Defeating Denim Despair

Call it the jeans conundrum.

You want a new pair that doesn't label you as over-the-hill, but you also want a pair that reaches over your butt.

You want them ... not too tight but not too baggy ... not too high-waisted in that "mom jeans" kind of way (parodied in a faux ad on "Saturday Night Live" with the slogan, "I'm not a woman anymore; I'm a mom") but not too Britney Spears (pre-baby fat) ... not too dark (like Wranglers, pressed and starched for a rodeo cowboy) but not too light (that mom jeans commercial again, praising "periwinkle blue") ... soft, just to make them comfortable, but without those fade lines (they're called whiskers) and frayed edges.

Yes, you know exactly what you want. So you head to a department store, where you find a wall of jeans in styles, washes and fits that require a denim dictionary and a week of trying-on time.

Gap alone has 15 blue-denim colors with sometimes perplexing names, including "destructed fade," "light authentic" and "sandblasted authentic" (not to be confused with "sanded authentic").

J.C. Penney offers a helpful guide on its catalog Web site, showing you how to choose one of six styles combined with one of three cuts and one of three rises.

It's enough to make a jeans fan sing the blues.

The search for a stylish, properly fitting pair of jeans can take a woman an entire day, as she pulls on dozens of pairs, leaving behind a pile of low-rise and straight-leg rejects.

Many times, after a grueling day in front of cruelly lit dressing room mirrors, a jeans-buying woman just reverts to old habits, throwing on the high-waisted, roomy-butt, peg-leg, ankle-brushing jeans that forever label her as a fashion loser.

"The fear of failure is one of the main reasons women end up buying more nasty mom jeans," says Sharon Haver, a New York City-based fashion expert and founder of FocusOn-Style (focusonstyle.com), a Web-based fashion magazine.

But Haver says the range of jeans on the market is an opportunity, not a problem.

"There is almost no excuse anymore to say, 'Nothing fits me,'" she says.

Not Pants, but a Dream
So, it seems, women need to make peace with the idea that they'll have to spend time to get those perfect pairs of jeans. After all, it is important to them, according to 43things.com, a Web site where people write about their goals, dreams and ambitions. On the site, 262 women listed "Find the perfect pair of jeans" as important, along with "Start a family" (175), "Pray every day" (152) and "Take better care of my health" (22).

One way to look good is to pay attention to fashion trends, Haver says: "Just watch what other people are wearing."

What are women wearing in New York City right now?

"It's as if all the girls wearing premium boot-cut jeans threw them away one day and the next day began wearing skinny jeans and flats."

Skinny jeans might not be your favorite, but you might like an accompanying trend, Haver says.

"Tops are getting longer. They are cut to be kind of flowy with a
little cling. They look great with a shorter jacket. And the best
thing: They cover your tush."

And at least skinny jeans won't be mistaken for those unflattering, high-waisted, roomy mom jeans.

"Those are good for riding a horse," Haver says, "but for any other activity, all they do is make women look horsey."

How to Shop
Consider these elements when you set out to buy a pair of jeans:

• Get the right length. The hem should reach the top of your
  shoe (in a straight leg) or cover your heel (in a boot cut). If you get
  the jeans hemmed, cut the natural worn edge off, and reattach it along
  the new hem.
  
• Get the right width. The leg style should complement
  your thighs. Thin legs? Try cigarette or drainpipe jeans. Large legs?
  Check out bell bottoms. Straight legs are the most universally
  flattering.
  
• How high is too high? Jeans that hit you right below
  the belly button are most becoming. Hip-huggers are for those with flat
  tummies and no muffin tops (flesh pouring over the sides).
  
• What kind of fabric? Curvier women look better with denim that has a little stretch to it and a less-defined waistband.
  
• The feel? Jeans shouldn't slide up or ride down. Try using a belt to keep things in place.
  
• The color? The wash should look natural. Faux
  stone-washed denim that is bleached by the manufacturer doesn't look
  natural; other fake finishes are fad items.

Source: The Record. Powered by Yellowbrix.