After the heavy post from last week, let's dial things back and talk a bit about denim. Specifically, current trends and tips for finding a good jean for your body type.Denim is primarily an American obsession - starting way back with overalls and progressing to the ever-ubuquitous Levis and now the current glut of designer jeans which can cost hundreds of dollars per pair. If you go to Europe (which I have, albeit only to Spain although I've read about fashion in England and Paris), you won't notice women wearing denim very often. They stick more to tailored black trousers or skirts. You won't walk the streets of Paris and find many women sporting colored jeans or jeans with animal print! Since most of us are red-blooded Americans and own at least one, if not more, pair of jeans, let's discuss current denim trends and then a few tips for finding a great fit for your body or a look you're trying too achieve.
The first thing you need to think about when shopping for jeans is wash. Remember acid-washed jeans from the 80's? We'd really rather not! The "wash" of your jeans is basically how light or dark they are. The main thing to remember is the darker the wash the dressier the denim. Jeans come in all shapes and colors, but a lighter colored jean is usually a much more casual look. Dark jeans can be dressed up with heels and a nice top/jacket and actually be almost as refined looking as a nice pair of trousers. Also, the lighter your jeans are, the more prone they are to highlight areas you'd rather camoflauge and to add visual bulk. If you buy a nice dark-wash jean, they will make you appear leaner and (just like a darker pair of trousers) hide imperfections. Also, to get denim to be significantly lighter than the normal indigo color, they must be washed repeatedly and this makes the denim softer, but also thinner. Hence, darker wash denim is usually thicker and gives a bit more support thereby helping to hide "jiggly bits".
The next thing to think about when shopping for denim is the level of distress with which you're comfortable. We've all seen the jeans sold in stores with holes already ripped in the thighs or knees. That's called distressing and it can vary from actual holes, all the way to a light abrasion on the pockets and/or hems to give the jeans a worn look as if you've had them for quite some time. The more distressed your denim, the more casual you will look (obviously). Most of us don't buy denim with holes and if our jeans develop holes, we throw them away! However, there are types of distressing which are a bit more widely worn. The most common types are "whiskering" and "fading". If you look closely at some jeans, across the thighs near the crotch and sometimes around the backs of the knees, you might find whiskering. These are lighter lines in the color of the denim and are put there on purpose. Also, some denim has faded areas on the thighs and sometimes on the butt/back of the leg area. Again, this is all to give the appearance you've had your jeans for years and they've "worn in" that way. The biggest thing about fading and/or whiskering is it draws attention to an area of the body that most women tend to want to hide. Being a pear shape, I have no need to highlight my thighs in any way....they are the biggest parts of my body. Whiskering on my jeans draws attention away from the length of my legs and right to the tops of my thighs where I least desire attention. Fading on the thighs again draws the eye right to the thigh area. If you want to avoid drawing attention to those areas, look for jeans with a uniform wash. These have the same coloring throughout with no distressing, whiskering, wear or fading. They are more flattering for most body types. Jeans can do a great deal to lenthen your legs, make you appear taller/leaner and give you abutt (or play up the one you have). Usually, I've noticed that a uniform, dark wash jeans can do all of these things best.
Another thing to think about when shopping for denim is rise. This is the measurement from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband. High rise jeans are those that reach at or near your belly button. Some people consider them "mom jeans" and they certainly can be. However, if you're looking to lengthen shorter legs (like me), have a bit of muffin top to hide (like me), and don't want to flash the world with your butt crack when you sit down(just keeping it real) a high rise jean might be worth looking into if you're willing to pair them with heels. Mid-rise jeans are most common, at least right now since the low-rise trend has been on it's way out. The rise on these usually ends 1-2 inches below your belly button. These also do a good job hiding muffin top and keeping your butt hidden where it belongs, but can be worn with anything from tennis shoes to high heels. You can't go wrong with a mid-rise jean. Low rise jeans are usually reserved for the younger crowd; although they can be worn by older women - albeit carefully. A low rise jean sits 3 inches or lower below your belly button and can even sit as low as the top of your hip bone. If you're thin, these can look awesome. If you're anything other than thin, they can pose some real problems. Muffin top is greatly exaggerated, even for those who are in great shape. Your underwear will most likely show as soon as you sit down unless you're wearing a very long top. Also, low rise jeans - because they end so far below your waist - visually shorten your legs. That's why I encourage only the very young or very long-legged among us to wear them.
Yet another thing to consider is length. There's nothing more disappointing than seeing a woman in a great pair of jeans for her body, and then notice that she's wither walking all over the hems or the hems are flapping around her ankles. You cannot buy one pair of jeans and expect them to work with both heels and flip flops. If you intend to wear your jeans with heels, buy them long enough to hit about .5-1" above the ground when you're wearing those heels. That means all of your heels might not work with that pair of jeans either. There's a big difference between wearing a 2" heel and a 4" heel. Obviously the same pair will not work with both sets of heels. And on the flip side, if you intend to wear your jeans with flip flops, flats or tennis shoes, the hems should barely brush the ground. A tailor charges around $6 to hem jeans. It's worth it to have them fit properly! If you can't afford 2 pairs of jeans just to wear with different shoes, sometimes it's acceptable to roll the cuff once to accomodate a flat shoe, but for those of us with shorter legs, this does make us look a bit more stumpy. Think about how and where you'll be wearing those jeans when you're trying them on and then buy the length accordingly. If you have short legs or are a petite person, buy your jeans in petite sizes....they are cut for your shorter waist and legs. Ladies, if you are tall or have long legs, you need to look specifically for Tall or Long sizes. These usually have more length in the waist and a good bit more length in the legs.
The last thing to look at when buying denim is pocket placement & size. Often, if you want to find a great fitting pair of jeans, you need to try on multiple (as in 20+) pairs. The reason is that the placement and size of the pockets can make a drastic difference in how a jean looks, especially from behind. A woman with a larger rear end needs to look for jeans with larger pockets. A women with a wide rear end needs to look for jeans with pockets set farther apart. Whether the pocket hits you at the top of your butt curve or the bottom drastically affects whether you appear to have saggy-butt-syndrome. The pockets needs to be appropriately sized for your rear end and placed in the middle of each butt cheek; or if you're very wide, a bit more toward the middle seam. As expected, be prepared to try on many pairs. But when you find the one pair that fits great, you might want to buy multiples.
Now, a few quick tips on denim cuts, trends and how to style them:
There are various styles of denim cut and these usually refer to the leg shape. Here are the basics:
1. Bootcut - universally flattering; straight through the hip/thigh and then flare slightly below the knee (obviously to accomodate a boot); the amount of flare can be tiny or more obvious. If you have a larger hip/thigh region, a bit more obvious flare helps to balance out your shape
2. Flare - more trendy; slim through the hip/thigh and then flare out dramatically at the bottom; low-rise flares were popular several years ago but have been replaced by high rise flares which are great at leg lengthening but should only be worn with some type of heel
3. Straight - can be very flattering on most body shapes; cut straight from hip/thigh down to the hem and is basically a hybrid between a bootcut and a skinny jean; a true straight cut jean can be hard to find but is actually the oldest style of denim
4. Skinny - hardest style to wear for multiple body types; cut slim through hip/thigh and then taper down to the hem; usually skinny jeans are low rise or ultra low rise, although you can find them in mid/high rise styles this year; highlight the hip/thigh shape and often need to be balanced out to create a flattering silhouette
You can't go wrong with a nice pair of dark uniform wash, mid-rise, bootcut jeans. They go with everything and in any situation from dressy to casual. If you can only afford one pair, or only have room in your wardrobe for one pair, that's usually the best way to go.
Styling Tips:
2. Skinny jeans are popular but that doesn't mean you need to embrace them or wear them. I would argue that the current trend of brightly colored or patterened denim needs to be passed over by the majority of women. Snake print skinny jeans? Umm...no! If you do choose to wear skinny jeans (and I do, although I know they're not the best shape for me), the darker and more uniform the wash, the sleeker they will look. Balance out the slim bottoms with a blousy and/or longer top. A tunic over skinny jeans is another option that helps to balance out the proportions. And of course, if you want to embrace the "jeans-tucked-into-boots" trend, you'll need a pair. But unless you're skinny, keep that upper half balanced with a looser proportioned top or a longer top that covers your butt and hips.
3. Flare jeans and high rise jeans aren't just for hippies; you just need to know how to wear them. They should always be worn with some type of heel. For maximum leg-lengthening, tuck in your shirt and wear a nice belt. Also, the flare doesn't have to be bell-bottom wide....any kind of flare helps to balance out a wider hip area. The lighter the wash, the more 70's-throwback you'll appear so if you choose to wear flares or high rise jeans, make sure to keep them dark.
4. Be willing to try new trends, but don't put a lot of money into them. I've said this numerous times throughout my blog. There's nothing wrong with embracing a trend and being confident enough to wear it with style. However, if something is trendy that usually means it's not going to be around very long. Therefore, don't spend a ton of money on a trend, or buy multipes of a trendy item. It would be worth the money to spend $100 on a pair of mid rise, dark wash, bootcut jeans that will last you 5 years. It would a waste to spend that same $100 on a pair of python print skinny jeans that will be out of style next year (unless, that is, you have a ton of disposable income to waste on trends...which most of us don't). Invest in the classic pieces, and then pay $20 for a pair of printed jeans if you want - knowing full well that you'll most likely never wear them past this winter.
As usual, this post is way longer than I meant it to be! If you have any questions or further advice for people, feel free to comment.
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