With jeans probably the best piece of advice is to find the style that suits you and stick to it, regardless of prevailing trends. Skin-tight jeans might be in fashion but if they make you blue in the face as well as the leg they won't make you feel confident or comfortable. Here are some pointers to help you find your way into a fine fitting and good looking pair of jeans.
Pear shaped
Over two thirds of women in the UK, and a large proportion of the US, are pear shaped, (that is, a bit hippy) and struggle to find jeans to suit them. If you are one of the many, it might help to follow these tips:
- Stick to fitted jeans with a gentle bootcut, like our Uptown Jeans. These even out the triangle shape of your body (loosely speaking) into more of an hourglass.
- Many pear shaped women opt for voluminous jeans but these just emphasise a bulky lower half, so do go for a fitted pair
- Fitted jeans often look particularly good with a printed blouse or striped top as it makes for a good balance.
Top heavy
If you are a touch top heavy, then it can be tricky to find clothes that don't exaggerate the fact. This may well be the effect you're after, but if not, then try the following:
- Avoid very skinny styles, as they'll flag up a top heavy shape.
- Go for very gently bootcut or slim fit jeans, like our Classic Bootcut Jeans or Straight Leg Jeans. These will balance you out a bit without disguising for a minute your slim pins.
- Try wearing our Classic Bootcut Jeans with an Empire Line Top for an even more flattering fit.
Long and lean
Whilst you're probably the envy of those attired with a few more curves, dressing a long slim silhouette is not without its own struggles.
- Wideleg Jeans can look really quite elegant on a tall frame, especially if you like to wear a bit of heel. They are best teamed with a short jacket or a boxy cardigan though, or otherwise there is a danger of looking more like a marquee than a mannequin.
- It might sound obvious (and easy to say), but do make sure you get jeans that are long enough. It's a good idea to try on a new pair with high and low shoes and make sure the hems fall below your ankle. All of our jeans come in a choice of two lengths.
- The most slimming colour for jeans is a dark or plain one.
- Any fading around the thigh will give the illusion of largeness, (heaven forbid).
- Conversely, if you have matchstick legs, which you want to give a bit of definition to, look for some with some light colour contouring or fading.
- Any jeans with a seam, crease or line straight down the front should have a lengthening effect- rather like the back seam of a stocking, but far warmer and less likely to ladder.
- Choose good quality, well cut denim when buying white jeans as otherwise they can tend to be a touch transparent.
Have a look at our Uptown Jeans and Classic Bootcut Jeans.
To give a bit of definition and curve, look for a curved coke (which is a stiched hem above the pockets). You'll find one on our Wideleg Jeans.
- Make every effort NOT to buy jeans too short, particularly if you are very tall, as a missing centimeter or two can be the difference between a great fit and looking a bit daft. Better a bit of bunching at the ankle than social ostracism, I say.
- Jeans should skim the ground when you're standing up. If you plan to wear eight inch heels and nothing lower, then measure your inside leg to the ground when wearing your heels. Likewise if you're likely to wear only flat shoes than buying jeans extra long will leave them scuffed and grubby.
- If you already have a pair of jeans or trousers just the right length, then it's far easier to measure those than yourself. Take the measurement from the inside point of the crotch to the bottom of the leg opening. Check these measurements against those listed for all of our jeans before choosing, and if you're on the cusp of 2 lengths, then go up rather than down. Remember, you can shorten a long pair but you can't lengthen a short pair
If your jeans have stretch in them, and they have expanded slightly in size, I have always found it helpful to give them a blast in the tumble dryer. However, the soundest advice is to follow washing instructions on the care label- every pair of jeans is unique and our washing should help keep them in tip top condition.
