2 inches and the back rise is 15 inches. The seat and thigh are relaxed, so the leg falls from the hip with some ease before it opens below the knee. The inseam is 32 1/2 inches in every size, at the long end of what AMO calls full length, and that extra length is deliberate: it lets the hem stack in soft folds over the top of a shoe. If you prefer a cleaner break, Hush has a raw hem that you can cut to your length.
One pattern, several washes
Because every pair is cut from the same pattern, the washes are where the choice happens. Splendor and So Loved are the dark end, deep indigo that dresses the bootcut up. Murmur is a medium blue. Hush and Bewitched are light washes, and Eggshell is an off-white. Every wash is 100% cotton with most being made in Los Angeles. Two details are worth knowing before you order. AMO notes that So Loved is running big and recommends sizing down in that wash. If you are building a wardrobe around one wash depth, dark wash denim gathers the deeper shades across every fit.
Shoes, hems and sizing
A bootcut is designed around a heel. With a boot or a heeled shoe the Marcenia hem sits over the vamp and the stack stays neat; with flat sneakers the extra length gathers more at the ankle, which some people like and some will want to hem. For many, a pointed ankle boot is the most natural pairing, because it matches the line of the opening. Take your usual size in most washes, check the waist and hip ranges on the AMO size guide, and remember that the leg opening grows with each size, from 18 1/2 inches at a 23 to nearly 22 inches at a 32. Every other fit is in women's premium denim.
