Dressing for your shape is the key to looking and feeling great in your clothes. Everyone has a unique body and clothing retailers have a hard time catering to all of us. Jeans have become a closet staple for most of us but it can be a challenge to find a pair that fit like a glove. There’s so many styles and brands it can be overwhelming. How do you even begin to sift through the piles out there and find your perfect pair? I am going to share with you what I learned designing women’s denim for 5 years that will help you understand denim fabric and how to find the perfect fit for your body shape.
Denim Fabric Education 101: Before we get into specific jean fits, it all starts with the fabric!! If the fabric isn’t up to par, the best silhouette for you will fall flat at the end of the day. Things to know:
- Weight of Denim: Lighter weight denim is comfortable however if your thighs rub together (or have areas of friction), you want to go with a heavier weight denim so you don’t end up with holes or rips in those areas.
- Denim is dyed with multi dips/rounds of indigo dye. The more you wash your denim you will “strip” the indigo away resulting in fading of your jeans.
- Heat is not your friend. Heat in the washer and dryer will fade your jeans. Also it’s a “myth” that the dryer will “shrink” your jeans. It does temporarily. But what happens is heat weakens the spandex/stretch in your jeans over time so you will find your jeans stretching out quicker and more easily as you wear them.
- Wash your jeans in-frequently, spot clean as needed. When you do wash, use a gentle detergent and fabric softener, inside out, in cold water. Then air dry. Fluff in the dryer to warm up before air drying the rest of the way to prevent the “crispy” feel.
- Soft denim feels soo good on. Most of the time cotton will be the base of the denim fabric but look for jeans that also have Tencel, lyocell, Rayon, viscose in the content. Polyester can even lend softness to denim. Brands to look for that have these type of fabrics: Level 99, Madewell, J.Crew, Lane Bryant, Loft, Land’s End, Mother Denim, 7 For All Mankind, KUT From The Kloth, DL1961.
- Stretch and Recovery in Denim. This is key to a great fitting pair of jeans. Stretch allows the denim to fit over those larger areas on our bodies. Recovery means the denim keeps its shape. We all have had those jeans that by end of the day give you a saggy butt, or even baggy knees. What to look for on the fabric content or call out on the hang tag: “2 or 4 Way Stretch Technology”, “ 360 Degree Stretch”, Cotton/Polyester/Spandex blends, Cotton and Elasterell- P blends. Brands to look at: Athleta, Express, Lane Bryant, Land’s End, Madewell, J.Crew, Hudson, 7 For All Mankind, DL1961, Mother Denim, GAP.
You can go here to download the rest of the guide!
I hope this guide will have you on your way to finding your perfect pair of jeans in no time!
With Love,
Jackie