The verdict is in: this season it’s all about the high-waist. Consult any fashion pub – be it print or Web – and the evidence is clear. ‘70s fashion is in; thong-baring waistlines might as well be dead and buried (and, in our opinion, hopefully never to be resurrected again). But, while rib-grazing waistlines have graced the gams of countless fashion icons in the past (Jane Birkin being one of the most notable), we’re not so sure the look flatters every figure.

Thus, when we first caught sight of the various Era of Chaos high-waisted styles (of which Amber Valletta, Mena Suvari and Mary J. Blige are already fans) adorning the window of 5th Avenue’s LF boutique, we found ourselves confronted with the age-old dilemma of body-type-compatibility. While our gut instinct made us want to climb the Empire State Building and cry, ‘We found it! The perfect jean!’ we knew not every woman would be convinced. So, we enlisted the help of our favorite fashionable femmes, Fashionista.com’s editor extraordinaire, Faran Krentcil, and respective intern, Anna Fielding Griggs, as well as our own in-house news editor, Alisa Gould-Simon and contributor Sara Costello, went en masse to LF’s Soho shop, and tried every Era of Chaos high-waisted style under the sun. The uncensored consensus:

Faran Krentcil, 5’6”, size 4
Anna Fielding Griggs, 5’7”, size 2
Alisa Gould-Simon, 5’4”, size 4
Sara Costello, 5’8”, size 6

On the high-waisted shorts in black ($168)…
FK: I hate them. I feel like a cow, or like I should be milking a cow [note: she is outfitted in a billowing white cotton tank and store-provided yellow patent-leather wedges, which she later traded for her own flip-flops, a pairing she much preferred]. They are really comfortable… but I’d never wear any of this. It’s harder for short girls to pull off. I have a waist and boobs. I’m a size 4, but this style just cuts everything off. I feel like I’m about to have a child in Poland where all they eat is potatoes. I would sooner die.
SC: I like these. They’re perfect with just the shirt and flats I wore here.
FK: I probably don’t hate them as much as I’m saying. I just felt like you needed a dissenting opinion.

On the Corseted Skinny Leg Jean in Magnolia ($196)…
AFG: I think I may have to get these just because they’re a 25 [she typically wears a 27]. They look much cooler than I expected.
S: I like these! I would totally buy them.
AGS: They’re great. I’m loving the Lycra [doing a high-kick]. I prefer the ones without the white stitching though; it’s a cleaner look.

On the Suspender Corset Waist Shortalls in Magnolia ($166)…
SC: I so don’t want to come out [peeking out from behind the dressing-room door]. They’re too short for me, for my day-to-day life... I would wear them at the beach. But they’re not city shorts. I couldn’t wear them to meet people, or to go to work. Maybe if I was 20 I would. They’re just not right for my lifestyle.
AGS: Okay, I kind of feel like a street-walker [sporting the same patent-leather wedges Krentcil had on earlier]. And, at the same time, I don’t ever want to take this off. It’s so comfortable. I want to be able to pull this off; I just don’t know if I can… these are one size bigger than I normally wear, but I think they’re perfect. Otherwise they’d be too short.
AFG: I’d go for these instead of the jeans. The silhouette isn’t as extreme. They’re sort of retro, pin-up-ish. I feel like that’s kind of fun. They’ve really grown on me. [Fifteen minutes later, still sporting the same pair of shortalls, and having traded a tie-in-front cotton blouse for a plain white tee] I like it better with just a T-shirt. It’s fun in a campy way. They’re more flattering than I would have thought.
FK: These would be good rock-festival rompers.
AGS: This is totally hilarious - all of us dressed the same.
FK: We should form a rock band; we’ve already got the outfits.
AGS: We can call ourselves the Chaotics.

On the Skirt ($166)…
FK: [Sporting it without the suspenders] The skirt is kind of normal.
AGS: It’s a great length; a few inches above the knee but high-waisted so it doesn’t look too short. It makes your legs look long...
FK: I feel like a guy would really like unbuttoning them, but that’s a whole other story.

*Era of Chaos denim is available exclusively at LF.