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My FIRST ever...

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

...pair of jeans that are TOO LONG!!!

Please excuse the excitement. I mean, seriously, whether I like it or not, I'm a woman of respectable age and there are less and less FIRSTs in my life. But, the parcel which almost did not come due to administrative error (somehow my order got cancelled and I have not been informed) had finally arrived after I made a phone call and

in it

the longest

pair of jeans

I have EVER put on!

And I thought Levis people were clever with doing waist and length sizing separately. Even they stop at 36", IF you can find them in the shops here. And all was fine in O-land until I was introduced to PPL concept. From then on, things looked gloomy for a tall and short-waisted gal.

Well, these beauties are from the tall ladies' shop, the model I already knew from the previous season, but with some improvements. Better still, they have 38" inseam.

I am wearing them here with low heels, the heel height they will be dedicated for.

My questions to you before hemming (hemming the jeans? What do you mean??) is what do I need to do before I proceed. I can not mess things up with these.

So, set the color of the dark denim (I remember Angie did some post a while ago), then wash them... at what temperature is it best?

Then hem. How long? 1/2 inch from the floor?

Did I miss any step(s)?

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General

26 replies

Latest reply was from teri

rae

(website)

Veteran

I am not a hem expert, but I wanted to congratulate you on the long jeans milestone! The tall ladies shop is such a wonderful idea - here we see "Men's Big & Tall" everywhere, but I have never seen one for ladies.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

<skipping with joy here> I can relate, Ornella! I am so happy for you. Is it from Long Tall Sally?
I wash my jeans in cold water and air dry them. I would say 1/2 in. from the floor at the most - you can hem them even a bit longer so you can wear them with shoes with a slightly higher heel - like 1/4 in,. from the floor.

kellygirl

Veteran

Lol! I can't even imagine a 38" inseam! Congrats on your First!

sarah

Veteran

LOL, Ornela, I've rarely bought a pair of jeans that didn't look like this! I'd wash them a couple of times in cold water and hang them to dry, just as you would normally - but do it two or three times before you hem, just in case. And pin and post with the dedicated heel height before you cut anything off!

Elly

Veteran

Awesome O! I honestly don't have much problem finding a 38" inseam in jeans in the states, but I only need a 38 if I wear something with a heel greater than an 1"--- I struggle to find dress pants and the like that could be worn with heels, since I rarely wear jeans and heels. They look great.

Scarlet

Veteran

Oh I am happy for you--I know it is difficult for tall girls to achieve PPL. I have to say though it is a little amusing that you are so pleased when I am so frustrated that I always have to hem my trousers. On the other hand it is true I can always have trousers the length that I want and not what the manufacturer thought would do.

san

Veteran

They look perfect. I would not even think of hemming them until after a few washings and wearings, at least 3. Do you ever wear a 1- 2 inch heel? I personaly like wide leg pants with a bit of heel or platform. At this point, for brand new jeans I think the length will work out to be perfect and probaly no need for hemming at all. I don't put my jeans in the dryer. What is the fabric content on these? Have you told us the brand?

HeleenH

Veteran

Wash them the way you will wash them later. With such a small hem, you probably don't need to cut anything off, but hem them while keeping the original hem, it looks so much better. Tutorials all over the internet, I like these http://www.daciaray.com/?p=38 and http://home.comcast.net/~kozyk.....nalhem.pdf

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

The brand is Long Tall Sally. They have moved from having long lengths of 34" and 36" to 36" and 38" as their standard offer. At last!

The fabric content is 99% Cotton, 1% Elastane. Is that good or bad? I can still return them, the tag is still on.

San, I could probably wear them with high heels to work as I'm sitting the whole day anyway. That would be fun and probably good approach in addition to several wash-and-air-drys before making the final chop-chop.

Isis

Veteran

I'll echo Heleen's suggestion to hem while keeping the original hem. I followed the first tutorial and it was easy (and I am most definitely NOT a sewer!).

The beauty is that you do not cut off the hem so you can rip it out and do it again if you decide to go longer or shorter.....and it looks great!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Oh my gosh, Ornella! Congratulations! This, for sure, is a milestone! The others have given great hemming advice. And the jeans look GREAT!

Lynne

Veteran

Gasp, Ornella! 38"!

I vote leave them as is and add a heel to suit, and wait for the compliments to roll in! And the modelling contracts. It seem sacreligious to take anything away from these beauties.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Calling san, calling san!

You ARE a genius. This is why one should *always* run every dressing (un)decision by you guys.

I have tried my jeans on with the heels I often wear, 2"... ish. Perfect! The gist of it all is - I'm not touching the jeans, no hemming, I want to have my share of fun with the right length. I can always hem them when I develop bunions

I think I have my next week's theme sorted

Astrid

Veteran

Congratulations! That's a great first. I really like that you leave them as they are. Are we by any chance seeing the jeans with the heels next week?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I like this thread

San's advice is perfect. Ornela, how many times have you washed the jeans?

The jeans look incredible!

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Yes Astrid, that's the plan, the WHOLE working week Apart from Friday, when I'll be out and about which I have to do in flat shoes.

Angie... welcome back They have not been washed yet. Anything I should be concerned about?

Jonesy

Veteran

Congrats indeed :)! What a thrill for you. I love that they are going to work perfectly with your 2" heels. Can't wait to see the pics next week!

ironkurtin

Veteran

Congrats! If you're wearing these with heels, don't hem. But with flats, I don't ever hem the entire hem unless the front washes the floor. Instead I just tuck the back hem. I fold it over the seam once and tack it with needle and thread. This keeps me from stepping on any extra fabric but keeps the line of the pants intact. It takes maybe five minutes and with dark denim, no one will notice. And if I ever decide I want extra length, I untack it!

nancylee

Veteran

Wash them and hem them closer to 1/4" from the floor. It seems they are always too short otherwise! Congratulations on finding a long pair.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for the welcome back

Cold water wash and hang dry - that's how I wash all my jeans. I am SO excited about the length here!

geetha

I had to do this a lot because the standard 33" was too short and the next inseam was too long. Here's what I learned: when you shorten the inseam, the leg opening becomes smaller. That means, if you had a flare, and your shoe tips just peeked out, with the new leg opening you will see more of the shoes. If that bothers you, just return them. Judging from the picture, I think you may be better off just wearing them with the 2" heel. Honestly, I found altering inseams a real drag. I did alter a few and they looked fine but it's just a nuisance because you have to really make sure both legs are the exact same length; that the hem doesn't look strange because it's so wide (if you don't cut); etc. You can really drive yourself nuts doing inseams.
If you still want to go ahead with altering it-make sure you wash it at least once before you alter. after drying, iron them out well before you make any measurements. when measuring use a flat hard surface-not your bed. pin the new length, iron again, try on to make sure, then sew. avoid cutting hems if you can-you may regret it later.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Thank you everyone for brilliant tips, ideas and suggestions. I've already put the new jeans in action, no hemming needed (see here). Regardless of scissors staying untouched, I've still learnt a lot of useful things in this discussion.

Sona

Veteran

agree with all the brilliant comments. YLF'ers rock!

Lisa

Veteran

Congrats on the new, long jeans!

And thanks to HeleenH for the sewing links. I always worry on getting jeans hemmed. I may try this myself.

Louise

Veteran

Woowza I shall be keeping those in mind when I next buy jeans x

teri

Veteran

congratulations on your perfect purchase. I just got a long tall sally mag in the mail. I too need at least a 36 - 38 for heels. I have plenty of jeans in these lengths, but I am lacking in the trousers. I may just have to place an order soon