As I get older, I am more geared for comfort, and thought these jeans looked pretty nice with the side elastic at the waist.  After wearing them, however, I found that they just tend to look bunchy in the elastic area, and after a few times of sitting down and getting up the fabric of the jeans around the knees and butt gets all bent out of shape and looks like you've been wearing them for a week.
Also, LOTS of color bled out of these in the washer for several washings (even on cold), so be sure to always use some brand of color catcher cloth to protect your other clothing, or wash them alone.
Bummer.