This morning I got to be a fit tester for Everlane's new jeans (it's their first attempt at denim; the jeans will hit stores in the fall). It was fun!

I live in walking distance of their SF office. Last week I got an email that went to some local customers, asking if I'd be interested in spending an hour trying on jeans in exchange for $60 of store credit. I filled out a survey that just asked my height and normal jeans size(s), and hoped they'd pick me. And they did! I don't think they knew anything about me aside from my size and perhaps my purchase history, so they weren't choosing based on any sort of style criteria.

I went over to their stylish office (I'd been before, for open houses and a few "try on our new collection" events) before work. They had four styles of jeans hanging on racks, with a sample in each size in their range. I know they chose fit testers of various sizes; another woman who was a few sizes larger was there in the same time slot as me, and they had people coming all day.

The design process seems pretty far along, and I think all four styles might make the final cut, but they don't know for sure.

For each style, an Everlane employee asked me questions about the fit, gave me a short survey about my personal preferences, and took a few iPhone photos of me at different angles to get a record of it. And, their jeans designer, a Swedish (I think) woman whose name I didn't catch, wandered over halfway through. I loved her butch style (oversize chopped-off boy jeans, slouchy white tee, the sort of androgynous Scandinavian style that's hard to emulate) and it was exciting to talk to her. I think she was pleased by how the jeans looked on me and my reaction to them.

They gave me my two usual sizes to try for each (26 and 27) and I was a 26 in all but the boyfriend jeans (I sized down to a 25 in those). BUT, they may well revise the sizing before they go to market, so don't count on my assessment.

I really liked the jeans! I'm not sure how much I should share about the new products (they didn't say) but I'm sure it's good press for them. Two skinny styles were in a very nice thick blue denim that reminds me of authentic jeans of my childhood, plus a little bit of stretch. The mid-rise and high-rise versions both fit me like a dream, except that they were a bit tight in the thighs (unsurprising). But the waist shape was honestly the best I've encountered on jeans in ages. Flattering, tummy-flattening, and comfortable despite the thick denim. Of course my shape isn't everyone's, but it was fun to feel like I was the shape they'd designed for.

And I fell in love with the solid black boyfriend jeans. At a distance, I thought enh, I have too many like that and I prefer slightly weathered denim for boyfriend jeans to avoid the black hole effect of lots of flat black fabric. But on me, wow. It was really nice denim. I looked like I'd stolen my boyfriend's jeans, which is the effect I like. They're lucky I didn't "accidentally" walk out wearing them!

My only compunction is that I don't think my tastes represent their usual aesthetic perfectly, so I felt like I should put caveats on my assessments of different styles. But seriously those boyfriend jeans are so perfect for me. I am actually considering writing to them to ask if I can buy the sample once they're done with them, in case they change anything before the release!

And by the way, the price points for their jeans will be really low!

Update, September 8:

As I said in the comments, the jeans I fell in love with sold out online within a few hours of their release yesterday. I emailed and they said something about restocking at the end of September, but they're not listed as backordered on the website, they're totally gone. So we'll see.

I went by the SF store to see if I'd have any luck there. Mixed report: I was so excited to see piles of the jeans. I eagerly found my size. Then a salesperson said they were just for trying on; I could order online and they'd ship when they restock. Sounds good enough! So I tried on a few styles. The sizes did change from my fit test. I'd sized down to a 25 for the boyfriend jeans before, but now, I think I'd go with an oversized 27. The people in the store said it looked great. 26 was fine but sort of a boring look on me, I think; oversized was more in keeping with the intended look. I might order both sizes. I can't tell if they just renumbered the sizes or actually changed the fit, but I think they changed the fit. They also made them a much better length! They are just about full length on me, which means they'd be a short cropped length on most people. Before, they were soooooo long, but I do have the shortest legs...

Except... when I went to do the online order through the store, they said the black boyfriend jeans were well and truly sold out, and they couldn't place the order! I tried to bite back my frustration, since I'd just spent 30 minutes trying them on after hearing I could order them. The salesperson was sympathetic and took my name and email on a post-it note so she could ask if there was some way to get them for me, or if they'd be restocked. But I was really sad.

I also tried the skinnies and a 27 was the right size, vs a 26 in March, but I am pretty sure that is my own size changing, not the jeans! The skinnies are still available.