A question by Appgal in the previous post gave me an idea.. I want to put together a Premium Denim 101. A guide to finding your best fit in higher end jeans. In my opinion, every woman needs a pair of jeans that fit perfectly and make her feel like a million bucks. But it can be so hard and frustrating to sift through all the brands to find the one that is right for your figure.
I’m focusing on premium denim not because I don’t think you can find a good fit in less costly brands but because I want to keep the guide somewhat succinct
I have several pairs of designer jeans but I have certainly not tried them all, so I need some assistance from you on this one!
If you can help, please post in the comments:
1- Your favorite (best fitting) brand(s) of designer jeans
2-Your body type or problem area. Ex: Hourglass, rectangle, flat booty, skinny legs, etc
I love Seven for all Mankind’s Dojo jeans. Even postpartum by 2 months…they fit and looked fantastic.
I have wide hips, a large and high butt and long legs. I am 5’8″ and my inseam is 33 inches. I could go with their normal length and wear heels but I actually prefer the flip-flop length (which I guess is like J. Crew’s 31″ inseam). The 33 fits nicely now (4 months postpartum). I am very close to buying a 32 because I love them that much and I am about to need a smaller size…yay!
I wish they made bigger sizes for all ladies…I think quite a few more people would buy from them.
Thanks for posting! Congrats on the baby and losing a size already!
Maybe I have missed the Dojos because all the Sevens I tried were too small in the butt for me. If you don’t mind me asking, do you have a small waist (compared to hips) or more straight through the waist?
thanks for your help!
I’m a huge fan of Joe’s Jeans. I am curvy in the butt/hip/thigh area and these seem to fit perfectly. I can barely get a thigh into 7′s. I think they are best for slim legs/hips. HTH!!
I am a slight pear shape with larger hips and a smaller waist. I have a pair of Joe’s in the Honey fit that are great! (at least they were before baby) hope to be back into them soon!
I’m not sure what the inseam is – I’m 5’6” w/ pretty long legs and they were too long even with heels so I just hemmed them up a bit. The wash I have is called Beatty and they are very dark with no distressing.
dinagideon: I’m also 4months PP today
funny! Not down a size though, I’m jealous :p
Stacie: I think mine are also the Honey in the Beatty wash. They are super flattering! You’ll be back in them in no time!
Anything Citizens of Humanity- I have tried on almost every other designer brand and nothing fits me as well.
I am very petite (size 24, about 30.5″ inseam), and have with a definite hourglass shape. The Joe’s Honey and most Paiges fit pretty nicely, but not as perfect. Sevens somehow NEVER fit me. I have found maybe one or two styles that were decent, but nothing I could justify spending so much money on.
So- my best advice would be DEFINITELY to go to a store and try on everything!! You never know what will look good until you pt it on.
My absolute favorite designer jeans are the AG Angel. I find it to be the best looking and most comfortable option for my build. I’m a petite hourglass (5’2″, small-medium hips, curvy thighs, not very big butt parameter-wise but definitely curvy in substance, if you know what I mean, i.e., I wear a 4/6 in skirts but an 8/10 in pants). AG Angels also alter really well. The slim bootcut legs retain good shape and proper proportion after hemming. I have my jeans hemmed to inseams ranging from 29.5 to 31 inches. They all look great.
My second favorite is the Paige Hollywood. These also alter well.
Other designers I’ve had luck with include Kasil, Diesel and Citizens of Humanity (as long as I stick to the medium+ weight denim, mid/low-rise, slim bootcut styles).
Popular designers that don’t work for me include: 7 jeans (the basic bootcut is cut too square and tight in hip/butt/rise area and too long and wide in the legs), Joe’s (the petite Provocateur cut is atrocious, way too big and baggy in the hip/butt/thigh areas, I also hate the thin, saggy denim they use), True Religion (just too small in the butt and thighs for me) and Lucky jeans (big and ill-fitting bottoms plus bad pocket placements make for ugly behinds).
A good designer denim resource website is the authenticforum.com
I am 5months post-partum (like others
and I LOVED my Paige Premium Laurel Canyon maternity jeans. I lived in them.
Pre-baby I loved my Earl jeans and Hudson jeans. My Earls are years old, but I bought 5 pair in a solid dark wash b/c they were so great. I have tried every other brand, and none fit as well. I am (was) 5’5″ 120 lbs hourglass.
The best fitting jeans i have ever found are Armani Jeans, Giorgio Armani, and Armani Collezioni. I have worn them for years, and have never found a brand that competes with them for my figure. They seem to mold to my primarily hourglass shape, though with slightly fuller thighs and rounded bottom.
Anything by William Rast.
I am 5’7” 135 lbs with kind of wide hips. These jeans are so flattering and feminine.
I have more of an hour glass shape and I love any True Religion straight leg and J Brand cigarette leg jeans, just because they’re stretch, so they don’t get too loose, so they hug all the right parts just comfortably and plus for True Religions I always get a size down, which always makes me happy
I LOOOOVE Paige denim. Hollywood hills with polyster/cotton is wonderful – never wrinkly, but super comfy too and slimming. I bought recently on final sale a gray wash (love with black boots) and the Eclipse wash Blue Heights skinny. The skinny would look great if I could fit into the sz 26!
I’ve tried 26-28 and found everything pretty much TTS for Paige- always in between a 26-27 but for skinnies I guess I should have gone with the 27.
I’m 5’4″, 100 lbs, bony hip, not very curvy and usually have a problem with most jeans being too loose in the back of the thigh and gaping at the waist.
Other brands that are OK on me but don’t really compare to Paige: sevens (my gingers are WAY flare, others have stretched), joe’s (loose in thigh), saltworks (not a fan of the non-cotton additive), BR (shrinks), lucky (stretches out a lot), jcrew (loose in thigh).
I am petite (5'1"), curvy and hippy. My favorite jeans ranked in terms of most used and most flattering are (all in dark wash):
1) Citizens of Humanity – ingrid flare – holds up well despite weight fluctuations
2) Paige Laurel Canyon
3) Habitual
4) Joe's Socialite
5) AG Jeans Angel
I have two 7 for all Mankind (bootcut and Flynt). I don't wear them as much now, only on thin days. I also don't like their wash, it's uneven and I find it too light now.
I buy all my designer jeans online because they are cheaper. Shopbop, revolveclothing & Tobi all offer free shipping & returns & don't charge me sales tax as I live in New York. I don't shop in department stores because the selection is limited & they also charge sales tax.
hi shannon i am petite,5 2″, a little curvy.
my best fitting jeans are the citizen ingrid flare. they fit me 6 month in my pregnancy and 1 month after. love them! revolveclothing has the best deals and all washes.
seven bootcut also fit.
love your blog!
ina
I am 5′ tall. VERY hourglass with an ample bottom and thick thighs. I normally wear a 8 or 10 (29 or 30) in jeans depending on the fit. I, obviously, have to hem my jeans. My all time favorite brand in James Jeans. The 5 pocket bootleg are really well proportioned and they have angled pockets in the back that make my bottom looked lifted and AMAZING. The best part is, although they retail for right around $200, not a lot of people seem to know about them, so you can often get them on Ebay, new, for between $20 and $40.
I have a pair of Paige Premium, but the crotch hangs too low and they make my bottom look huge (maybe a petite would fit me better). I have also tried the the Dojo, but the width of the thighs just emphasize the width of my thighs for some reason. I REALLY love Gold Star Bianca trouser jeans, but they don’t seem to make that version anymore and I haven’t found my size on the resale market.
I absolutely love AG Angel jeans and agree with everything that Anonymous @ 8:27 mentioned about the comfort and altering. I’m 5’8″, typically a size 8 (29 or 30), with a rectangle shape (not-very-defined waist, narrow hips, and muscular thighs.) Typically my biggest problem with jeans is that they’re too tight through the thigh, but the Angels fit perfectly.
I’ve had my pair for over 3 years and they look as good as the day I bought them. Worth every penny!
5’7 about 138, hourglass with wide hips. Jeans that fit and make me feel the best are Citizens of Humanity high waisted bootcut or straight leg. I look super tall and super thin in them. I seem to be a consistent size 27 in Citizens, or somewhere between a size 4-6 in other brands.
5’6″, 110 pounds, boy shape, no butt and usually tied of having people say that it must be so easy for me to find clothes
Amazingly what finally fit was Old Navy’s Mid-Rise Boot-Cut Curvy Jeans. It is ironic that they have ‘curvy’ in the name but I finally found my ‘it’ jeans after years of searching.
dinagideon: ITA re: the seven dojos!! These are my holy grail jeans. I and 5’5″, 130 pounds with an hourglass figure, slightly heavier in the hips and thighs (and rear). These jeans make me look taller and skinnier every time. I love the Mercer wash – it’s the perfect dark wash, no whiskering or distressing. These jeans are LOVE
Hi everyone…
Shannon, I am a total pear shape, so even though I have normal shoulders, I have a small chest (even nursing all I am is a 34C), small-ish waist (4 mos. postpartum) at 29 inches, and nice, wide birthing hips at 42 inches. The smallest I ever have gotten my hips to be is 39 inches, but my waist was 26 inches…so a big difference between waist and hips.
My biggest concern in jeans is the thighs…as a swimmer mine are quite large and some of these denim companies make their jeans, even the 32s and 33s very thin in the legs. Thank goodness 7fam and j crew have fairly generous legs on their jeans/pants…
Stacie…I am one size down, but keep this in mind…compared to where I was before I got pregnant with my first son, I have two sizes left to go…and because I have that 2 year old son in my life, I have to be more active to keep up with him. My sweet daughter doesn’t get nearly the amount of “snuggle time” on the couch that my son did at this age, which is so sad for my daughter, but great for my figure! Good luck with your baby…I know you are enjoying it!
Classic Style:
I am glad we have agreement on the Dojos…and to think I almost didn’t try them on…my favorite part (besides the fit)? I love the feel of the denim itself, nice and soft with just a hint of texture!
-PaperDenim&Cloth Bridgette, Soft & Comfy.
-Joe's Muse, Clean & Chic.
-Chip&Pepper Olivia, Awesome fit.
I'm 5'2, with hips/bottom:)
Only, downside of premium denim for me is the 33 in. inseams:/ lol
So I always get them hemmed.
7s in the Ginger fit!! These are wonderful! I am 5’8 and 120 – usually wear a 2 in JC pants. These just make me look tall and lean. and the rise is good, similar to the HHFlare of JC, but doesn’t look like mom jeans
Hi ladies! Question for you all re: jeans sizing. Do you find that the designer brands are usually the same size as other brands? For example, if you wear a 4/28 in j.crew jeans, does the 28 usually work best for you with your designers? or are they smaller/larger than you’re used to? TIA!!!
Oh love this post idea…I am 5’9 and very evenly proportioned…when I gain or lose weight I lose or gain all over. I guess I am kind of rectangular shaped…I don’t know. Any who…I wear a size 6 in suiting etc and a 28/29 in jeans. I LOVE the Seven DOJO’s that so many others have written about. I love the denim, the back pocket detail, and the fit. However, I have to wash them after every wearing..they stretch SOOO much! I love Rock and Republic…my favorite is the Kravitz which they don’t make anymore, but I purchased 5 pairs when they discontinued the style and I have them in my reserve stash! I love Miss Sixty, Diesel, and AG for skinny jeans. And Paige Denim has great fit esp the trouser jeans…But my absolute favs are the DOJO’s and the Rock and Republic.
Great idea for this post!
I am 5’8″ and wear a 35″ inseam (minimum) and am about 125 pounds. Very skinny legs, slim hips, not so curvy. I have no butt, no matter how many squats I do! Normally jeans are tight in the waist, loose in the legs, and floating above my ankles
The ONLY jeans that fit me are Citizens, I love the ava straight leg, as it’s slim but not tight, not tapered at all. They actually make me look curvy! I don’t like the ingrid cut as much, the flare is not proportional to my lack of hips.
My favorite jeans are 7 For All Mankind Straight Leg Jeans. I have a similar body type to you I think (I am almost 5’4″, 107 lbs) and the Straight Leg Jeans are very flattering for my body type. Size 26 fits great. The waist stretches out a little bit, but not that much.
I’m 5’9″, 130 pounds, and smaller on top than on bottom (a thin pear-shape). I love Rock and Republic’s Kasandra, the low-rise Stella from William Rast, and the signature bootcut by Hudson.