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Jeans...ugh

Maya

Veteran

I'm on the prowl again! So far the search has been pretty frustrating, as it always is for every woman. Everywhere I go it's skinny, skinny, skinny, skinny, and more skinny! I want real, true straight legs. I know I'm never going to get my dream rise so I'm willing to settle for 9" in the front and 14" in the back. I can't compromise any lower. I haven't shopped for jeans in ages so I really don't know what is out there.

I always have to think about budget, but I'm trying to keep that off the table for now because I have always been able to scour the internet for deals when I find a pair of jeans I like.

So...where do I begin?! I have no idea what to look for for my body type or anything like that. I have jeans from a bunch of brands.

Shopping

47 replies

Latest reply was from anemone

Anonymous

Maya have you ever tried men's jeans? You might be surprised. Try a pair of Hugo Boss or whatever men's jeans you like and see if they feel right. Levi is probably a more affordable brand.

Tanya

Veteran

Hmm Maya, how about dulicating Rich&skinny ones in the true blue wash? I have them and love them

cciele

Veteran

What have you already tried on, if any? And what's your main fit problem with the jeans?

shana

Veteran

I'm on a similar hunt and my rise requirement is similar to yours. I really liked the new Gap straight leg jeans (though I know you are more of a premium gal) and want to get a pair in a darker wash - last time I was in the store, they only had a lighter wash.

I LOVED my Uniqlo straightlegs from last year. Unfortunately (or fortunately??), I am a couple of sizes smaller now and though I have been in the city a few times, I just haven't made it over there.

I've heard alot of buzz about the Martin & Osa jeans - haven't had a chance to try these yet though so I have no idea about the rise.

Maya

Veteran

I would love to Tanya but I can't find them anywhere now. Only shopbop has them in a 24

Cathy, I haven't tried anything on honestly. My fit issues are so hard to say because the main problem can't be resolved. All the jeans I own now are the best jeans I have ever had in my life, but they all still give me muffin top and slip down when move, even my fabulous high waisted Rich and Skinny jeans. I have sort of accepted that this will happen until 12" rises become fashionable. I actually think I look bigger than I really am in jeans because they tend to push the flab up from my lower stomach and hips up due to tightness. I have the pictures to prove it. I look about 10 pounds lighter in my skirt than in my skinnies.

My other problem is that there usually isn't enough room in the butt, which is why I need the 14" back rise.

San, I don't even think men's jeans would come in my size. And wouldn't they fit significantly differently?

Maya

Veteran

Shana, that's interesting. I have tried Gap jeans and pants many times in the past and have never had any success with them.

How do the Uniqlo jeans fit?

I'm not really a premium girl. I just lucked out getting the ones I own on sale. I don't mind wearing non-premium.

cciele

Veteran

Oh, I hate the slipping down issue. I've had high-waisted pants do that too, and it's annoying.

I know some people don't like this brand (because of the name?), but you might want to try NYDJ (Not Your Daughter's Jeans). They have a nice high front and back rise: over 10" in front, over 15" in the back, depending on the style. Here are two examples from Nordstrom:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....rchresults
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....rchresults

I had a pair of NYDJ petite bootcuts that were unfortunately too short, and the rise actually was a bit high on me. But these pants never, ever ever slipped down!

Also, Gap has significantly changed the cut of their jeans. I've never been able to fit into Gap jeans until now. Dunno what they did, but they don't gap in the back and they don't slip down. However, I think only the perfect boot and the long&lean styles have a higher rise (I think it's close to 9"); their straights are a low-rise jean.

Also, consider Kenneth Cole jeans and pants. They generally come in a higher rise:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....rchresults

shana

Veteran

Well, gap jeans have always fit me really well so I might be biased:) They did supposedly change the designs so it might be worth it to give it a shot.

Hmm, now that I think about it, the Uniqlo ones probably didn't have a 9" rise. It was probably more like 8" but for some reason, the way the fit did not give me the muffin top like an 8" rise normally would. I think they're just cut bigger at the waist than other jeans. But of course, this was summer '08 so who knows what their fits are now.

Maya

Veteran

Cathy, Angie wrote today in response to her blog post that NYDJ is less-than-stellar quality. Normally I'm not that picky about quality, but I wear jeans almost every day so I can't have them bagging out, and NYDJ aren't cheap.

I'll still try Gap but their straight legs look VERY low. When I used to try them I got a lot of weird business around the crotch area. I tried the long and lean jeans and they were too low rise but maybe the fit is different now.

I know I'm being a PITA but I live in jeans so it's important to me

Has anyone tried these? I looked at the size chart and figured they won't work for me since they 2's would fit in my hips and the 4's would fit in my waist, but sometimes size charts can be wrong...

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....4&P=3

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Try the BR jeans - they are not THAT skinny. And they will go on sale.

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I just finished my straight-leg search, and I pretty much just tried on every pair in every store I could. I did like the BR jeans a lot, and now I can't remember why I returned them...might have been the pockets. I ended up with Levi's from Kohls (which DH loves the most on me), and a couple of Martin + Osas that are being discontinued and were on sale.

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Veteran

I am having the same issues as you! I don't know my actual rise measurements, but suspect that I am reasonably long there.

I have recently tried on the GAP straight leg jeans last week and loved them, except they were pretty low in the rise.

I have also tried on Uniqlo ones and again found that they were too low.

I really want some straight leg jeans - I have the boots waiting in the corner of my room for them!

I might go into the Banana Republic (I am presuming that is what BR means) this afternoon and see what I can find. I hadn't thought of going there for jeans. Thanks for the tip!

shiny

Veteran

You know what might be worth a try? Lauren by Ralph Lauren jeans. I used to have good luck with that brand. The rise is higher, the denim is fairly nice, doesn't stretch. At least the pair I used to own didn't. Looking at Macy's site, they have many options with straight legs and dark wash.

I just got a pair of Kut from Kloth jeans (black, straight leg - although they are called skinny; they are NOT skinny), recommended for me by Myshape.com, but they are going back because they are a size too big. The problem with the fit is that I can take them off without even unzipping. My DD tried them on too and they fit her similiarly. We are debating about trying the next size down - they do fit nice and would be very comfy to wear, like wearing sweats. Yes, the rise is about 9 inches.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I bought some Kut jeans last fall. I loved the fit and style a lot, but they stretched SO bad in the butt. Could just be that pair/style, but I wanted to throw that out there FYI.

shiny

Veteran

Thanks, Sarah - I suspected that might be the case. I may still order the smaller size for my DD. She is very fussy about jeans, and would prefer to just live in sweats. She likes comfortable, cozy clothes. So even if they bagged, she wouldn't care, as comfort is her first priority. She liked the stretch a lot!

Maya

Veteran

OMG I found my dream jeans but they are sold out in my size

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

Look at that rise! It might have actually reached my waist! So, so disappointing. I would have found some way to come up with the money for it if it were in my size.

I also loved these when I first saw them (11" rise) but they are long gone now:

http://media.koodos.com/images.....4168_0.jpg

Thanks for all your suggestions ladies. I'm going to check out Gap, Uniqlo, BR, and look for Ralph Lauren jeans.

Angie, I'm being really annoyingly picky, I know, but I really want a straight leg in the truest sense, no narrower than 14". Big enough to get over my foot instead of pooling at the ankle. I can't tell from the picture of the BR jeans what the leg opening is like because they have them rolled up (so annoying--couldn't they have one picture of them unrolled?) but I'm guessing they look like these? They have the same name...

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/.....pid=686455

Have you seen these? Do they fit similarly to the skinnies in the rise?

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/.....pid=686448

echo

Maya,
I have the BR Classic Skinny jean (the one in your first BR link) The bottom leg opening is 14 inches. The front rise is 8.75 inches, and the back rise is 14 inches. I've had these jeans for two months, but have yet to wear them. I think I want jeans that are skinnier; sometimes I'm not sure what I want!
I totally hear you on how hard it is to find jeans that work. My faves right now are Paige Hidden Hills, Joe's Muse, Lucky Sweet'n Low, and David Khan narrow bootcuts.

shana

Veteran

Maya, I have a confession to make. I actually bought some NYDJ which I found for about $30 at TJMaxx. Angie is absolutely correct about the stretching and I am so glad that I didn't pay full price for these (which I was considering when I couldn't find any higher rise jeans). The are great in terms of not slipping down like Cathy said - they really don't budge on the waist but the butt and thighs sag so much! I pretty much have to wash them after a couple of wears in order for them to snap back into shape.

Anonymous

Maya, the significanly different fit of men's jeans may be what you will like about them. Many women wear men's jeans because as you know there are as many different shapes of people as there are people. Wouldn't hurt to give it a whirl. I think one thing about them would be they would have better bum coverage.

Inge

(website)

Maya I second Shiny's suggestion for Ralph Lauren jeans. I've never tried on RL straight-legged or skinny jeans, but I have a pair of RL trouser jeans and I love them, especially because of the front rise (10 inches). I really love my COH Amber's too but do find the rise on the low side for me, I keep having to hike them up. That never happens with the RL ones, so I guess I'm one of the high-rise fans on the forum too;-)

karlie

I didn't read all the responses so perhaps this has already been mentioned (or isn't as easy as it sounds), but have you considered getting ther perfect pair of bootcuts and having them tailored to a straight leg? If you have some basic sewing skills it's probably even something you could do yourself. This tutorial, which I found via acedemichic (http://www.veoh.com/browse/vid.....6E79TkSA5#), shows how to turn bootcuts to skinnies. I would think you could apply the same idea for straight legs without much difficulty.

medusa

Veteran

I've worn men's Levis 501s for years - they fit well if you're pretty straight through the hips/waist, and they have a much higher rise than most women's jeans.

I also have some Kut from the Kloth jeans with a high rise. They do stretch, so buy them tight, but I like them and wear them all the time.

Maya

Veteran

Hmm, I don't think I'm THAT straight. I think men have an average WH ratio of .9 or something whereas I am .72 or something thereabouts. Don't men's jeans also have a lot more um, crotch room than women's jeans...? Lastly, I can't think of any normal grown man who would wear my size (26 or 27). Even BR's small-man-cut jeans start at a 28.

I'm going to give the BR straight legs a whirl. I like them more than the skinnies, which are too scrunchy and tapered for my taste. The straight legs are sleeker and closer to what I'm looking for. They both supposedly align with the Martin fit so hopefully they fit the same way and it will be sufficient even if they are still too short.

cciele

Veteran

I found the Acne Jeans, but in a lighter wash (and I think you take a 24 or 25 right?):
http://www.theoutnet.com/produ....._OaXIFmaow

Also, these are cheap enough you might want to give them a try:
http://www.overstock.com/Cloth.....oduct.html
I have a pair of Earnest Sewn boyfriend jeans. They're really well made.

Just for fun (can you imagine, cashmere in your jeans!):
http://www.saksfifthavenue.com.....CmjUyb.cKw

Maya

Veteran

Thanks for hunting them down for me Cathy, but me a 24 or 25?! Goodness, I wish! I'm a pretty solid 27. I actually did find them at an undisclosed location and am considering all avenues for how to pay for them. Maybe I should set up a fundraiser

Those cashmere jeans look soooo luxurious. Wow.

Jes

What about these?

http://www.anntaylor.com/catal.....pe=Regular

My hesitation is the fabric - I typically like 98% denim, 2% stretch, so I'm not sure about all this business...but I am going to try them on this weekend.

April

Veteran

Maya, I had ordered the same Earnest Sewns that Cathy linked to above a couple of days ago -- they were pictured in an ad on YLF -- and will let you know about fit when they arrive.

As we know, the numbers don't always match up with the fit, and Overstock does have a 28 available in case they turn out to run small (hee hee -- remember those Cheap Mondays?) I tend to believe that the premium denim cuts that end up on Overstock or SmartBargains are mostly the ones with a quirky fit. Sometimes this is bad, but it can also be lucky.

I too am on a quest for straight legs, or for skinnies that are more straight than skinny. I wore my only pair of skinnies yesterday, a "limited edition" cut from Gap that I got last year to tuck into boots. Ugh -- what was I thinking. They are *so* low cut and were falling down by mid-day. I was fortunately wearing them with a long tunic/shirtdress but talk about uncomfortable... they went right into the charity pile at the end of the day.

Maya

Veteran

I think Shiny mentioned that the Earnest Sewns are NOT curvy-friendly jeans? Jes, those AT jeans look low to me. Have you tried them?

Well at any rate, I found 3 contenders:

-My Rich and Skinny jeans have popped up on ebay in my size
-Made In Heaven Berlin, with an 11" front rise and double button closure
-Acne Tube: Finally found them in my size on sale

The MiH's are my favorite. I found them on ShopBop a while ago on sale for $65 but was stupid and didn't try them. I'm trying to find the funds together for them!

shiny

Veteran

The ES jeans I own are ideal if you don't have much of a backside (front and back rise are virtually the same). But, not all ES jeans are designed like this, so I wouldn't make a general assumption.

The ES' I have are in a lovely shade of deep blue ... I wish COH would offer a jean in this shade. I always feel more dressed up in them. Not that I can wear them right now: the denim is very thick, better for winter, and I am about 1-2 lbs shy of having them be comfortable. I can wear them as long as I don't eat a big meal.

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