Highwater jeans are SO last year
I am embarrassed to admit just how LONG this e-mail has been lingering in my in-box. Let's just say that when Shannon wrote to ask about jeans, she was shopping the after-Christmas sales. Sorry about that.
I swear jeans are the HARDEST piece of clothing to buy. First of all, not all jeans are created equally (as we know, some are assembled by drunk monkeys with steak knives). If you are shopping in the low-to-mid price points (which really is anything Banana Republic and down), you will need to take multiple pairs of the same size jeans into the dressing room with you. I am entirely serious -- grab all the size whatever jeans in the style you think you want, plus a few pairs that are one size up and a few more that are one size down, and haul the whole load into the dressing room. Because not all size 8 or 12 or 16 jeans are made the same way, and there can be substantial discrepancies from one pair to the next.
Are you tired yet? You know, since I just suggested that you will need to try on 68 pairs of jeans to find ONE that fits? Sorry about that.
Shannon is asking specifically about length, which is almost as tricky as overall fit. We tend to worry, in the dressing room, about the waist and hips part of the jeans, and we often wind up not really looking at the length. But you really do need to look, for all the reasons Shannon points to here: jeans that fit your ass but don't quite meet the top of your shoe will still make you look hippy.
When you go to look for jeans, either wear or take the shoes that you will ACTUALLY put on WITH the jeans. I so deeply despise shopping for jeans that I will often take two or three pairs of shoes with me, because then, while I'm IN the dressing room with my 74 pairs of jeans, I can try EVERY POSSIBLE COMBINATION of footwear.
Because the only thing I hate more than SHOPPING for jeans is having to RETURN them. Ugh.
Jeans from J. Crew.
What kind of length are we talking about? Let's start with flats: the jeans that you are going to wear with flat shoes should break SLIGHTLY over the front of your foot. I prefer a more dramatic break than is pictured here for my own jeans, but that means a longer hemline, which really is difficult to wear without shoes. The length in the photo -- long enough to cover the back of the shoe but not so long as to drag on the ground or trip you up -- is perfect for every day.
Jeans from J. Crew.
With a heel, of course, you want a longer hem, ideally one that will hang to within about a quarter of an inch (or less) of the floor. The idea is NOT for people to see your entire shoe, but only the toe. Jeans that are cut to wear with heels really DO need shoes; there's no going barefoot with this length. Then again, I assume that if you're putting on the jeans that are hemmed for your heels, you are actually GOING somewhere and will be leaving your shoes on. Right? Right.
Jeans from Boden USA.
If you want to go with a cropped hemline, choose one that is CLEARLY cropped, not just a wee bit too short. Cropped pants should hit one or two inches above the ankle bone, for the most flattering look. Jeans that stop below the ankle bone will, as Shannon points out, leave you looking like you are awaiting a flood. Or like you have had a miraculous late-life growth spurt. Either way, it's not a good look.
So what's a mama to do? There is always tailoring, although I have to admit that I tend to save this for pants that are NOT jeans, because it can be difficult to get jeans hemmed in such a way that they don't LOOK hemmed. I think it comes down to this: you will need to try on a LOT of jeans, in various styles and inseams, with the right shoes, before you come up with a pair that is the perfect length.
Doesn't that sound like FUN? Ugh.
Okay, now it's your turn: dish about your FAVORITE jeans. What brand, where you buy them, what the hemline is like. Spill it. Because you know that I only own the one pair of jeans, and I had to try on so many pairs to find them that they may veery well be the last pair I EVER own. Unless you all can tell me what to buy.
I spent the whole day braving the mall in search of a new pair of jeans. (16 months postpartum and still nursing = clothes CONTINUE to become ill-fitting every few months as my body keeps up its apparently unending shape-shifting process. But that's probably fodder for a whole other question.)
I ended the day with a case of dehydration (all that shopping! no time for water!) and a serious case of inseam-length confusion. (OK, I ended up with some jeans, too, but I'm so confused I may end up returning them.) Can you please, please tell me, how long are jeans really supposed to be? OK, I get that you need jeans of one length for your flats, and jeans of a longer length for your shoes with heels. But why does it always seem that, for relatively petite (5'3") girls like me, the "shorts" are too short for anything other than ballet flats, and the "regulars" are, well, questionably billowy at the foot? I can't for the life of me figure out just how the bottom of my jeans is supposed to look. Straight, with no "break"? (That seems too short.) A quarter-inch off the floor in the back? (I'm afraid that will look too sloppy from the front, where the fabric balloons out a little where it hits the shoe.) It especially drives me crazy to run around my house in stocking-feet with the babies all day, stepping on the bottom of my jeans the whole time. It makes me feel like a sloppy high-schooler. And yet, if I'm ever gonna put on shoes (which I am), those "short" or "petite" or "ankle" lengths--the ones I DON'T trip on when I'm in my stocking-feet--often look a little flood-water-ish.
I'm desperate. A mama needs some jeans!
I swear jeans are the HARDEST piece of clothing to buy. First of all, not all jeans are created equally (as we know, some are assembled by drunk monkeys with steak knives). If you are shopping in the low-to-mid price points (which really is anything Banana Republic and down), you will need to take multiple pairs of the same size jeans into the dressing room with you. I am entirely serious -- grab all the size whatever jeans in the style you think you want, plus a few pairs that are one size up and a few more that are one size down, and haul the whole load into the dressing room. Because not all size 8 or 12 or 16 jeans are made the same way, and there can be substantial discrepancies from one pair to the next.
Are you tired yet? You know, since I just suggested that you will need to try on 68 pairs of jeans to find ONE that fits? Sorry about that.
Shannon is asking specifically about length, which is almost as tricky as overall fit. We tend to worry, in the dressing room, about the waist and hips part of the jeans, and we often wind up not really looking at the length. But you really do need to look, for all the reasons Shannon points to here: jeans that fit your ass but don't quite meet the top of your shoe will still make you look hippy.
When you go to look for jeans, either wear or take the shoes that you will ACTUALLY put on WITH the jeans. I so deeply despise shopping for jeans that I will often take two or three pairs of shoes with me, because then, while I'm IN the dressing room with my 74 pairs of jeans, I can try EVERY POSSIBLE COMBINATION of footwear.
Because the only thing I hate more than SHOPPING for jeans is having to RETURN them. Ugh.
Jeans from J. Crew.
What kind of length are we talking about? Let's start with flats: the jeans that you are going to wear with flat shoes should break SLIGHTLY over the front of your foot. I prefer a more dramatic break than is pictured here for my own jeans, but that means a longer hemline, which really is difficult to wear without shoes. The length in the photo -- long enough to cover the back of the shoe but not so long as to drag on the ground or trip you up -- is perfect for every day.
Jeans from J. Crew.
With a heel, of course, you want a longer hem, ideally one that will hang to within about a quarter of an inch (or less) of the floor. The idea is NOT for people to see your entire shoe, but only the toe. Jeans that are cut to wear with heels really DO need shoes; there's no going barefoot with this length. Then again, I assume that if you're putting on the jeans that are hemmed for your heels, you are actually GOING somewhere and will be leaving your shoes on. Right? Right.
Jeans from Boden USA.
If you want to go with a cropped hemline, choose one that is CLEARLY cropped, not just a wee bit too short. Cropped pants should hit one or two inches above the ankle bone, for the most flattering look. Jeans that stop below the ankle bone will, as Shannon points out, leave you looking like you are awaiting a flood. Or like you have had a miraculous late-life growth spurt. Either way, it's not a good look.
So what's a mama to do? There is always tailoring, although I have to admit that I tend to save this for pants that are NOT jeans, because it can be difficult to get jeans hemmed in such a way that they don't LOOK hemmed. I think it comes down to this: you will need to try on a LOT of jeans, in various styles and inseams, with the right shoes, before you come up with a pair that is the perfect length.
Doesn't that sound like FUN? Ugh.
Okay, now it's your turn: dish about your FAVORITE jeans. What brand, where you buy them, what the hemline is like. Spill it. Because you know that I only own the one pair of jeans, and I had to try on so many pairs to find them that they may veery well be the last pair I EVER own. Unless you all can tell me what to buy.
20 Comments:
I need a nap.
Also, it sounds like my after-Christmas jeans-shopping foray was a mere tiny drop in a bucket compared to the kind of shopping I'm probably going to need to do to find some good-fitting jeans. (I returned the ones I bought, and Susan, I hear you: the only thing worse than the shopping is the returning. Especially if you have to drive 40 minutes one-way to do so.)
It sounds like, to go jeans-shopping, I'm going to need not only a sitter, but a breast-pump, several meals, and a bottle of Tylenol as well. But thank you VERY much for this extremely comprehensive reply to my question. You're the best.
Very good descriptive post (with! pictures!)! I, too, like a bit more dramatic break at the hem of my jeans - and it is such a fine line between "hip" and "tacky". I think this has more to do with my fear of the "too short jean". Eek!
I'll take this a step further to tell you that I not only have pair of jeans for "flat" or "heel", but I have "high heel" and "low heel" jeans. Someone stop me.
I have many jeans frustrations as well.
I've heard that Nordies hems jeans that you purchase there at no extra charge, but I've never bought anything there myself so I cannot verify that. My understanding is that a tailor who specializes in jeans can make it look good, but no one else can.
Hard to justify the expense for that sort of thing when your shape is always changing, so must of us will just have to live with something that's okay after trying on 68 pairs of jeans.
My favorite jeans at two different price points:
Gap long and lean or "curvy" - I'm 5'7 so the regular length works sometimes, depending on the jean. With Gap jeans it is really true that a 12 is not a 12 is not a 12 (for me anyway). I've also bought the "long" length in the long and lean and been very happy with the length with a 2 to 3 inch heel.
Paige premium, "hidden hills" - these have an ever so slightly higher rise and also a wider waistband. LOVE THEM SO MUCH and they are also great with heels. If god willing I fit back into them after I have this baby (my 2nd) I will have them tailored so I can wear them with driving mocs/flats.
I have to get every pair of jeans hemmed because of my height (or lack thereof). Find a good tailor, and INSIST on maintaining the original hem. I don't think anyone would be able to tell that my jeans are all hemmed.
Ann Taylor Loft, curvy fit, boot cut. The ONLY jeans I can wear out of the house without embarrasment, and not coincidentally, I'm sure, the most money I've ever spent on a pair of jeans ($50). Hemmed for heeled boots -- I am 5'4" and short in the leg, and a I unfortunately cannot avoid hemming.
I'm also 5'3" and fall into the category of petite/short only working with ballet flats (or sometimes too short!), and regular often being too long for my tallest heels. Ugh!
At least I've bought a lot of ballet flats and skimmers this year. But like wearing heels -- I can really use the height!
Count me as one totally frustrated by the mile-long difference between 'Short' and 'Medium'.
If you sew, hemming jeans is OK, but if you've got a boot cut or really anything other than straight leg, it changes the cut of the jeans. Annoying.
I've raved here before about Levi's 515s, but I'll repeat. If your hips aren't significantly bigger than your waist (either because you have slim hips or because you have a thick waist or, in my lucky case, both) they are fabulous. They're boot cut, which I think is most flattering and they come in a half dozen washes (though be warned: the dark wash ones are LONGER than the light wash, which I presume have been washed more times). They have a mid-rise, which hits a very short-waisted me at just below the belly button, and are more fitted in the butt and thighs than most jeans.
I also love the old standby, 501s. They have a longer rise, but they also have the distinct advantage of being available in exactly the waist and leg length size you want.
A confession: I still have fond, fond memories of the old 80s-style Guess jeans with their zippers at the ankles because those were the only ones I could ever find that fit my hips and still buttoned around my waist. AND they were the right length. *sigh* Those were the days.
I think you just talked me into going back to my men's Levi's 501s - or yoga pants!
I second Gap curvy cut or long and lean. I have the gap curvy ankle length jeans and khakis, and long and lean ankle length jeans which work really well with my kitten heels
well, I was loving ann taylor jeans because they were cut more straight and less boot cut. They've since changed that and all I can seem to find is the "margo" cut which is bigger in the butt, which I don't need. And, once I wash them they only work with flats (and there's no chance of the no dryer thing, DH does the laundry). The good news is they've held up fairly well, although I lost a button last week.
But next season, i'm likely to have to do the shop across the mall again.
The seamstress at my drycleaner, who happens to be my tailor due to the convenience of one stop for two errands, offers "the original hem" which actually makes your hemmed jeans look like they came that way. Something to look into if you find a pair you love in a too long length. It really does not look like your jeans have been hemmed at all--and I notice stuff like that.
Here's a tutorial about how to shorten your jeans while keeping the original hem:
http://www.daciaray.com/?p=38
I've used this method and it works quite well. Which is good, because I often need to hem even petite or "ankle" jeans unless I plan to wear 3-inch heels. On the rare occasion that I wear high heels, it would not be with jeans!
Now if only I could take apart the back of a pair of jeans and adjust it so I don't have that gap at the back of my waist...
Oh good, I'm so glad someone brought up the gap-in-the-waist problem. I know I was asking about length, but if ANYONE has any tips whatsoever about a brand of jeans that solves this problem, I will be forever grateful. Not only do I have inseam-length issues, but I have a very small waist with very curvy hips, and you just would think SOMEONE would make jeans for this exact body type. If jeans fit my hips, they invariably gap horribly at the waist. (The only reason the Levi 515s someone mentioned above do not work for me anymore--they were great postpartum, but then I started getting my old smaller waist back and you hate to be ungrateful for something like that, but it really throws a wrench in the whole jeans-fitting situation.)
Any ideas? Anyone? I tried the Eddie Bauer "Shaped Fit" at the mall, and they were great except: the "short" was too short and the "regular" was too long, hence my initial question for Susan! But now you all are thinking I might want to consider tailoring!
But I'd so rather just find a brand of jeans that fits. I know that's asking a lot.
Okay, I'm giving up jeans and wearing skirts from now on!
I have two pairs of favorite jeans, both Gap low-rise boot cut, and both thrifted. They fit like a dream.
But I can go in Gap and try on all 68 pairs of jeans ranging in size from 4A to 8A, and none of them fit. None!
The past few weeks, I've tried J. Crew, Old Navy, Target (both Merona and Mossimo), and some higher-end stuff like Seven, Shagg, and Paper Denim Cloth.
None of them fit. So yeah, skirts.
shan - i saw this on the old navy post that Susan shared:
"I have never, ever in my entire life found a pair of jeans at Old Navy that fit my huge curvy backside. Alas. HOWEVER, I feel the need to pop into this discussion and say "WOMEN OF SMALL WAISTS, TAKE HEART!" Lee now has a line of jeans called NO GAP that has hidden elastic in the waist. And I don't mean Mom Jeans elastic, but somehow, magically, flat and invisible elastic that eliminates waist gap. Behold. I have a pair and sometimes I whisper sweet nothings to them."
I have my own problem with jeans: I am super short waisted (so ultra low rise jeans actually end up at my belly button) 5'3" tall and wear an inseam of 34" with FLATS! My legs are miles long for such a short girl. Finding jeans that I can wear with high heels is a pain in the but.
Alas, I bought 2 pairs of Seven jeans (not Seven for all Mankind) at Costco (GASP!) that fit like a glove and are the perfect length for flats to kitten heels. Which face it with a toddler - I don't wear heels unless it is "date" night.
Please, please, PLEASE don't "save" tailoring only for your non-jeans pants. I'm Shorty McShorterson, and I have all my jeans tailored and it makes a huge difference. A good tailor will ask you to wear the shoes you'd noramlly wear with the jeans, and then meticulously match the thread to the existing thread color. But be careful, always wash them once or twice before hemming, lest they shrink and leave you with highwaters.
Plus, I now buy designer jeans on sale without hesitation as long as they fit elsewhere... you'd be surprised at how often I find talls on the clearance racks. Lop off 6-8" off the bottom and they fit perfectly.
I do have to say that I prefer the ankle length on skinny jeans because I'm more likely to wear them with flats or boots. Straight, boot-cut or wide leg, I go for the 1/4"-1/2" from the floor length.
wow that was really discriptive. It really did clear my confusion about jeans whenever i am in the trial room.
Thanks for it.
Have you tried the product njeanious? It is a new product which solves the heels vs. flats dilemma with jeans that are perfect with heels but to long for flats. It is a temporary hem tape made for jean to jean contact and it will give you a tailored look quickly so that you can wear your jeans at any length you want. You just remove it when you want to wash your jeans or go back to your original length. It's a great product! The website is www.njeanious.com they have a demo video and everything, check it out.
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