Building a Wardrobe You Love: A Great Fitting Pair of Jeans

Today I’m starting a new series about building a wardrobe you love! How many of you can honestly say you love everything in your closet? A couple of years ago, I couldn’t. It’s taken me a lot of trial and error, Pinterest-ing (totally a word), and joining style challenges online to figure out how to dress my body and how to love what I’m wearing!

On a side note, is anybody else nicer when they love their outfit? Just me? Ahem.

Today I’m going to focus on finding a great fitting pair of jeans. There really is nothing like slipping on a great pair to boost your confidence and take your outfit up a notch! The super GREAT news is that it doesn’t have to break the bank. Lots of people say you need designer to get that great fit. But that’s simply not true!

My first tip is to try as many brands as possible to find that one jean that fits! The brand that fits me great will  most likely not be the brand that fits you. The best way to do this (I swear!) is to shop second hand first! The thing about trends is that they tend to come and go very fast. Last years must-haves will be in the second hand shop this year and you’ll get them for a fraction of the price!

And even if you don’t like the style of jeans that you find, take note of the material they are made of (and did it hold up to wear?), whether you like the kinds of details the brand includes, how stretchy, whether that brand is size inclusive (plus and petite), and whether or not they hug your curves. Then you’ll have a better idea of where to start if you need to (or want to) buy new. And if you find your perfect pair there, BONUS!

Next, please please shop the sales! Every single store holds multiple sales a year. Multiple. Sales. A. Year.

Especially when trying out a new brand, you don’t want to put out a huge investment in something that may end up being disappointing. You can always return things, but if your pair of jeans go kaput after the return window, at least you didn’t pay a lot of money. You can then pay it forward and donate or hand them down, or try to resell them to earn money for a better fitting pair.

Seriously, stores hold sales every single month these days. Such as:

• New Years sale
• President’s Day sale
• Valentine’s Day sale
• Spring end of season sale
• Half Yearly sale
• Member’s Only sale
• Crap, we bought to much of this and have to move it fast sale
• Anniversary sale
• Summer end of season sale
• Black Friday
• After Christmas sale
• End of the year liquidation
• And many, many more

Try bookmarking things you like as they come out, then wait for a sale. Usually, this cool-down period will also help you decide if you really need that item or not.

Finally, don’t buy it unless you feel amazing in it. I once spent three hours at Target trying on every kind of pants and skirt they had and walked away with not a single thing. (The clothing attendant was a little annoyed though. Oops!) There is a huge difference between something fitting and loving the way it fits. And while several things were in my size, they just didn’t do my body any justice. I didn’t love the way they looked.

Take a cold hard look at yourself in the changing room mirror. Take a spin and see what it looks like from behind! (Pockets placed too high and too wide make your bum look wide too!) Does the material bunch up at the crotch? Is the rise flattering on your body type? Some jeans will flatten out a booty like nobody’s business while others will make it look amazing! Do they fall at the right length? Do they drape properly? And finally, do you feel amazing? You’ve got to find the brand that works for you!

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So, you may be wondering what brands I’m about to recommend. Keep in mind that I’m an apple (or rectangle) shape. I hold most of my weight in my belly and I’ve got teeny tiny stick legs. So my goal was to find a pair that would hug my curves all the way down (skinny jeans), a pair that balanced out my shape (flares), and a pair that created a straight line from hip to ankle (straight leg, wide leg or boot-cut).

To figure out your body type, check out my Pinterest board HERE.

My favorite pair of skinny jeans came from Express. I had seen them all over social media and I loved the distressed details, higher rise, and petite lengths. And at a time when I was finding it hard to love my Mom Bod, these made me feel like a Queen!

Dark Wash Distressed||Dark Wash||Black||Black Distressed ||All options go up to size 18

I was also SUPER shocked to find that these jeans from American Eagle had an amazing fit! They are also making a higher rise jean that seems to fit more body types.

Skinny Distressed||Skinny||Dark Wash||Black||All options go up to size 20

When the crop flare trend came out, I think every petite sized woman rejoiced because it’s SO HARD to find regular flares in our inseam. Crop flares can be a gamble though, because sometimes they wear like regular flares if you’re short enough. But if you’re curvy up top, the flare at the bottom does this magical balancing act that flatters your shape. I promise!

I love this dark wash pair from American Eagle Outfitters!

Dark Wash Crop Flare||Black Crop Flare||All options go up to size 20

And I was super surprised J.Crew made jeans that fit my body type!

Raw Edge Crop Flares||Dark Wash||Plus

These straight leg jeans seem to wear like boyfriend jeans on me, but I love them. They have fun embroidery and don’t have massive amounts of fabric below the knee like most straight leg jeans.

Similar Straight Leg|| Old Navy Straight Leg||J.Crew Straight Leg||Plus

This next pair isn’t even jeans, but they illustrate my point about creating a straight line from hip to ankle.

J.Crew Trousers||Plus

And, finally, these culottes from Express are a basic jean but the cut gives it a trendy flair. You have to be very careful about volume when you’re a petite, but I think it works when worn with a closer fitting top.

Express Wide Leg Crop Dark Wash||Express Wide Leg Crop||Similar Culottes||Plus

I hope my tips have helped you feel encouraged that you can find your perfect pair of jeans! They are out there, I promise! Just keep trying! If you’ve found your perfect jean, I’d love to hear about it! Drop me a message below and you could be featured on the blog!

~Jamie

Linking up with Pocketful of Polka Dots