Can you help me find great jeans? - YouLookFab Forum

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Can you help me find great jeans?

Antje

Veteran

I've put this off for a long time, but now is the time - I want to find a great pair of jeans. Here is what I'm looking for in these jeans:

- straight or bootcut style
- I want to wear them with flats, pumps, and/or sandals (these are not for tucking into boots)
- they should look good with regular length tops (not tunic tops); I want these jeans to look nice around tummy/hips/butt as well as the legs
- dark wash or lighter wash is fine (but not distressed)
- I'm willing to pay premium denim prices if the jeans are truly fab and will last a while
- I'd like to avoid ordering them from an online store that doesn't have a brick & mortar equivalent (so I don't incur shipping costs both ways in case they don't work out) but I realize I’m getting very picky now

My clothing size is 8. I have never measured anything on my body or my jeans and find that all too fiddle-y, so I'm hoping we can just go with the info I provide on my body type below plus the pictures:

- I'm on the short side: 5'3''
- hourglass shaped, with a pronounced round bottom and I'm pretty hipp-y
- I also have a bit of a belly, and need that "contained"; looking for a mid to high rise
- when jeans (or denim skirts) fit over my hips/butt, they are often gapping at the waist, but I'm used to having the waistband taken in so that's alright
- I’m looking for a cut that looks great around the mid section, but also makes my legs look decently long (or at least doesn’t make them look shorter than they are)

I posted photos of me in my 3 existing jeans. They are (in order):
• DKNY moderate skinnies: These work well with tunic tops and dresses and flats, but not with regular length tops because they are somewhat loose up top and I don’t think they make my butt look nice.
• J Crew straight jeans (very slight bootcut): I had great hopes for these and had intended to wear them as indicated at the beginning of my post (with regular length tops and flats) but somehow I’m not loving them and I can’t quite pinpoint why. I do like how they fit around my butt, but I also feel extra short in them and not so well proportioned.
• MIA skinnies: These are wonderful with tunic tops and dresses, OR with regular tops and tucked into boots. I’ve worn them a ton, but I don’t wear them with regular tops and flats/pumps because then again I look shorter and not so well proportioned.
http://s291.photobucket.com/al.....s-April09/ (password: youlookfab)

Sorry for the long post, but I’d REALLY appreciate help with this, which will be a major spring purchase for me. I’d love your insights on what works or doesn’t work with the jeans I have, but most importantly your tips on what brands/styles I should be looking for.

Thank you thank you thank you!!

Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from Laura

shiny

Veteran

Since you listed Jcrew and DNKY, and these were jeans that were so-so/passable for me too, I would be sure to give Citizens of Humanity a try. Straight legs are called Elsons and bootcuts are Ambers. The rise is about 8-1/2 inches but don't let that intimidate you. There's something about the cut and fit, it works.

If you like super stretchy jeans, you might also try the COH Kelly's. I tried on a pair recently (had them in bootcut) and they were really nice. Very stretchy, conform to your figure. Don't quote me on this, but I seem to recall they came in a slightly higher rise (9"?)

I think you have more booty than I do (LUCKY girl!), so these may not work. I think Angie's recommended the Ambers as a universal looks good on most ... so give it a try.

What about the Rich & Skinnies that Tanya and Maya both love? I'm sure Tanya, our resident jeans expert, will give you some other great ideas!! Because I'm mostly a one-note wonder "Citizens of Humanity"...

Do you have National Jeans Company in your area? I can't rave enough about their service (at least, the local store here). Go on a weekday if you can, but whenever I walk in there I am promptly greeted, asked what I'm looking for, and I have a sales person pull all sorts of jeans for me to try on. Then they don't abandon me in the dressing room either - bringing new sizes and styles to try on. Yes, they have an online store too, but I much prefer to go into the store, especially if it's a jean I haven't tried on before. I only use internet to duplicate jeans I already know work.

GOOD LUCK!

Maya

Veteran

Hi Antje. My first inclination is Joe's "Muse" jeans. Is a size 8 equivalent to a 29? If so you can get them on Bluefly:

http://www.bluefly.com/Joes-Je.....detail.fly

I know there is no brick and mortar equivalent but it is a great deal and they seem like a good match for you.

They have a 9" rise, they're bootcut, and fit curvy ladies well from what I have heard.

Joe's "Honey" is the one known for its butt-flattering cut, but it seems to have a very low rise (7.5).

I am not sure about straight leg jeans. I love my Rich and Skinny straight legs to bits, but my shape is the exact opposite of yours. I think the front rise is 10" and you might find that too high. Here is a link just so you can see them:

http://www.shopbop.com/high-je.....RSKIN20050

Tanya also likes R&S as a brand and she is a lot curvier than I am, so I imagine they could work. Angie also likes them, and she isn't very curvy but still has a bigger waist-hip ratio than I do. Perhaps they are magic jeans that just fit everyone?

Antje

Veteran

Thank you sooo much, Shiny and Maya. Shiny - yes, my booty is much fuller than yours (or Tanya's). I will definitely try out the brands you guys recommend.

I WISH we had a National Jeans Company in the area, but we don't. It sounds like an awesome concept - I think I wrote about that when Angie asked for what we'd like to see changed in retail. I so wish there were more stores just focused on jeans, all kinds of brands, and you could walk in and get valuable help. (My dream is a jeans store where they do a full body scan and then quickly come up with a number of brands/cuts that work for you. Wouldn't that be amazing? I smell opportunity...)

Any other tips from curvy ladies?

LoP

Veteran

Hi Antje. My favorite jeans are from True Religion. There are so many shapes and lots of clean washes. Some cuts turn sideways on the seams. I don't think they are flattering, but the classic cuts (like candace) fits most I've seen. I found mine on sale couple of 2-3 years ago and still keep washing them. Still expensive, but it was worth the value for me. Jordache had a line with Heidi Klum. I have a great cut from that line as well that I can wear with multiple shoes.

Maya

Veteran

Antje, your dream actually does exist:

http://www.intellifit.com/fitting_process/

Unfortunately it only exists if you live near a specific location in PA.

Antje

Veteran

Wow, that's it! They only make custom jeans, though - I'd also want to use the fitting process to get personal recommendations for existing brands to try.
I wish someone would try this and report back. Anyone in PA here on the forum??

shana

Veteran

Antje, I recently tried on the Joe's Muse and loved them and I'm not at all curvy. I guess it was the rise that worked well for me - 9 - 9.5 inches and the denim was soft & stretchy. Anyway, I'm not a jeans expert so I'll leave the advice to them but I just wanted to say that if you have an Anthropologie store somewhere they carry Joe's as well as a limited selection of Citizens and SFAMK in the store. I am also very reluctant to buy stuff online for the reasons that you have cited so I am always looking for B&M stores that carry the items I want (at least so that I can try it on and make sure I like it before I order).

April

Veteran

Antje -- I am about 15 minutes away from Plymouth Meeting, PA. This custom-fit concept is very tempting to me since I have been quite frustrated trying to find well-fitting jeans lately myself. If I decide to take the plunge, I will post and let you know how it went.

Incidentally, Tanya recently tipped us off to an amazing premium denim sale (actually, two separate ones) and I got a pair of pinstriped, high-waisted R&S jeans. I think they will be really great, once I get them back from having them hemmed up quite a bit; they have a 34-inch inseam and seem to come in only one length, someone correct me if I'm wrong about that.

From the second amazing sale -- yes, that Tanya is quite the enabler -- I ordered the R&S jeans that Maya posted above. They haven't arrived yet, but I'll let you know what I think. Unfortunately, my problem is insufficient booty, so I'm not sure how helpful my comments will be in your quest...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Yay! Premium jeans for Antje. Don’t worry, pencil skirts will always come first :0)

Most of my starting recommendations have been mentioned. Get yourself off to Nordies downtown and try them ALL:

o COH – Amber, Kelly and Elson (my guess is that you’ll like the Ambers best)

o Joe – Muse (and possibly the Honey)

o David Kahn – original boot cut fit

Have fun!

Antje

Veteran

Sounds great!! Thanks so much everyone. Angie, I knew you'd be happy to hear that I'm ready to take the plunge and consider premium denim. But no worries, I'll never give up my pencil skirts. They seem to like my bootie in a way jeans just can't.
The experimentation shall start; I might post pictures next week to get feedback on the candidates I find.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Can't wait to see the results! Don't overlook the DKs Angie recommends ... they might like your bootie as much as the pencil skirts do

Tanya

Veteran

Antje, I am late here Most of the good ones have already been mentioned ( Joe's Muse, COH Amber etc). I was going to add Rich&Skinny high waisted styles such as these:

http://www.smartbargains.com/g.....204.prod.6

http://www.shopbop.com/high-je.....shopbysize

Antje

Veteran

THanks all! I placed online orders after all, at Nordies, Bluefly and Shopbob, for COH Amber and Elson, R&S and Joe Muse and Honey styles (the David Kahn's weren't available in my size, nor were some of the other recommended styles.) I guess in a few days the packages will start to arrive, I can't wait!

Kinda off topic: I already got a call from my Visa card's fraud dept, they always check in when I place high $$ orders, it is SO embarassing! I always feel compelled to say "but I'll send most of it back, I swear" but I know they don't care and just want to make sure noone stole my card/number... I guess I should be glad they are on top of things and ask pesky questions when big transactions happen, but it still feels like spying... Does anyone else get this??

naf

hi Antje,
You can also try jeans at Barney's and Mercer (there's one in UVillage and another in Bellevue square mall).
Based on your description, you are looking for a higher rise than what I wear. But my current favorites are Hudson straight leg jeans with flats and normal tops, I own a white and blue pair and they work great for me.
Post back with photos and let us know how your search goes. Good luck!

naf

Wanted to add: Have you tried Club Monaco jeans? I know you said premium denim but thought I'd mention it, since I like their jeans.

Asha

Antje, I'll be watching anxiously for your update on this. I could have written your requirements for jeans almost word for word. I'm eager to see what works for you and use that as a jumping off point for finding jeans when I get back to the US.

CK

I'm so glad you asked this question, because I was going to ask the same thing. I look forward to hearing how everything works for you.

lottie14

Member

From the sounds of it, we are pretty similar shape- I love Paige Jeans- they make my legs look longer and they give a great shape around the butt!

shiny

Veteran

Antje, yes that happens to me! It happened a few years back when we traveled overseas. We were there for 9 days, and on the last day, the CC company panicked - when they couldn't reach me at my home number - and shut off my card. So there we were, zero $ to our name, not even a dollar to pay for the transportation to get ourselves to the airport! We didn't know it was the CC shutting us down either (or we would have called them). We discovered this late at night.

Luckily, our hostess at the hostel we were staying at leant us the money to get to the airport. We paid her back once we reached home. There really are some amazing people in this world! Then when I got all the messages on our machine, I called the CC.

I asked how could this be avoided in the future... and there answer was to always call them before we travel. I thought that answer sucked, but what can you do?

I do think eventually they understand you have a pattern and will get it and stop calling.

Kyle

Veteran

Antje: I am completely sold on David Kahn. I love these jeans! You'll find them at Nordstrom.

The credit card thing happens to me a lot. It has helped catch fraud on more than one occasion. I also had my card turned off while we were in Europe. Got the same answer as Shiny -- call us in advance. Very inconvenient.

hanna

(website)

i can't chime in on the premium denim thing, but on the credit card: hooooboy. happens to me everytime i try to go home! the last and most stressful was when i was trying to get home to see my aunt in january when things got all terrible and crazy, and i was frantically trying to book my ticket at the last minute - and they CANCELED MY TRANSACTION! oh i was so mad. i don't understand why they can't call before they cancel the charge rather than cancel first, then make you do the work. it probably didn't help that i was already so stressed out. but i just got so angry because i'd bought plane tickets to malaysia on this card before and if it's in my transaction history wouldn't you think to call first before canceling? it's not like it was an impossible situation...

sigh. i dunno. now i'm used to it and always ALWAYS call beforehand to save myself the headaches.

Antje

Veteran

Thanks gals.

Kyle, I'd love to try the David Kahn's you and Angie and Laura recommend. They weren't available online in my size when I placed my big order, but I guess I can call the local stores to see if they have them in my size. I've tried to stay away from brick and mortar stores for the most part because I get so tempted to try on all kinds of things that are not on my shopping list But since you all recommend them so highly I guess I'll find my way over there.

Regarding the credit card: I had tried telling my bank in advance when I was traveling (because the blocking had happened to me on vacation, too), but they actually said that they don't operate that way and don't take such a heads-up. Gee! Anyway, I'll have to live with my regular calls to the fraud department fessing up to a new online shoe order or reminding them that I go to Germany about once a year and use my card there...

April

Veteran

So, Antje -- what are you discovering about all those jeans you ordered? Inquiring minds want to know, has anything hit the sweet spot?

Antje

Veteran

April, thanks for checking in. I reported on my attempts in another thread, here is the gist of it.

CoH Amber: Loved everything about the fit (very flattering around the butt), but the rise was just a bit too short for my taste. The dreaded muffin top effect...

Joe's Muse: Didn't like the overall fit; somehow I felt more stumpy in these. Can't quite pinpoint it, but the CoH was definitely better for me.

Joe's Honey: Rise too short by far.

Rich & Skinny: Loved the rise of the high waisted style! They were extremely tight, though, all throughout including where they buttoned, and I felt -and looked!- like a stuffed sausage. I'll have to try a size up (in all the other styles I was a 29). I don't want to order online again, and the Nordies I went to didn't have them, so this is on hold right now until I call around some stores to see who has Rich & Skinnies in a 30.

David Kahn: The best so far. I tried a few different styles at Nordies, and the one I took home for further evaluation is, I believe, the "original bootcut fit" Angie and Laura recommended. They are pretty good and I will post a photo soon. I'm not 100% sold yet; as I said they are "pretty good" but somehow I was hoping for "great" and I'm not feeling it.

I have not tried on the CoH Elson yet, cause the Nordies I went to didn't have it in my size. Does anyone know if the rise is higher/lower/same as the Amber? If it's the same or lower I can actually cross it off the list...

LoP

Veteran

Hi Antje, Rich&Skinny jeans are half priced if you have a Loehman's store around. They had a pretty good selection of sizes and cut the last time I was there.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Antje, I love the feel of COH jeans. I also tried the COH Ambers (and Elsons) and the rise just was not high enough. I found some COH Hutton jeans that I LOVE. I wore them in the Blog post about our shopping trip to Dallas. The rise is PERFECT and they definitely help the booty out.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/29.....5&P=2
http://www.shopbop.com/hutton-.....shopbysize
http://www.shopbop.com/hutton-.....shopbysize

Antje

Veteran

THanks Sarah, I'll try those Huttons, too! What do you mean, though, by "they help the booty out"? I don't need the jeans to "create" the shape of a booty, I've got quite a big round one already and am just looking for the jeans to flatter its shape and not distort it. So if the Huttons are for body shapes that don't have much booty, then they might not work on me. But let me know if that's not how what you meant. I definitely like the sound of that rise! I'm so glad I'm not the only one being happiest in high waisted jeans...
LegacyOfPearls, thanks also for the Loehman tip re: Rich & Skinnies. I know there used to be one in Seattle but I'm not sure it's still there. I'll look it up!!

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Oh no, I have a booty. They are very flattering, is what I meant. I'm very curvy and most jeans flatten my behind (make it look wide and flat) and give me a muffin top. These Huttons and my 7FAM High waisted bootcut jeans are my absolute favorites all around. I strongly recommend both.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/29.....8&P=1

Antje

Veteran

Sarah, thanks for the 7FAM recommendation. I had one shipped from Zappos and they do fit pretty well. I now have two pairs at home that I think are at least "okay" and I will post pictures later today to see if they might be "great" - the 7FAM highwaisted ones, and the David Kahn ones. I'd be thrilled if one was a keeper...
(Haven't been able to locate Huttons, though it also seemed like they are really wide legged, and I'm looking for bootcut or straight).

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