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Charlotte High-Rise Straight (women's)
About Citizens of Humanity’s jeans: Premium denim from a longstanding LA design studio. Charlotte, Daphne, and Annina are the most-reviewed women's cuts.
Is the price honest?
Our take
The Charlotte is the cut that anchors Citizens of Humanity's reputation — a high-rise straight in heavy, genuinely non-stretch denim that reviewers single out for feeling premium in the hand in a way the mid-tier brands don't match. Owners frequently buy multiple across washes. The honest trade-offs are the ones that come with real rigid denim: a stiff break-in period, and a waist that runs slightly small so wearers between sizes tend to size up. The washes are restrained and considered, which is the point — these read 'expensive' precisely because they don't shout.
Own Citizens of Humanity jeans?
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Write the first honest reviewThe details
- Material
- 100% cotton, ~12oz non-stretch denim from premium mills.
- Fit
- High-rise straight at the natural waist. Runs slightly small at the waist — wearers between sizes size up; rigid cotton with no give, so buy your real waist.
- Quality
- Premium construction — stitching, hardware and heavy cloth all above the price; holds shape across years.
- Best for
- Premium non-stretch high-rise denim, considered styling, and structured jeans built to last.
- Care
- Cold wash inside-out and infrequently; air dry. The indigo deepens with infrequent washing.
Fit check: Citizens of Humanity
Runs largeCitizens of Humanity tends to run about half a size large and stretches with wear, so most owners size down for a fitted look.
A stylist's sizing guide reports the brand "generally run[s] about half a size large" and that owners "expect about an inch of stretch in the waistband after a few hours of wear," advising those between sizes to go down one. Hands-on reviewers back this up across cuts: one who ordered her chart size in the Horseshoe jean found it loose and repurchased a size down, and a shorts reviewer says the relaxed styles "run really big" and always sizes down. The caveat owners flag is line-level: relaxed and baggy cuts run largest, while high-rise styles fit closer to true size — and older forum threads on the skinny-era styles were more mixed.
Sizing advice: Size down one if you're between sizes or want a snug fit — especially in relaxed and baggy cuts, which stretch and loosen with wear; stay true to size only if you want the intentionally slouchy look.
Per owner & reviewer reports: Citizens of Humanity Sizing: Does It Run Big? Your Comple… · Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe Jeans Review (Jeans and a … · Citizens of Humanity Corey Relaxed Denim Shorts Review (T…
How Citizens of Humanity jeans hold up overall
Owners report soft denim with a vintage feel and construction that holds up across years and repeat purchases; the stretch blends are noted for loosening with wear but recovering their shape after washing. The rigid all-cotton cuts have no give, and several owners who bought their usual size exchanged for one size up. Complaints center on the no-stretch cuts feeling restrictive through a full day, button-fly closures that divide opinion, and favorite styles being altered between seasons.
- Strengths
- Soft, substantial denim whose construction owners report lasting through years of wear and many washes.
- Watch out for
- The rigid all-cotton cuts have no stretch and run small, and owners complain when the brand changes closures or details on long-running styles.
- Sizing
- Several popular cuts run small — especially through the hips and thighs — so sizing up one size is commonly advised on the rigid styles, while the stretch styles fit closer to true size.
About Citizens of Humanity's jeans line as a whole. Sources: Citizens of Humanity Jeans Review - Must Read This Before Buying · Citizens of Humanity Denim Review: Charlotte and Jolene - Karin Emily · Citizens of Humanity Charlotte Jeans Review - Magpie by Jen Shoop
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