I’ve honestly only started wearing denim much again in the last several months, since I got my AG Stevie jeans; it’s hot most of the year in Texas and I’ve gotten used to wearing skirts/dresses more often. Generally though, I think the perfect denim wardrobe is four pairs of jeans: a nice pair of dark denim skinny jeans, black jeans (skinny or straight) for going out, a pair of bootcut jeans to wear with heels, and maybe a skinny distressed pair or boyfriend style for the weekend. I have a zillion pairs of jeans now, but as I lose weight, I look forward to finding just 4-5 pairs I can live in. They would be:
Weekend | Current/Elliot distressed boyfriend jeans
Going out | Paige hidden hills straight leg jeans
Bootcut | Goldsign Passion
Everyday | AG Stevie Ankle
As for designers and the way they fit on me, my holy grail jeans right now are my AG Stevie Ankle jeans. I was a huge fan of AG in the beginning and had the legend and angel styles, but when Adriano Goldschmeid left AG, I didn’t think the jeans fit the same, so I went to his new line, Goldsign. Goldsign was perfection all around for me, every pair of jeans I put on, fit like a glove, felt amazing, and make everything look like it should. For many years, my Goldsign jeans were my only jeans, until I started acquiring lots and lots of other designers, mostly through sample sale sites.
Now, I tend to only wear my AG Stevie ankle jeans because they FIT, they’re comfortable, and I think they look good; I don’t have to think about them at all. I have tried on the Angel and Angelina (petite) styles and like the way they fit, I just haven’t felt the need to buy them. Overall, I do think the brand fits me well, and tends to be cheaper than Goldsign, so they’re a nice alternative. But if I had my way, and all the money in the world, I would wear only Goldsign jeans. They’re that good. And just a little luxurious.
About my body:
Pretty much since I started blogging, I’ve taken a size 32 in high-end denim. I am short (5’3″) and have very thick legs (ankles and thighs included). I have a small waist relative to my butt/hips so my biggest challenge in finding denim that fits, is that it doesn’t sag in the waist while fitting my hips. AG & Goldsign do that best. I like my jeans with as much cotton as possible in them, preferably 98%, although that’s hard to find lately.
**updated 5/2/2013 – I’m down to a size 29-30 in most denim now, and a size 28 in my new favorite Rag & Bone slouchy/skinny jeans (the “dash” style). I also love my AG stevie ankle sateen jeans/pants in black. They’re the perfect black pants, but they do attract a lot of lint. Honestly, I have just ruled out any jeans without a higher percentage of cotton, the rag & bone jeans have 98%, which is perfect, and the AG’s have 80% I think. I need that.
Below is a list of jeans I have, and jeans I’ve tried and my thoughts on them all. Let me know your thoughts on any of them in the comments!
AG leggings ankle – I really don’t like these at all on me now. They fit well in the waist/hips/butt, but get VERY VERY saggy in the knees and around my legs after wearing them for any time at all. They’re comfortable for long plane rides for example, but really look a mess when you get up…Maybe sizing down is the answer to this problem, but I’ll stick to jeans with more cotton in them from now on.
Beija Flor – They sent me two pairs of jeans to review and I really loved both of them. They did tend to start sagging a bit in the knees after wear, but overall fit my curves nicely.
MiH Paris slim leg jeans – I got these recently on super-sale and I love the way they look, but they are lower rise on me, and pull a bit at the thighs, again, not a great fit for my larger thighs. I also have to pull them up a lot, which is weird for me. I would definitely recommend them if you’re not thick-of-thigh though, they’re nice.
J Brand – I have many pairs of J Brand jeans, mostly from sample sale sites, and I generally like them, but they always pull in the thighs for me, J Brand just isn’t made for ladies with thick thighs IMO
Genetic Denim – I recently got a pair of their slim bootcut jeans via Gilt (or some other SS site, I forget!) and am very pleased with how they fit on my body. Nice in the thighs, perfect in the waist/butt/hips, and very comfortable to wear.
Goldsign – Passion (bootcut), Desire (flared), Leia (wide leg) – as I mentioned before, if I could afford them all the time, I’d wear Goldsign exclusively. Over the 6+ years I had my three pairs (I paid full-price for all of them), they still look brand new.
James jeans – I own a VERY VERY old pair of super low-rise James bootcut jeans, and I’ve tried on lots of pairs off and on and they’ve always fit my body very well. Lately, I liked the hunter style.
Current Elliot boyfriend – I love these to death, the denim is so soft, and they’re so comfortable, but they make me look like I don’t have a butt, and get very saggy, which isn’t a very flattering look on me.
Joe’s Jeans – their “original” boyfriend style, they were distressed, and fit me when I was at my heaviest. I loved them…I haven’t tried any styles lately, I never really liked their “honey” bootcut fit, although it was specifically supposed to be good for my body type.
Paige Skyline skinny – These were perfect on me, but I missed out on getting them at a discount so I never bought them. I’ll keep them in mind for when I need a new pair of skinny jeans after losing weight.
Rag & Bone – I don’t remember the style I tried on, but they weren’t that impressive. They fit kind of like J Brand on me, very small in the thighs.
7 for all mankind – believe it or not, I don’t one one pair of 7 jeans. When they first came out, I tried to find a pair I liked but couldn’t, until the ginger style, but I never bought a pair…
What are your essential jeans? How many pairs do you have? What would your ideal denim wardrobe consist of?
I LOVE the way Paige jeans fit me. And surprisingly, I’ve been able to find them at our TJ Maxx and even on ebay, with very good luck. I also am a convert to AG, and I love the “Primo”, which fits me great (I have a wide waist, and wider thighs). I still wear some of my old CK calvin klein jeans, but it seems that the fit has changed with the newer ones, and so they don’t fit my waist as well. And….wait for it….I am loving Not Your Daughter’s Jeans (which has to be the worst name ever for jeans…so I think they just came up with the acronym, NYDJ!). I feel so comfortable in them, and I receive a lot of compliments and “Have you lost weight?” comments. They’re keepers for me. I stick to their skinny leg, which would probably be a straight leg in a lot of brands.
I love the JBrand Lovestory and Hudson Ferris Flare for a bell bottom. The 7 for all Mankind Bell bottoms are high waist and look great on. I also like the JBrand super skinny low rise jeans. But my favorite are the Citizens Of Humanity Emmanuelle Skinny boot, they fit amazing just like the Goldsigns and the “secret” color is so soft. Grechen I think you’d really like them.
I completely forgot about the Ginger style- I LOVED those. If I could find a pair sans pocket embroidery I would definitely snap them up. I admit to be being a bit of a snob against 7s just because there are so many “cooler” brands out there now, which is really kind of ridiculous.
I find that AG and Paige are the tops in terms of quality and fits (Paige in particular is amazing in terms of fit) but have been thrilled with my Madewell Skinny Skinnys. I have had two pairs for well over a year and they have survived weekly washings looking perfect. Cannot say the same for J Brand, although their fits are somewhat similar. Oh, and I agree that J Brands are proposterously tight in the thighs!
Hehe your jeans story makes sense, after leaving AG he started Goldsign. I used to own an AG jeans when he was still designing it. Haven’t tried Goldsign. I’m now settled with Habitual bootcut jeans from the days when the duo were still designing the denim, before they left to work for Helmut Lang.
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i’ve never tried habitual. well, let me re-phrase that, i TRIED to try habitual, but i don’t think i could even get one leg over my thighs!! i look forward to being able to try more designers soon!!
i’m really looking forward to adding some paige to my denim wardrobe – so far, i’ve been impressed with what i’ve tried.
and shhhh…but i kind of feel the same way about 7 – but i also tried to find a pair of 7s to fit me and never could. until ginger that is…so i was also pissed off at them anyway LOL
i will definitely try CoH again – I have tried them in the past, but never found a pair that fit right. but i’ve always been on the cusp of a size 32-33, so most high-end denim never really fit me.
i always find lots of paige at nordstrom rack, but i always get freaked out by “older” washes on denim. it’s stupid, but i feel like the wash dates the jeans, and they have a lot of green/blue wash or fading, etc., at rack, so i never buy any. i just want a clean, dark or black pair of AMAZING jeans. is that too much to ask 😉
Hi Grechen. Guess what … you are *not* short. I googled it and the govt stats are 63.8 inches http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/bodymeas.htm which is 5 feet 3 inches:) Hope it cheers your day!
what? you mean i’m “normal” or “average”? NO!!!! LOL 🙂
i’m short to denim designers though, i have to hem off 6-8 inches most times. it’s crazy!!!
For skinnies, I like J Brands and Rag & Bone and I absolutely LOVE Acne (esp their slim straightleg) but the price is rather ridiculous. I`ve had some Acne pairs from 7 or 8 years ago. The AG Premiere stretched out at least 3 sizes (not kidding) and I was very miffed.
I`m with you on the Current Elliott boyfriends – love the look but if I`m not careful putting them on I make some new rips. I go down 2 sizes in this style but they still look `boyfriend“
Yes! Normal! Representing the American norm! Yeah! Yes, I agree about the length of the denim, it`s quite preposterous even on me, and I`m 5`10. I don`t know what they`re thinking. Maybe they get kickbacks from all the tailors for the hemming services their jeans require! Hey, have you seen any good (ie flattering) wide leg jeans … I`ve tried some but they make my legs look shorter which is not the look I`m going for.
I hate weird washes on denim, too. To me, a great pair of jeans should be DARK. Period. And no, it’s NOT too much to ask! (Hear us, denim designers???)
AG Farrah Bell Bottoms! AbFab!
What a great post! I find the comparisons to be invaluable.
I don’t a lot of the designer brand jeans as I never know where to start in terms of fit and they’re just so expensive. I do have and like some NYDJ, and a pair of Beija Flor which I like but don’t love. I love the pair of cropped Genetic Denim I own, but for everyday look and comfort I go to Yoga Jeans. They tend to hold their shape without getting baggy and they have a great straight leg, boot cut, and skinny style.
With this post in mind, I may need to try a pair of Goldsign, Current Elliot and Paige. Thanks again.
Have you ever tried Hudson? I think we have similar body types, and I’ve been pretty impressed with Hudson jeans. They always seem to have a pretty good selection at Nordstrom Rack, at Gateway anyways.
i had a pair of black hudson “jeggings” back when the weren’t so ubiquitous and they fit me well, but i honestly haven’t tried any since. maybe i’m turned off by the pocket style? definitely when i’m looking for new jeans, i’ll just go and try on everything at nordstrom rack, and see what sticks 😉
i have the goldsign leia style, which are wide leg – (seen here) and i really like them, but they’re old. i also have two pairs of j brand kat jeans, which are wide leg & flared, but i’ve never thought those were particularly flattering on me. so i really don’t have any recommendations LOL. as i lose weight and can actually fit into jeans, i’ll try more on and hopefully can give more insight, but up until now, it’s not been easy for me to even squeeze my butt/hips into high-end denim!!
goldsign have been my favorites for years, but they’re very expensive. i’ve had two pairs of current elliot boyfriend jeans, and i got them both on gilt for around $100 – they’re hard to get because they sell out almost before they’re up, but if you can get a pair that way, it’s a great deal. i’d still probably pay full price for a pair if i knew i could wear them forever – anyway, sample sale sites are a good way to try brands IMO – you can get them for cheaper (generally) and as long as you can return them, you’re not out anything, and if they fit perfectly, you got a pair for a deal. then you know the brand works for you, and you can look for other styles…
i don’t think i look very good in bell bottoms 🙁
but maybe i just haven’t tried the right pair. i’d love to find a good pair, i love the look
I really like those leia’s on you, and they’re exactly the shape I was looking for, like straight off the hip and gradually widening. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Goldsign anywhere in shops here. I tried some others, but they are all flares and I don’t like how they go in at the knee at all. I’m more thinking about Amelia Earhart and Marlene Dietrich and how cool and chic they looked. so sick of skinnies!
what about the chloe wide-leg jeans? 🙂 i’ve always been in love with those, just not for more than 500 freaking dollars…
these by goldsign are interesting – http://goldsign.us/#!look/50aa8a0f5c27a99603000066/50a6edbc5c27a9960300004f – if they fit right, they’re kind of awesome.
I echo Sophie’s comment about the Leia’s. Very nice…That’s the kind of wide-leg I like.
There’s nothing more damaging to my self-esteem than to go into an independent boutique and say that I want to try on some jeans, and have them say, “We don’t carry anything in your size.” GRRR…
Why oh why did I have to click on the chloe jeans … to die for. I love them. Saw the price … yikes! But they’re pretty fantastic.
they’re so good. but there is definitely a cheaper pair out there that meets your requirements. we’ll just have to find them!
Have a curvy/fit size 8-10 body. For the past 2 years I have been trying to find a pair of straight, not skinny, not boot cut, NO whiskers or faded thigh, not so stretchy that it doesn’t hold me in a little, not so low cut it makes a muffin – I bought a lot of pricy jeans and consigned them – Liverpool, Lucky, Jag, – this fall tried Eddie Bauer Natural Straight in the dark wash – perfect! Bought 2. Size 10. I’m done.