Antje, I'm looking forward to seeing you in both pairs. Did you notice the new Heidi jeans by DK on the Nordstrom website? The description says they are "specially constructed to lift and shape the rear." I'm all over that!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/28.....rchresults

I also ventured into the jeans department today. I tried on my first pair of David Kahns, and was very disappointed. They did not fit me well at all. I can't remember what style they were, but the rise was not high enough. Perhaps I tried the wrong style?

I also tried on a pair of 7FAM - can't remember which style - honestly, it's all a blur now. They did not fit either. They had a rack of the "Ginger" jeans on sale, but did not have my size. I was sad, because they looked like great jeans (nice color, cut.)

I am really feeling like a freak right now, because the only jeans that seem to fit me are the DKNY SOHOs (which are okay, but not great.) I can see I will have to make a trip to another store that's a bit farther away - they have a bigger selection and more sizes. I am not giving up yet!

Tarzy, the specific style is very important. For David Kahn, the one to try is the "original bootcut" style. Other David Kahn styles have lower rises.

Same iwth 7FAM - make sure you try a "highwaisted bootcut" style, as they have lots of other styles that do not have a high rise.

It's really really hard to shop for jeans, isn't it? I actually took pictures today of me in the two pairs that I considered candidates, but then I chickened out before posting them because honestly they don't look so great in the photos... I already ruled out the 7FAM now; the David Kahn is still under consideration but I'm not in love with them, which is what I had hoped would happen with a pair of jeans at that price tag...

Laura, thanks for the tip re: Heidi style. I see the rise is only 8'' which is too low for me. And my biggest challenge with jeans is actually not the butt, but the muffin top issue...

I understand about the muffin top issue ... I have both muffin top and butt issues so I don't even know where to begin! I'm going to try the Heidis on this week to see what happens. Since I am petite and short-waisted, a lower rise is sometimes higher on me than on most people, so I can get away with it. As jeans got lower in rise it actually benefitted me -- back in the day (remember the early 90s) those high-rise jeans actually hit me halfway up the back and I'd have to have the waistband lowered!!

As the saying goes, if it's not one thing, then it's another ...