The skinny on the latest trend in jeans

In the immortal words of Bob Dylan, "The times, they are a'changin'."

It's doubtful he was talking about denim when he wrote those lyrics, but when it comes to the end of the Skinny Jean Era, he couldn't be more right.

For the past several years, skinny jeans (along with the even skinnier cigarette jean and the so-skinny-it's-ridiculous jeggings) have held sway as the cool jean you couldn't live without.

Never mind that they were so tight, you almost couldn't breathe in them or fish even a stick of gum out of one of the pockets.

So perhaps it was inevitable that a new denim silhouette would appear. And since fashion loves to borrow from the past, this silhouette is straight out of the Disco era. It's high-waisted, wide-leg, floor grazing with some serious flares.

After years of wearing pants where the zipper starts well south of the navel, the "high-waisted" aspect of these new jeans might be kind of intimidating, but if worn the correct way, this is a look that can actually make someone look taller and thinner.

Stephanie Solomon at Bloomingdale's says the key is to try on several pairs of jeans and knowing how to style them correctly.

"The biggest mistake would be to not tuck (a shirt) in because that way you're losing that silhouette. Once the waist is defined, it elongates the leg."

She suggests a peasant blouse or tank top as two options that work well.

The right footwear is also critical.

"The flare needs to be draped over the top of the shoe, that's important. It could be a platform, it could be a flat, but never a pointed toe stiletto. It's the wrong balance," Solomon says.

Usually I try to avoid "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," but I saw a recent photo of Kourtney where she got this new high-waisted, flared jean look so right. She was wearing the 7 For All Mankind Georgia flares I'm currently loving and paired them with a pink blouse she'd tucked in and a thin belt to help define the waist.

Jessica Alba wore hers with a tank top, skinny belt and wedges while Audrina Patridge chose a tucked-in long-sleeved tee, belt and platforms. All three demonstrate a long fluid silhouette that looks really fresh this spring.

The other high end jean I really like is J. Brand, which has done several versions of the flared jean. For budget conscious types like myself, the Gap has some good options already in stores.

Remember, though, fit and proportion are important. Once you find the right pair, however, you'll be able to rock these jeans right into Fall because this wide-leg trend looks like it's staying put for a while.