New jeans love and a question for seamstresses

I have just received a pair of 7 for all Mankind jeans I have been stalking forever. They were sold by Piperlime only (don't know why) and were pretty pricey. Recently they kept disappearing and reappearing on the site. Last week my size came back. They were on sale plus an extra % coupon off, so I pounced! Total savings of 60%

I am head over heels for them. They are mixed media, with vertical panels that elongate my short legs. The materials are cotton that feels and looks like suede and coated/waxed panels. For me they are 9.8/10 . The only issue I have are the gold zippers (which I was aware of) - my preferred metal is silver and that is a bit too much gold for my taste. So I was wondering if the seamstresses on the forum could say how doable/complicated would it be to replace the zippers with silver ones. It is OK if it is not possible - i love the pants very much and will wear them a lot even with gold zippers - those bookend my hair if nothing else.

And per our current discussion of my body type, the rise on these jeans is 9" and they still come 2" below my navel - due to my long rise. And their inseam is 30" yet they are full length on me - because of my short legs. Everything makes sense!

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10 years ago

carambola

Veteran

I am not a seamstress and have no advice to offer, but had to say WOW - those are awesome and they look stunning on you!

Catnip

I used to be a fairly competent seamstress in the past and think replacing these zippers could be quite difficult. They look great on you! If they were my pants, I wouldn't worry about the zippers.

Caro in Oz

Great pants, YLF. I'd leave the zippers too, I think they look fantastic.

elpgal

Perhaps the more crafty can weigh in but isn't there some sort of metallic marker that people use for this purpose. The jeans look fantastic and I am very surprised 30 inches is full length on you (your body shape thread has been quite enlightening).

Well the pants look great on you. The zippers don't appear gold on my screen. Even the stock photo looks silver.

I'm glad that your body analysis is starting to make sense with how the clothes fit. First day and you've already learned so much. Go you!

Those are incredible! Very cool. And they fit beautifully. This is what 9" rise looks like on me too; even 10" is below my belly button (although very close to it).

merwoman

Wow! Fab pants and fit. I'm with those who say don't replace the zippers, but I was thinking along the same lines as elpgal - and wondering if you could change the colour.
hmmm. my final decision is leave as is - colouring/tinting the zips would be difficult to execute perfectly. And that would bother me more then the gold colour. (which isn't looking so golden on my monitor

Anonymous

As a sewer, I would say that it is do-able but tricky to replace the zippers. It's a job that requires accuracy and experience. I could tackle such a job but to be honest I like the jeans as they are.

Those are awesome jeans Tanya! I need to learn to stalk like you did. I think the gold can be a fun change, but I guess you could try carefully sponging on a little silver craft paint or nailpoish on the zippers (oops, no, check that--the teeth would be impossible to do without getting paint on the fabric part of the zipper). Believe me I have ruined more things than I have "fixed" with my DIYing. Now when something isn't quite the way I want it, I try to let that stretch my fashion sense (wearing black with navy, because I don't have matching items, wearing cream with white, instead of trying to dye my white jeans cream). Those jeans are gorgeous and fit you like a glove! Enjoy them.

donnat

Those jeans are sensational on you !

Lisa

I say leave the jeans as is, I am not a seamstress so I don't know how hard it is to fix, but I think when you go beyond a simple alteration (shortening or letting out a hem, swapping buttons) you may end up opening a can of worms.

Suz

(website)

Those look sensational on you! I would leave them as they are. I think you will get used to the gold hardware, and if not, well, then you can consider alteration. At least give them a try this way for a while?

So interesting that we see the realities of the long rise/ shorter leg. They would also work for me as full length. Even with a bit of scrunch! The 9" rise would be higher on me, however -- but probably not unbearably high.

Thank goodness manufacturers do make a variety of styles or else we'd all be in trouble!

Diana

Wow! Those are fantastic jeans! I suspect the zipper alteration would be pretty difficult.

Tanya

Thank you very much for all the kind words and the advice ladies! Much appreciated.
Hmm, considering how long I stalked these jeans, and how much I like them; and what you are telling me about the difficulties of replacing the zippers or even recoloring them, I think I will just leave those zippers as is. Especially since I would have to deal with the button too. They are both pretty obvious gold, just do not come out on the screen as such. I am just not going to wear them with something with lots of silver hardware.

Speaking of wearing, how do these jeans strike you stylistically, would you called them moto jeans? They are a bit maximal for sure. I am wondering if I should pair them with simpler pieces and let them be the star of the outfit, which would be my default, or I could try pairing them with other more interesting pieces as well? Would a black leather moto jacket be too much of the same? How about black moto booties? ( Just remembered I have never posted those booties, need to do that soon).

cbayna

Active Member

Hi Tanya, the seamstresses in the forum have spoken and it sounded like it is doable but not a simple fix. You may end up spending more than you save on the pants unless you are willing to fork the amount. Also, do you always tuck in? If not, then the top may cover (partially or in full) the zippers hence it becomes a non issue.

I totally get you on the gold vs silver zipper! I'm the same way. Actually purged some MK platform mules due to the gold hardware. I just could not get around it. But, I think these zippers might not even show half the time, if you have a longer top on. Only you can know if gold is a deal breaker.
As for the maximal nature, I have red moto jeans with zippers. And I have run into a few instances where I had to work around them. For instance, not wearing a jacket that also has zippers on it with them. I've found a simple top works best.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

Team Gold reporting for duty. I vote leave the zippers - not because I love gold - but because chances are high that you will be dissatisfied with the alteration. It's tricky stuff, and Expert Sewer Diane confirms.

Killer new jeans. xo

Greyscale

Those are amazing on you! And yeah, I'd say moto jeans. I also usually avoid gold accents but I wouldn't try to change them on these. I did once use a sharpie marker over the brass buttons on a black jean jacket (and on all the gold-tone stitching - it took hours) to great effect, but I don't think that would be a good idea here.

I try to have only one moto element per look because else I get comments like the friendly homeless guy who said "your Harley must be around the corner!" last week. Of course, it can be fun to go all the way with it, but for these pants, they're so dramatic that I think a moto jacket might be a bit much. I'd wear a big slouchy sweater.

Also, since my rise seems to be exactly the same size as yours - if you're in the market for slim straight jeans, check out the CoH Elson. The rise is perfect on me. I didn't like the washes available this year but I'm keeping an eye on them.

annagybe

Those are awesome.
I'm team gold, but my Balcienaga cut out boots have silver hardware. I wouldn't worry about it.

Debra

Fabulous jeans, fantastic investment, I vote leave as they are

Excellent advice, thanks everyone! The jeans will be left alone in their natural state And I will style them with very simple pieces. Most likely various pullover sweater, both chunky and fine gauge, now; and silky blouses in the spring. They are probably too heavy for summer.

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