In search of the perfect jeans

(I decided to put this in Maintaining, since I am maintaining now, and this forum needs some more traffic!)

I have decided to make it a goal for Spring to find the PERFECT pair of jeans. Cost is no object, since I'm maintaining now. These aren't going to be "temporary" jeans while I lose more weight. These are going to be jeans to celebrate my successful maintenance since October, and to give me good reason to keep on maintaining ...

My objective is to find a pair that:

1) Is perfectly flattering for my figure.

2) Fits me perfectly (but I won't rule out alterations to make an "almost" pair into a perfect pair)

2) Has a dark wash with no whiskering, fading, etc - a pair I can wear for business casual days and dressing up

4) Mid-rise (just below the belly button - an 8-9 inch rise) to "lock and load" my tummy, which tends to be my trouble spot

5) Boot cut or straight leg.

6) MUST BE COMFORTABLE. Able to bend and stretch, eat out and not feel like I'm going to explode, and comfy enough to wear on a long airplane flight.

This is going to be quite a challenge, as I never have any luck with jeans, no matter what my weight. A big part of that is that I'm petite - only 5'0". I also have narrow hips (32 inches) but a 0.8 waist/hip ratio. And a smallish butt that isn't really all that bad, but perhaps (now that I'm in my 40s) has seen perkier days. I have a ton of "passable" jeans in my closet.... but I crave something better than passable... I crave NIRVANA!!!

I'm going to post here with my updates as I go shopping and trying on jeans. Feel free to join me in this mission, or help me out if you have suggestions!!!

I have the same "between sizes" issues. I can't seem to order anything online without trying it on somewhere first. According to size charts on the True Jeans website in Pine IV brand, I should wear a 26, but I know that in Guess brand I wear a 28. I don't know if those are supposed to be "waist" sizes, but since nothing except "Mom jeans" (and who wants those?) sit at your true waist I'm not even sure what that means anymore.

Since you are a shorty like me, have you had that fun experience where the "knee" of the jean hits you mid-calf? I tried on Baby Phat jeans, and they fit like that.

I am wearing Gap jeans at the moment. They really give me the flat, saggy butt.

My suggestion (I JUST found the perfect jeans and we're approximately the same...ish).  American Eagle Size 0 Short Boyfriend Jeans.  I got the 2's, but your hips are slightly smaller than mine and you're a bit shorter.  They're stretchy a bit so they won't sag by the end of the day (which I hate!!).

Boot cut.   They are a lower rise, in that aspect you may not find them to suit you.  But, I think they would flatter your figure very well.

I think I paid $40.00 for them and I ended up going back and getting a second pair since I love them so much. 

Tatjana, can you measure the front and back rise and let me know what they are?

I do know I need *at least* 8 inch front rise. I have a pair of Jcrew skinny jeans that are 7-7.5 inches. They are adorable jeans (I can for some odd reason wear the skinny jean look just fine!). But only if I am standing!! Once I sit down, forget it, too much gut & saggy skin puffing out.

Also they have this really annoying habit of wanting to fall off my hips. I actually wish I had a bit of fat on my hip, to hold up jeans. I don't. Once you get past the hip bone, it's straight down, nothing at all to hold up a low-rise jean! And a belt doesn't help either.

I guess you'd call these my "5 minute jeans" - they look awesome as long as I'm only going to wear them for 5 minutes. LOL. Does anyone else have  jeans like that???

Original Post by jenmcc:

Tatjana, can you measure the front and back rise and let me know what they are?

I do know I need *at least* 8 inch front rise. I have a pair of Jcrew skinny jeans that are 7-7.5 inches. They are adorable jeans (I can for some odd reason wear the skinny jean look just fine!). But only if I am standing!! Once I sit down, forget it, too much gut & saggy skin puffing out.

Also they have this really annoying habit of wanting to fall off my hips. I actually wish I had a bit of fat on my hip, to hold up jeans. I don't. Once you get past the hip bone, it's straight down, nothing at all to hold up a low-rise jean! And a belt doesn't help either.

I guess you'd call these my "5 minute jeans" - they look awesome as long as I'm only going to wear them for 5 minutes. LOL. Does anyone else have jeans like that???

 Okay, I have a pair right here:

Front rise is only 7" so these are probably not the jeans for you. :(  I'm sorry, they are my favorites, I was hoping someone else could benefit from my "find".  The waist is a little larger...I don't get the gut roll or muffin top when I sit in them.   But then, I do have hips, so...not sure.

Good luck with your denim nirvana!!! 

I have a hard time finding the perfect jeans too.  I'm 5'2" and weigh around 110.  So I went to Nordstroms and found a pair that fit!  I kind of lucked out here and they were a bit tight when I got them but you know the stretchy ones always seem to get bigger.  I think they are JAG.

But still they aren't my "favourties."  I'm going to pick some up when I go to Australia in a few months.  For some reason the stuff there seems to fit!  Not sure what it is here, but it's so hard to find the right pair.  I would like to have something as you describe jenmcc!

Oh and I did have some jeans from Aus that I loved but they were a bit wide at the bottom.  My tailor did a great job taking them in.  Also he totally redid the ass and waistband on two other pairs of business casual pants!  I love that guy... 

Make sure you go to a high tier Nordstrom because they usually are more likely to have the smaller sizes :)

Tatjana - I still may go try on the AE jeans. Who knows, maybe this season they'll offer a higher rise, since they're coming back into style?

Figurethefat - two questions:

1) how did you get the word ass to appear without ***?

2) What did the tailor do to fix that part???? Because that would be awesome, maybe I could get the Citizens and have them fixed.... I always figured that the most a tailor could do is hem, taper the legs, maybe narrow the hips, and tighten the waistband (which is never my issue).

How do you get that part taken in???? I don't have a single pair of jeans that fit my butt.  They are all saggy and look horrible after I have worn them for more than like 30 minutes.  I can't go a size smaller cause hip bones don't shrink and my thighs are a little big. 

For ladies with a small waist and round butt or more in the thigh area try PZI jeans, you can even tell they use more shapely models http://www.pzijeans.com/

UPDATE:

Haven't been able to get out to the stores, but have been cruising the internet-only sites... I see Victoria's Secret just came out with an updated line of jeans, including some mid-rise skinny jeans that look promising. But I've always figured VS is for really tall women who have more of a pear shape...

So I emailed the company to ask them what the back-rise measurement is (as I noted, I've learned this is more important info for me if I want the butt to fit right), and they replied saying they didn't know. Sigh...

Anyone ever buy jeans from them? I guess I will add them low on my list to try. Hate the idea of ordering only to return... and paying all those shipping costs! Why can't more companies be like Zappo's??

Of course I don't know what the tailor did to take them in, but I guess it was the back seam in the center? He had to redo the pockets which was why it cost around $25. So he had to take off the waistband too and take that in, then put it back on. The guy is brilliant! I try on the pants, he makes a few chalk marks and they come out perfect :)

As for ass, not sure, geez. Oh, and I wore my JAG jeans yesterday and decided I like them more. But there's something about the stretchy jeans! It's weird, like they seem to stretch out over wearing time.

UPDATE:

Yesterday I slipped out for two hours and hit National Jean Company. I had a very helpful salesperson who understood my wish list, and I tried on a ton of jeans. The salesperson was petite and built sorta like me, so she zeroed in on brands she liked the best for herself.

Paige premium - widely suggested online for petites - did not like them at all. The fabric is too heavy, for one thing. Also I would rate these as better for pear shapes.

JBrand - her favorite - looked great on me, but ultimately, I just didn't like the stitching color.

I wound up buying two pairs of Citizens for Humanity jeans!!!

One pair is the Amber's, which I tried on last weekend but thought made my butt look all funny and saggy. I told her this and she said to try them on anyway so she could see what I meant. But then she pulled a 25 instead of a 26..... And lo and behold... all I needed was the next size down!! They fit me like a glove. And they flatter. Even my butt - it looks much perkier in the 25. WOO-HOO!

The other pair is a different style, mid-rise (just a smidge below the belly button) bootcut, dark wash. Dressier, for wearing with heels. I couldn't decide between the 25 or 26. Salesperson insisted I should get the 25 because they will stretch out. But I thought that the 25 was just too tight in the waistband - not comfortable, kinda digging into my flesh, eek. I didn't think it was going to stretch in that part. So I went with the 26 instead. If they stretch... well then they stretch.

The Amber 25's do have that "painted on" look but I can move in them quite easily, and they don't feel constricting at all. The Citizen's denim is just soooo nice!

The 25 in the other style was just too constricting in the waistband... everywhere else was okay but not everything has to look painted on, so this gives me options! I think the second pair will be perfect for work, the Amber's perfect for play.

Now I have to run them through the wash and dryer a few times to shrink them before I get them both hemmed....

Though I met my objective, I may not be done. I still wouldn't mind a pair of mid-rise skinny jeans too. ;-)

Anyone who's tired of the low-rise styles, get out there and go shopping! Mid- and high-rise styles are BACK and there are lots of flattering options to "lock and load" the old tummy!

Glad you found some jeans you like. I have a few of the low rise, one pair always feels like they are way too low, but they aren't really. The other one is ok though. I have a few of the mid-rise too. And my old 501s which are all the way up to the waist, but very faded and starting to get a few badly worn spots.

Ahh, I'm looking forward to spring and getting back into shorts, skirts and flip-flops.

I'm built a lot like you, and have a hard time finding jeans which look good and are comfy.  I know Levi's have been mentioned on here before, but I wanted to mention a specific style which I found to fit very well and be very comfortable.  They are Levi's 548 Perfectly Slimming Flare and have 2% spandex in them.  They're really comfy and flattering.  They are mid-rise also.

 I bought mine at Kohl's, but they don't show them on their website.  However, I did a search and Dillard's has them online.  Anyway, I know you've already found some jeans you like, but these are a lot less expensive, so if you need something else in a lower price range...

 

Try 7's if you can find them for a good price. I got a pair at a little store that went out of business a few weeks later (and I should have gotten six pairs at the price!) They feel great and just get better with age and have just enough stretch.  Only trouble is they wear out faster than other jeans - mine lasted a year before the inner thighs were in shreds, but then maybe that was me and not the jeans' problem!  That and there used to be a label called something like Marie Girbaud - I got a pair from a thrift shop 12 years ago (nearly new) and they were probably the best jeans I ever had.  Classic look, great fit, nice weight to the denim.  I think they may have them still at Nordstrom or Saks if the brand exists.

Thanks guys!

You know, I'm feeling oddly let down that it only took me a week to find the perfect jeans. LOL.

For years and years, I always complained that jeans never fit me right.... and here all it took was a concerted effort, some focus, and braving of stores I always skipped past thinking they'd never work for me because they didn't sell petites and (I confess) I thought the salespeople would be too snooty!  And I found not only one pair... but THREE.

I have run all three through the wash and dryer, still need to take two of them to be hemmed. But I tried them on again and I'm sooo glad I went with the 26 in the one style (it's Hutton), because the dryer shrunk them just right. I really really love these jeans and may plunk down money to buy a second pair to hem shorter for wearing with flats. I cannot believe how flattering these jeans are. AND comfy too!!!

The other pair, the 25 Amber, is fine too, a classic cut - but the 26 Hutton is just cut in the perfect way for my figure, I swear I look 10 lbs lighter in them than in the Amber's, with teeny tiny perky butt and amazingly slim thighs. I will have to take photos once they are hemmed so you can see.

Yep, these Huttons are my NIRVANA of jeans. They are perfect, perfect, PERFECT!!! I can now say with complete confidence that it really wasn't ME and something wrong with my body.... it really was the JEANS all along. LOL!

(doing a little happy dance)

Meanwhile, I need a new shopping goal now!!

I have taken stock of my Spring wardrobe, and here's what's on my new list:

1) A perfect pencil skirt. Preferably in khaki. Perhaps on the high-waisted side, since this is now IN again.

I'm loving this whole hourglass/high-waisted trend... yeah, it's from the 80s but it definetly flatters me!! Because my legs are so short. If clothes define a higher waist, it makes my legs look much longer and my whole proportion improves.

Also my natural waist -the narrowest point on my torso - is much higher - just below the ribs, not just above the belly button. So this style accents it better. It's weird, but with this new trend, I'm actually starting to see that all along I actually have an hourglass figure - not a rectangular or apple one! The math adds up, considering my chest and hips are exactly the same measurement. But I haven't "seen" that because of this stupid low-rise style.

2) More blousy/interesting tops. I have tons and tons of simple tee shirts, basic knits, and sweaters. What I don't have is that many blouses that can be layered under jackets and cardigans.

3) Jackets. I have a few already...  maybe just another one or two that would go with my new jeans. ;-)

This has gotten really long-winded... but I just want to end with this thought:

It's been since October that I went on maintenance. It's now February, so that's 5 months. It took me 5 months to finally start truly *seeing* the weight loss and changes in my body.

Goodness Gracious these posts are super long, too long to read. I wanted to put in my two cents and say that I've gotten some pretty good fitting, flattering jeans from The Limited. Unlike their sister store Express they don't focus too much on the ultra low rise and they have different fits, like Drew and Cassidy I think are the names. I like Express too but sometimes their jeans are just too low. I haven't tried Seven Jeans yet and I've only heard Fergie talk about True Religion jeans. I love to find a good pair of fitting jeans. I often think I buy too many jeans but since I keep losing weight all my size 8s that are brand new are too big, so I had to buy some 6s and 4s. I myself want jeans to accent my butt because I want it too look big and plump. LOL!!

Oh yeah I would love to finally find a pair of jeans that don't stretch out too much after you put them on and ride around in your car or walk around. If they are snug when I put them on I want them to stay that way daggonit!!!

 

I got a pair of Lucky's at Costco a few weeks ago for about $40 and I like them except they're flares and I prefer a straighter line.  They are very, very comfortable though.

A tailor can take in the flares. It's a pretty simple operation. I have done this myself, in fact: ages and ages ago... in junior high, when the fashion went from flares to straight legs overnight, and my mom refused to buy me new jeans because I hadn't grown out of the flares yet. So I turned all my disco bell-bottom jeans into straight-legs. ;-)

www.gussetclothing.com

Pricey, but worth it (for mens sizes, you will have to decide if the womens are as good as the mens.