The Low-Down on Blue Jeans

True confession: there is NOTHING that I despise more in life than shopping for blue jeans.  It's quite the conundrum.  I mean I love shopping (nothing puts me in a better mood than walking away with some shiny new purchase fresh with that just-out-of-the-store scent...I just try to avoid balancing my checkbook and looking at my bank account for the next 24 hours), and similarly love wearing blue jeans.  It's when the two get put together that I cringe.  No more are the days when I could walk into the Gap, find my size, and walk out without even trying them on.  No, no!  Finding a pair of jeans that look great, and make you feel equally great, takes a lot of work.  This is particularly problematic considering that as the temperature is dropping my pants are becoming more and more essentially incorporated to my wardrobe basics.  Fortunately, I've amassed a succinct survivor's guide for other adverse blue jean shoppers.

Step 1: Go to the discount stores like Loehmann's, Marshalls, or T.J. Maxx (believe me, you're getting a great bargain).

Step 2: Try the jeans on with the fitting room.  If you don't like the way they look in the mirror, I promise they will not look any better with the cuter blouse back in your closet.  The deal breaker for me are the pockets, so make sure to do a 360 turn in order to ascertain whether you like the back as much as the front - saggy bottoms are never attractive.  Also, stay away from any bleach streaking in the hip area if you want to avoid a wider look. 

Step 3: Get the jeans tailored.  (A big part of the reason why I hate shopping for jeans is because they are so freaking long).  Until my friend recently taught me otherwise, I thought that fashion designers were playing a sick joke on me when sending out their denim designs...turns out the reality is that they make jeans exclusively for the .00001% of the woman's population who are actually tall enough to wear the pants out of the store.

Step 4: Consequently, (this is where everything comes together) you will need to take the pants to a tailor to be hemmed (make sure to wear them with the shoes you know you will want to wear for a casual day - i.e. don't wear heels if you know you will be wearing the jeans with your converses).  The good news is that you won't feel as bad putting the money down for a tailor thanks to those big savings on the designer jeans from shopping at the discount store. 

I'm currently loving Hudson Jeans

and 7 For All Mankind...yes, I did buy a pair of jeans with rips in them...go ahead and judge me ;)