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Premium jeans for pears: need suggestions

shiny

Veteran

Here's the deal: my beautiful DD15 is going through an awkward phase right now. This past year, she had to go on a medicine that is notorious for major weight gain, and causing acne (which is why I treated her to a makeover at Sephora when we were in Paris... and allowed the makeover artist to give her great skin care advicei in the process).

Anyway, she gained 20 lbs this year, and went from a size 0 to a size 7/8. She needed to gain this weight (she was too thin before) and she's at a perfect BMI for her height and age. Plus, her weight has stabilized for several months now... which the doctors say is EXCELLENT. They are very, very pleased.

However, she's quite despondent .... no matter what I say or her doctors say. She just can't get past the darn size on the label!!

All day long she grumbles, "I'm fat, I'm fat" and she's nothing of the sort....

So this weekend I have booked her for a back-to-school haircut and afterwards - as a surprise - I am taking her to the place I found my Citizens jeans. Yes, I'm breaking my "no premium-priced jeans until you reach your final adult height" rule. I want her to start school feeling confident and gorgeous. No, it needn't be premium... but that's how I feel in mine so I'm hoping this will work for her too.

But I need your help! I am not a pear shape. The brands I wear will not work on her. She is a perfect pretty pear with teeny-tiny waist. Despite the weight gain, her shape hasn't changed: her fit issues in the past have always been that if it fits in the hips, it's way too loose in the waist. I know our pretty pairs on YLF know what I mean.

Please send your suggestions of brands I should have her try on!

P.s. she is 5'4" ... petite on top but not on bottom: her legs are quite long.

Dressing

16 replies

Latest reply was from Maya

Maya

Veteran

My instinct is Joe's Jeans--specifically the Honey. My pear-shaped roommate sported those with panache. I also think Joe's in general tend to fit pears and hourglasses best. If she has a tiny waist, maybe you can find some tops that accent that.

BTW, you're an awesome mom. A bit like mine. She took me for a back to school haircut yesterday. I guess in my case it's more pathetic than touching since I'm 24 and should have a job and be getting my own damn haircuts, but still! It was a treat.

Tanya

Veteran

I second Maya suggestion of Joe's : try both Honey , which is a curvy fit and Muse- slightly higher waisted regular fit. I have them both and like them a lot. Also a couple of pear-shaped friends of mine swear by Honey.

And I forgot to add that you are the most wonderful mother to be doing that!

Anonymous

I don't have a recomendation on jeans, but I found your dilema quite touching and want to say you are such a good Mom for understanding her pain, whether it be imagined or not.

Katie

Member

I have been a fan of the youlookfab website and forum for a while now but haven't really gotten into posting much... but I just had to reply to your post!

First of all, you sound like a great mom:) I think it is wonderful that you are doing these subtle things for your daughter to give her the tools to look beautiful and feel confident about herself, and in such a way that it's not all about the weight gain (the sephora makeover, the new haircut). I also think it's super that you want to help her find jeans that are made to fit *her* body shape.

I am a little older than your daughter (27) but I can relate to what she is going through - I went through a similar awkward phase myself, also because of medication I had to take during my teen years for chronic health problems (I wonder if it was the same thing?)...

Like your daughter I am also petite and a pretty pear:) My goal in life was to be 5'5"... but I only made it to 5"3." I'm really only 115 lbs, but that's quite a lot more than I weighed in high school when I was sick. My waist is a size smaller than my hips, which are by no means huge - I just have a small but curvy hourglass shape on a small frame.

Unlike your daughter, my torso is proportionately longer than my legs. When I wear 2.5" heels my perfect pants inseam is 30-31"... do you know what her inseam is? (for the shoe height she would be wearing with her new jeans)

I am fairly new to the premium jeans world, but I do have to say I have found a brand and fit that works well for pear-shapes. The brand is Joe's Jeans and the fit is the Honey Fit. These jeans have a touch of stretch in them and are very fitted throughout, and I find that they make me look nice and slim and sleek. The reason they work well for pear-shapes is they are countoured slightly to have tad more room for the hips/booty (while still being very fitted - it's not like they are a men's baggy, relaxed fit or like "mom" jeans from the SNL skit). Also, the waist is cut a tad smaller (which eliminates the gaping in the waist I usually end up with in regular jeans).

The Honey jeans have a low rise (but not too low - they are cut lower in the front and a tad higher in the back so there's no peekaboo underwear effect) and they are bootcut, which is a great versatile style to start with and helps balance out the hips. They come in a variety of washes and some have different pocket designs. I prefer a solid dark wash and plain, unadorned pockets, but that's just me - your daughter might like something different. Here's a link to a website showing the collection:

http://www.revolveclothing.com.....8;sc=Honey

Of course, now that I have a pair of Honey bootcuts, I am salivating for a pair of slim straight/skinny jeans. I am going to have to write Joe's and ask them to please make a skinny jean for us Honey fit pretty pear gals!

BTW, Joe's Honey jeans only come in one length, which I believe is a 34" inseam. I think this is 2" longer than most regular length jeans, so even if your daughter has long legs for her height she may still need alterations. I have a pair that I had altered and they look good even though I had to have 4" chopped off the bottom.

If your daughter does need alterations and is concerned that the altered hems at the bottom will look "dorky" I would suggest having an experienced tailor "reattach the original hems" when shortening the jeans. It costs more ($20 vs $12 in my area) but may be worth it. If she doesn't have any objections to having the legs hemmed the regular way, I would just be sure to specify clearly to the tailor that you want them to use the same color thread and the same size stitching that was used on the original hems. I've been disappointed before when I've gotten jeans back that have gold stitching on all the seams and had gold stitching on the original hems, but the tailor used BLUE thread on the altered hems (to match to color of the denim, I guess)... anyway, it just didn't look right! That's what I meant by "dorky" above.

Good luck shopping! I would be very interested in hearing how things work out, so keep us posted. If you end up finding a different jeans brand/fit for your daughter, I would also be thrilled to know what it is, because I will probably want to give them a try for myself!

Munequita

Love the sound of a makeover! I think that will help your DD lots! I found this super website that gives you what style to try on for different premium brands. It has tons of suggestions (even for other body types), so here it is:

http://www.shapeyourstyle.com/jeans-pears.php

Have loads of fun this weekend! and hugs to your DD, as I also know what it is to suffer from bad skin during those crucial teen years.

julijuli

Hi Shiny, I'm a petite pear and i found that the Paige Premium jeans worked great for me. I did have to have the waistband altered (which is a minimal charge at Nordstrom) but now they fit great. The other brand which worked for me, but i can't find any longer was Big Star. I had a boot cut pair that i loved but they are no longer 'dark blue' so are relegated to super casual.

julijuli

P.S. - I have a son who just turned 15 and totally understand that 'awkward' phase. I think it's great that you are being so supportive and treating her to a makeover!

shiny

Veteran

Thanks all! Sounds like Joe's get the unanimous vote!

Katie, I'm not sure of her exact inseam, but she has tried on premium jeans - just for fun - I didn't buy because of my "not until you're full grown" rule - and the 34 inch inseam needed no hemming on her. They were PPL on her.

So proportionately her upper body is quite petite..... she absolutely has to have a petite top - regular sized tops overwhelm her, length-wise. Which depresses her too... because when I take her to places like ATL and BR that offer petites, she thinks they are all such a snore.... and is one reason why she took up sewing and makes her own creations out of old tee shirts and other thrift-shop finds.

She has a lot of cute tops already - it helps that a petite friend of mine recently culled her closet and this friend used to be a total rocker chick in her younger days.... DD snapped up some really cool, one-of-a-kind "I'm with the band" kind of items. So really it's just the jeans she needs. A few fabulous pairs that make her feel like a million bucks!

Nicole

Veteran

I'm sure you gals will have a blast shopping!

Maybe you could take some photos of your daughter, the way you take photos of yourself, so she can see herself the way others see her. A 7/8 for a 15 year old teenager is NOT fat!!! It pains me to hear how girls struggle with their body images!

Will your daughter be on this medication for a long time? Do you think she would have had a growth spurt even if she hadn't been on the med? Did her height grow along with her weight gain? These are all very important things to point out to her. So that she understands the difference between growing naturally, and medication affecting her growth pattern.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

You're a fairy God mother Shiny. Lucky DD15. Good luck!

I’d have said Paige Premium, Citizens of Humanity and David Kahn. Joes would have been in there too. Keep us posted.

Jenniferblue

Shiny, It helps so much that "you" think a pear is the most attractive female shape. Your daughter will sense your feelings and that will really help. Having been there I know that being a pretty pear in h.s. is not the ideal. I was so self
conscious about my shape. I wanted to be straight and flat. Just the same, she has you to help her. Good luck. Besides Honey jeans, I've liked Christopher Blue.

shiny

Veteran

Nicole, She *did* grow about 1/4 inch since starting the med, which I keep having to remind her.

You know what I love about this group? Not a single one of you thought I was being silly, focusing on her outward appearances!! You all understand that the right clothes can both be an outward expression of the wonderful person inside - and help boost your confidence and self-esteem when needed!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

"the right clothes can both be an outward expression of the wonderful person inside - and help boost your confidence and self-esteem when needed! "

This is my life's mission and daily mantra. This is why we created YLF!

Taffy

J Brand also came out with their "blue" label recently that's supposed to be cut for a curvier body. I must give another shout out for my David Kahns, too!

From my pharmacist perspective...it might be worth looking into another medication within the same family for DD. She might not see the weight gain or acne as much. Just my 2 cents!

Lena

Shiny, you're such a terrific Mom.

"You know what I love about this group? Not a single one of you thought I was being silly, focusing on her outward appearances!! You all understand that the right clothes can both be an outward expression of the wonderful person inside - and help boost your confidence and self-esteem when needed! "

Yes!

Good luck with jean shopping! I hope your daughter finds that perfect brand.

Maya

Veteran

Shiny, I'm sure she has the inner beauty thing covered already. Now she just needs to bring it out. The only time I'm critical of "makeovers" is when mom is nagging daughter to lose weight, or even gain weight for that matter, or try and convince them that somehow they aren't good enough the way they are. I used to have a friend whose dad made her take a Slim Fast shake for lunch in high school. She was absolutely NOT fat. She was a very successful ice skater and had the body to prove it, and most of the time she just had a salad for lunch. It really bothered me then and it bothers me now.

My parents are always telling my brother to lose weight, but it's from the perspective of his health. He's gaining in the midsection, and that's the worst place to gain weight. They never harp on his appearance though.

I know how DD feels. She probably knows a 7/8 isn't fat, and she probably doesn't think it's fat for other people, but starting out at a 0 and then blossoming into a 7/8 makes her feel awkward and unsure about what to do with her new body. That is EXACTLY how I feel, and my change was much less severe. I went from a 00 to a 2/4. I know how ridiculous it sounds and how silly I'm being in my head, but I still think of a 00/0 as normal for me, and anything else is just not right. It's tough to break out of that mindset, but DD is lucky to have you as a mom and I'm sure she'll soon see her potential.