I have about 15 pairs of jeans. And 2 that I wear. Don’t get me wrong, all of them are the exact same size and I love all of them equally. But they don’t all FIT equally. A pair of jeans that comes out of the washing machine and is impossible to put back on, is not the pair of jeans you want in your drawer.
I put on a pair this morning and said…OMG. Did I gain 25 pounds last night? My weight rarely fluctuates but like my DH says “im soft”. But soft or not, I should still be able to stuff my same body back into the same jeans everyday.
Or maybe not.
I am going to do a fashion show for you and show you how wearing the right KIND of jeans is important to how your overall look pulls together. For the record, I am 5’1″ and 103 pounds.
These pictures may scare you. But they are the reality of wearing the Right clothes.
These are Angels Jeans. You can see that I can get them buttoned, but I get “side skin” bulge. When you put your shirt down…it still doesn’t look pretty. By almost no definition am I “fat”, but that doesn’t show here and makes me look overweight.
These area bit better (one size SMALLER then the jeans above) and are Paris Blues brand. Obviously they fit my body much smoother and eliminate that icky side bulge. Paris Blues is one of my favorite jean brands.
These are classic flare jeans by SEVEN7. I cant even button them. Not even if I stuff it in, suck it in, not eat for a week….not budging. I cant even remember ever getting them on…hence the brand new look of the jean. Why they are in my closest is unbeknown to me at all. I think the jean fairy left them in hopes I would lose 20 pounds..which would make me roughly a 4th grader.
These are Hydraulic Jeans. Again….side bulge, front bulge….they make me look bigger then I am. By a LOT.
These are Refugee Brand…again, nice fit all the way around. Good jean. Same size as above. See the difference?
These are Levi Strauss..smooth finish all the way around. The bad part of these jeans though, are the BACK. When you sit down, you can see your butt crack…or your underwear. So what appears to be a nice pair of jeans, can go bad when you walk away. And although they are also the same size as the other jeans, they are actually about 2 inches too big in the waist and can pull out….which is probably why when I sit down, they fall down my rear. These are NOT good shopping jeans, because if you bend over to get something from the bottom shelf, you moon the world.
So that is my jean fashion show….realize that no matter WHAT size you are, you don’t have to settle for a jean that looks inappropriate for your body type. Even someone my size can look overweight and out of shape if the clothing is not quite right. If you try on a pair of jeans that is the same size you “always wear” and they look too small, GO UP A SIZE or CHANGE BRANDS. Not all brands are built the same…because not all people are built the same. Keep looking out there for the ones that not only flatter your figure, but make you not have to suck in to get the button done. Changing sizes or brands should not make you feel bad about who you are.
Because I think i have just proven, its the jean companies fault. Now go eat a brownie.
~Trisha
This is the very reason I HATE going clothes shopping and can never ever buy off the internet. It depresses me, so I just don’t do it until my clothes are only together by one lonely piece of thread.
Is It Bedtime Yet?
Thank you for sharing this. I go through the exact same problem. I finally found jeans that actually fit my waist and hips (normally the waist is too big). I stick with Lucky jeans. I just went through the trauma of shopping for Christmas clothing. My husband finally mentioned it is easier to be a man. Not one piece of clothing fit the same. I stuck with a clothing from Jones of New York. I have simply decided no more shopping I have two brands I know fit.
Now you know why I still wear my maternity jeans! lol
Yes, brownies it is. I am currently wearing jeans that give me the awful bulges but ONLY because my very favorite, always flattering Levis got a big hole. I patched it up but then they got another and I have a strict one-patch limit.
I don’t think I have ever even owned a pair of jeans that fits me perfectly. I have a tiny waist, but large hips and thighs, so I have to go bigger to get those to fit. So there’s always the huge gaping going on. I can do the commercial of “I’ve lost 20 lbs!” but those are just with my normal jeans I wear everyday! Part of is I’ve never been able to spend more than $30 on a pair of jeans. Maybe if I was able to fork out a little more I could find a pair that fits better!
I to have about 15 pairs of jeans in the closet and wear TWO pairs of them. For the very same reasons you just mentioned Trisha. I’m 5’9 and 140 lbs. and for as long as I can remember I’ve had MAJOR issues finding jeans. Either they fit through my hips but are too short, they’ll fit length wise but not in the hips or else there’s a big ‘ole “HERE’S MY ASS CRACK” gap in the back. I HATE jean shopping!!! It’s absolutely RIDICULOUS how much variation there can be in sizes/cuts. What a joke! I’ve learned that when I find a pair/brand that fits me right to buy a couple of pairs because Lord knows I’ll never find any that fit right again…or at least not for a good 5-7 years!! Great post!! Glad to hear I’m not along in the jean drama department!!
Ok…first thing…..God bless you and your cute bod! Sharing such can be quite intimidating! So…Rock on, sister!
Second….I’m 42 and have always been a skinny minny….but lately…I’ve outgrown all my clothes.
My flabby belly….is the devil!
I feel so yuck in everything…..it’s been a real drag.
People look at me and say….how can you complain? I still look sorta small…but I can’t wear anything…I’ve had to buy stuff that is not so cool just so it fits.
What a quandry!
Thanks for sharing!
I have a ton of jeans that I don’t even know why I have them. I like that refugee brand. I’m going to have to go searching for those.
I spent the past few years trying to just find a brand of jeans that fit me good because I’ve gone through the same thing with all of my pants since having my son. I’ve finally found this brand of jeans at JCPenneys called Vigoss and LOVE them, two different pairs and they fit great!
great post Trisha!!!
I would rather jump off a bridge than jean shop, so I get all of mine for free from my brother.
Another jean that runs small in size is ” Paige”. Fantastic jean, love them but always a size bigger in them. Another fantastic jean, especially for a girl with a bottom ( me) is ” Joe”. I have a tiny waist but have to go a bigger size because of my hips/butt, so I always get that grapping at the waist…ack!!
So true… A good fitting pair of jeans can really make or break how you look in an outfit.
Funny that you posted this… I have some size 8 jeans that I love and they fit great, but another brand is a size 12, and another is 10. Sizes are weird, I tell ya!
Ahh, jeans. Second only to the bathing suit when it comes to instilling shopping dread. I have 2 of the same style, same size from both Old Navy and Levi. Do the pairs from each manufaturer fit the same? Absolutely not! Out of 4 pairs of jeans I wear 1. And don’t even get me started on baby butt versus the jeans! I have a size 10 butt and a size 6 waist. Why can’t they put those happy elastic adjustable things in my jeans too!
I hate shopping for jeans. And the weird thing is, I can buy them for my husband without him even trying them on and they fit every time! Why is it different for women?
Thanks, Trisha…I love it.
Off to eat toffee and think it’s acceptable that my jeans don’t fit!
Thanks for posting that! I’m a bit bigger and am always trying to find jeans that fit properly….
Great fashion show
Thank god I’m not the only one who goes through this! I seriously think if I was to do the same thing, it would look about the same. Well except for some tattoos added to the mix
I love my hydraulic jeans except for the part where the back gaps… They fit the very first time you wear them and the by the secodn time you wash, the back waistband gaps so bad they start to fall off every time you bend over or sit, but if you buy a size smaller, you are really screwed, and cant even button them.
Nice post Trisha.
You also forgot to mention that you have the seamstresses who sew each pair of jeans within the same brand. My MIL was a seamstress for 40 years, and she even gets mad at how there’s a difference depending on who was sewing the jeans, or any clothes for that matter. Even a slight stray from the guides on the machines change the whole garment. And they wonder why we women hate clothes shopping. I usually end up buying 5 or 6 pairs of jeans in the same brand, same size, and returning 4 of them after I get them home and try them on. Sure I could try them on in store, but who’s going to do that with a 2yo? I’m lucky to even make it into the store to buy jeans.
Thanks for posting this Trisha. It’s just too discouraging to think you’re fat when one pair of jeans doesn’t fit. I certainly get that way. I’m 5 ft 7 in and 120 pounds and I dread jean shopping as I’ll always find a few pair that make me look like a beached whale.