MissusSmartyPants Personal Profile Style ArticleVolume 11 Week 41 October 13, 2016

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The Right Jeans For Your Shape

Denims. As the weather cools, we begin wearing our denims and blue jeans more and more. Often, they become our staple “go-to” item. We grab our favorite pair so we can start our day in comfort and warmth.

Typical fall/winter outfits often consist of our favorite jeans matched up with knit tops, fuzzy sweaters, long tunics, fitted jackets, and cardigans, plus a colorful scarf added in for good measure. This cold weather "uniform" is good, but the real key to an awesome outfit is the fit of our jeans.

Discover your best jean styles based on body-fit issues (using this guide) ...Then start making your own fab jean outfits!

Notice below, how the baseball t-shirt and jeans are casual...Yetit’s the jewelry, plaid scarf and boots that “dress up” the outfit!

Our daily lives are more casual than ever before.

For many women, wearing jeans or some sort of denim is an everyday choice...

Use accessories to dress up your jean outfits.

Casual jeans + a long or short-sleeved black tee look “dressy-chic” with the addition of a tan fedora and booties!

KUT from the Cloth Destructed Boyfriend Jeans

Silver Jeans Co. Destructed Jeans-Plus sizes

Mix dressy and casual pieces with your jeans to create these looks...

Grab a warm and colorful wrap.

Use the wrap to cover over the same colored sweater or long-sleeved shirt...then add dark denims and dark boots.

STYLE TIP: Pin a brooch on the wrap to hold it in place... AND add more style to your jean outfit!

Similar: Fraas Plaid Square Blanket Wrap

Go for a belted look...but wear the belt UNDER the bulky sweater!

Dress up your jeans with a stylish, pulled-together look like this one below...

(FYI: This outfit suggestion works for all body types!)

Similar: Nouveaux Open Front Cardigan

Similar: Nouveaux Open Front Cardigan-Plus sizes

Add a blazer.

Dark or light washed jeans, both look fabulous combined with a classic blazer from your wardrobe basics.

A blazer dresses up any outfit-add one!

Find these 5 things in your closet:

1. Classic Blazer2. Basic Tee3. Fun Necklace4. Dark Jeans5. Embellished Flats

Antonio Melani Double Face One Button Jacket-On Sale!

Add sassy red pumps to your jean outfits...

Low-Heeled Pump: Antonio Melani Marchela Pump

Cozy up in chunky sweater-layered outfits with your jeans...

Add Lace & Pearls

Finally, what could look better than uber-feminine lace and pearls worn with your jeans?

After “road testing” (my recent shopping expedition for the “perfect” pair of jeans this season)... Here’s how it all went down...

I felt like baby bear...Some were too big in the waist (left) others were too tight in the legs (right side) and made rolls on my thighs. I tried on over 15 pairs until I came across the ones that were “just right”!

I decided this season’s must-have jeans for me are these AG Jeans!!!

AG "The Farrah" High Rise Skinny Jeans

I’m in love with these AG skinny jeans for several reasons:

The dark wash is so slimming This higher waistband is really, really comfortable! These jeans look good, and feel good

Why these are the “perfect” jeans for me. The 10” rise in the front, with 14” rise in the back is perfect for this gal with a longer rise. With a higher rise in the back, you can bend over without risking showing everything, LOL!

It’s also a good choice for those ladies with undefined waists because it smoothes over everything just the way you want your jean to. No worries about the higher waistband being so high because your shirt or sweater will cover over it-or tuck in your tops to the jeans, if that’s your thing (both are now stylish options-depending upon your body type).

Anatomy of a Pair of Jeans...

The Rise: This is the length from the crotch up to the waistband:

Low rise means the pants come up below your hip bone. Mid-rise should be at or just below the navel. High rise come all the way up to the natural waist.

FIT TIP: The best rise for most women is MID-RISE (just below navel). Often 8” to 9 ½” rise is best for most women.

*However, if you are short-waisted you may find low rise are best. If you have an undefined waist you may find jeans with a higher (AND wider) waist band (Preferably with elastic waistband) fits you best.

Taller rise in back offer more coverage of your backside when you bend over. You can tell the back rise is higher on your jeans when you hold them up and they are taller towards the back (you could also measure the rise from crotch to top of waist at the pant back and compare it to the front rise).

The best jeans styles for your shape:

Bottom heavy. Avoid high-rise jeans because they engulf too much bottom. A lower rise (I recommend mid-rise 1-2 inches below navel) will help cut down the size of your booty. Dark colors recede—therefore dark denims are more slimming. Choose a boot-cut (with stretch) to balance out hips, tummy or larger bottom.

Flat bottom girls. Look for pants with back-flap pockets, or higher-cut (rise) or no pockets at all. Slim legged jeans (especially w/ heels) help give the appearance of more curves to your slender shape.

New Wide-Leg Jean Styles. Try them! These will work nicely for most body types. The wide-leg smoothes nicely over your curves or creates curves if you don’t have them.

If you have lots of curves, avoid the super-wide styles. Also, avoid super wide styles if you are petite.

If your proportions are slender, you can wear wide-legged styles with pleats. If you have curves (or lots of curves) wear only flat-front wide leg jeans. The new wide leg jean/pant style is a bit dressier than a regular jean and should therefore be only worn with a heeled shoe (no flats).

Match wide-leg jeans up with a substantial shoe. With all that pant volume your top should be a snug tee, cropped jacket or body skimming shirt (tucked or shorter and untucked). Avoid baggy or loose fitting shirts and jackets because full on top and bottom just looks sloppy.

Short-waisted. A lower rise jean will lengthen your torso and help balance out your body’s proportions. Try on mid to low rise and see which brands and styles fit best. Avoid all high-waist styles.

Long-waisted. Jeans that hit at your natural waist to mid-rise are best. Low-rise don’t work because they sit at the widest part of your hips (widening them) and make your torso look too long.

Petites. Classic styling is best. Straight cut (not a boot-cut) is best. Too much embellishments or flare overwhelms your small frame. Jeans at your natural waist make your legs appear longer. Wear your jeans long and with a heel to lengthen your look.

Tummy bulge/Muffin Top. Plain darker washed jeans with stretch are best. Look for styles that sit just below your natural waistline (mid-rise). Avoid high-waist styles because they engulf the whole tummy and highlights the problem.

Mid-rise styles are best because they will intersect the tummy. Jeans that are mid-rise help avoid the dreaded “muffin top”. If a mid-rise jean is creating a “muffin top” go up in size or try another style all together.

Boot-cut or jeans with a flare at the bottom balance out a thicker middle section. Avoid tapered, skinny jeans, high waist styles and light wash jeans.

Sometimes you need shapewear. Choose “light control” to help you get a smoother tummy under your sassy jeans. Don’t wear shapewear everyday...only on special occasions when you really want a super-smooth look!

Plus-sized. Keep everything in proportion and you’ll look your best. Find styles that have larger buttons, bigger pockets and rivets-not just a bigger version of a misses size. This helps your body stay in proportion. Be sure to check out Lane Bryant’s Right Fit Jeans. They are made for straight, moderately curvy, and curvy shapes. You can get close to a “custom” fit with the Right Fit Jeans!

Universal Fit Tips:

A classic style is just that—classic. You can’t go wrong with classic 5-pocket denim blue jeans. The best classic is one with a straight-leg.

TRY ON LOTS OF STRAIGHT LEG JEANS! One brand’s straight leg is another brand’s bootcut. Find the “straight leg” brand that flatters you most. If you have more feminine “curves” a slightly fuller-legged straight leg is better than a close to skinny straight leg jean.

Avoid “tapered” legs. If the label says “tapered” put them back!!! This is an unflattered and dated style. They exaggerate a tummy and fuller bottom because of their narrow leg opening. AVOID.

Darker is slimmer. Forget the sparkles, embroidery and stone-washed. The dark color and simple styles will be more slimming. You will look dated in acid, worn-out or ripped up jeans (especially if you are an older women--it looks desparate). Keep your jeans dark and simple in design.

Side seams sewn forward. When the side seam stitching is slightly forward on the side of the leg, it is slimming! It gives a longer, leaner look. Look for jeans that are constructed this way.

Stand sideways and check your side seam in the mirror...Your side seam should be stitched slightly forward for the most slimming look!

Length. You have to commit to a length. Which means you may want 1-2 pairs of jeans for flats and lower heeled shoes. You may also want a dressier dark pair of jeans that are long enough to wear only with heels. “Hot and sassy” jeans are long in length--not high-waters!

***MOST IMPORTANT FIT TIP***Pocket placement is everything! This is very, very important. Did I mention where your pockets are placed REALLY matters a lot?! Pocket placement is what makes a pair of jeans flattering--and YOU look your best!

Where the pockets are on your bottom makes you look your best (or worst) in your jeans...so get it RIGHT!

Okay, our booties may not be like this one shown below... However, this photo gives you a “perfect” example of good pocket placement and what it can do for your booty!

CHECK YOUR REAR VIEW!

Be sure the back pockets are placed in the center of your rear. The pockets should also be in proportion to the size of your rear.

STYLE TIP: If you are smaller in the booty, the pockets should be small. If you have a larger bottom, make sure your pockets are proportionally larger.

AVOID high and wide pockets! Use a 3-way mirror and look for rear pockets lower (in the center) of the seat and slightly angled to give look of a lifted bottom.

Jean Alterations. They can and should be alter if needed.

YES! Jeans can be altered!

If your body proportions are beyond the ‘normal’ sizing of most manufacturers you can have your jeans altered. If you have really large thighs compared to your waist proportion, or you are only 5’ tall (or other sizing issues)…ALTER!

YES, you can have the waist taken in. You can also have the lengthen take up and original hem re-attached! You can also have wide legs slimmed down, etc. This resource (tailoring) is way too under-utilized by too many women! Any quality tailor will be able to alter a pair of jeans for you.

Jeans needing hemming? Do not remove the original hem!!! NEVER remove the original hem on a pair of jeans because you will lose the “jean” look!!! Here is a tutorial of how to hem up jeans and leave the original: http://home.comcast.net/~kozykitty/blog/originalhem.pdf (Awesome step-by-step pictorial)

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