Bootcut Jeans Are Back on Top in 2026—Skip Boots and Wear Them With This Elegant Shoe Trend Instead

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Elsa Hosk wearing a Disney T-shirt, Valentino leopard-print coat, bootcut jeans, and brown kitten heels from The Row.
(Image credit: @hoskelsa)
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Yep, it's true—bootcut jeans are back. There's just one problem: If you're not wearing them with boots like the name would suggest, what shoes should you wear with them? Well, Elsa Hosk just posted your answer. The model and Helsa founder published a slideshow of screenshot-worthy outfits to her Instagram feed this week, with one such ensemble offering a solution for the predicament I posed above: Brown kitten heels. Hosk recently sported a fabulous leopard-print Valentino coat (that casually costs $11,000!), bootcut jeans, and brown The Row pumps, finishing off the ensemble with a vintage Donald Duck T-shirt from Disneyland. Accessories-wise, a denim shoulder bag and Y2K sunnies were all she added.

For all intents and purposes, her statement coat should be the star of the show, but somehow, I kept coming back to her shoe-and-denim pairing. Not only did the cocoa-like brown color act as a neutral, elegant contrast to her mid-wash blue jeans, but the cut of her denim also fell easily and effortlessly over the top of her shoe style, with just the right amount of skin peaking out. Bootcut jeans aren't the easiest to style, so the fact that her shoe choice complemented the silhouette so well stuck with me—and made me want to buy a similar pair to re-create the combo.

Elsa Hosk wearing a Disney T-shirt, Valentino leopard-print coat, bootcut jeans, and brown kitten heels from The Row.

(Image credit: @hoskelsa)

On Elsa Hosk: Valentino Fauve Eclat Spotted Wool Cloth Coat ($11000); The Row shoes

Fortunately for me (and you!), there's no shortage of brown kitten heels and bootcut jeans to shop in 2026, and I spent my Monday morning compiling a list of all the best ones. From affordable options starting at $30 (for both jeans and shoes) to luxury alternatives by Prada and Nili Lotan, everything you need to copy Hosk's bootcut-jeans outfit is just a scroll away.

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Eliza Huber
Eliza Huber
Associate Editorial Director

Eliza Huber is currently the Associate Editorial Director at Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2021 as a fashion editor after starting her career as a writer at Refinery29, where she worked for four years. During her time at WWW, she launched Go Sports, the publication's sports vertical, and published four (and counting) quarterly issues tied to the WNBA, Formula One, and more. She also created two franchises, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on new seasonal trends, up-and-coming designers, and celebrity style.