Buying a pair of jeans has become almost as stressful as buying a bathing suit. Selecting your usual size form the rack, only to get into the dressing room to discover that you can’t even pull them over your knees is a depressing experience. It’s happened to all of us. Most women tend to be really hard on themselves, and blame it on their bodies – on their thighs for being too big, on their stomachs for being too pudgy, on their butts for being too wide. But really, the problem ISN’T our bodies. It’s the denim.
Having owned a clothing boutique which specialized in premium denim, I can tell you from personal experience that no two jeans are alike. The denim industry has become so enormous that each line of denim carries anywhere between 5 to even 20 different styles of jean, each one tailored toward a specific body type. So if you’re a curvy woman, and you walk into a store and pull out a pair of jeans that look cute on the rack, but you aren’t aware that that particular style is cut for someone with a boyfish figure, you’re setting yourself up for failure. The key to avioding the trauma of ending up in a dressing room with a pile of jeans that make you feel like Miss Piggy is to do a little research first, so that you can easily identify the shapes and styles that work for you.
Here are a few tips:
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Low rise is your friend. Yes, all of the magazines are touting high rise jeans. Do you know why? Not because they’re flattering. Because they are BORED. Low rise has been around for a while; it’s not interesting to talk about anymore. So they mix it up. But does eveyrone remember the infamous Jessica Simpson high-rise jeans debacle? Every headline screamed about her alleged massive weight gain, when the reality was, she was just wearing a bad pair of jeans. Now, I’m not suggesting that you wear super-low rise jeans that expose your butt crack when you bend down, but anything higher than two fingers below your belly button is going to make your stomach and butt look enormous.
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Boot cut is not always flattering. If you carry weight in your hips and thighs, you definitely want a boot cut, flare or trouser leg jean to balance out your silhoutte. However, beware of boot cut jeans that are tight from the thigh to the knee, because it will only make you appear larger. You want a boot cut jean that tapers in slightly at the knee, then gradually flares out to the hemline.You’re going to have to have them hemmed. Deal with it. “They’re too long” was the whine I constantly heard coming from the dressing room at my boutique. Now, at only 5’3″, believe me, I share your pain. But stop kidding yourself! The denim manufacturers cannot possibly make their jeans in lengths to fit every inseam! The reason they are so long is so that you can have them tailored perfectly for your height. The length of your jeans is key to the right fit. And that being said, you cannot wear the same pair of jeans with both heels and flats. Once you find the right style, buy two pairs, one to be worn with flats, and one to be worn with heels.
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Visit the website of the brand of denim you want to purchase, or the store you will be shopping at. Almost every line of jeans has a detailed description of how each style fits. Next Wednesday I will discuss specific brands and styles of denim for each body type, but you can also go online and do your own research. For example, Paige Premium Denim, one of my favorite brands, has a fit quiz on their site, where you answer questions about your body shpae, and based on your answers, specific styles are suggested for you. For those of you who ware full-figured, Lane Bryant has a similiar, fantastic tool on their website. And they’re having a private sale right now, for 15% off your total purchase, so it’s worth the visit:
-Jessica
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