I can’t stop wearing these weirdly perfect $35 Gap jeans

Summer dressing has always been my wild card season. While I stick to a pretty predictable uniform of jeans and neutral tops the rest of the year, something about warm weather makes me reach for bright colors and experimental silhouettes. My 13-year-old daughter has definitely noticed this pattern. “Mom, why do you dress so much weirder in the summer?” she asked recently, eyeing my latest purchase with skepticism.

The latest addition to my admittedly wacky summer wardrobe? Gap’s Mid Rise Easy Horseshoe Jeans in Neon Pink Denim, currently on sale for just $35. But here’s the thing—even my brutally honest teenager gave them the stamp of approval. (This is the same child who wears Nike ankle socks and Birkenstocks like every other 8th grader I haul home from lacrosse practice, but I digress. Somehow her opinion still matters.)

Last weekend I wore them to an outdoor concert, and I’m not even kidding, at least five people stopped me to say they liked my pants or ask where I got them. One friend interrogated me immediately, “Are those Gap Horseshoe jeans?! I’ve had them in my cart all week.” And, in a move that really made my day, a very fashionable woman at a Japanese street fair went out of her way to compliment them while I was traipsing around Montreal. I’m now convinced there’s something about pink pants that just makes people want to be your friend—it’s like wearing a billboard that says “I’m fun and approachable.”

Why the Gap Horseshoe jeans work when others don’t

The magic is in the details. These aren’t your typical baggy jeans that make you look like you’re drowning in fabric. The horizontal darts at the knees and vertical seam up the shin give the wide leg actual shape instead of looking like you’re wearing a denim potato sack. The exaggerated curve creates this effortlessly cool silhouette that somehow works whether you’re 5’10” or, like me, barely scraping 5’2″.

The fit is what Gap calls a “horseshoe jean”—fitted at the waist with that dramatic curved leg that tapers at the ankle. The pull-on pant style means no muffin top struggles or having to lie down to zip them up. They’re comfortable enough to wear from morning coffee runs to late-night dinners without that “I need to change into sweatpants immediately” feeling.

At ankle length, they hit at exactly the right spot for us shorter folks. I’m wearing the XXS regular, and they’re not quite as cropped as they look on the 6-foot models, but they also don’t puddle around my ankles like most “regular” length jeans do. The best part? They come in regular, tall, and petite lengths in sizes from XXS to XXL, so you can actually find your perfect fit.

Gap

Mid Rise Easy Horseshoe Jeans

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$35

SHOP GAP

The fabric situation is on point–and eco-friendly

Made from Gap’s “softest denim ever”—a Tencel blend that feels more like elevated loungewear than traditional denim—they’re light enough for warm summer days but substantial enough that you don’t feel underdressed. They’re part of Gap’s water-saving Washwell program and made with recycled cotton, so you can feel good about the environmental impact too.

Styling is easier than expected

I initially planned to pair them with fitted crop tops to balance the volume, but on a whim I threw on my favorite flowy Free People cropped tee and discovered the perfect artist-chic combination. The relaxed-on-relaxed styling shouldn’t work in theory, but somehow creates this effortlessly cool vibe that looks intentional rather than sloppy.

Honestly, I’m already eyeing the brown cow print version because it’s the summer of Cowboy Carter, and if pink pants make you likeable, cow print might just make you legendary. (Unfortunately those are still $88, but since I know how much I love the fit, I’m tempted to splurge.) They also come in bunch of other colors and patterns which currently range in price from $35-$88.

Sometimes the best pieces aren’t the ones you agonize over—they’re the ones that make getting dressed feel effortless and every day a little more fun.