With the cooler weather, I have brought out all my jeans – long ones, boot cuts, skinnies, boyfriend (whatever does that mean? No boyfriend of mine ever fit in my jeans.), ankle length – all of them.
Most of them fit just fine but I find that a few of the “dropped waist” styles (or mid-rise) aren’t quite as comfortable as they should be. They are about an inch or two below the waist but as it happens, I’m not standard. They are either tight or loose. Rarely are they perfect.
This must be a bigger problem than just me so a waistband that’s a bit stretchy would be a good solution. But no, not a chance.
This is true of the “upscale designer brands” too. In fact I have less trouble with Gloria Vanderbilt or Bandolino jeans than I do with the more expensive name brands. One of my “boyfriend jeans” is so loose, I don’t need to undo anything when I go to the bathroom. I hope it doesn’t let me ‘down’ at some inopportune time.
I don’t buy anything that isn’t comfortable. But like shoes, sometimes you can’t tell until you have worn them for a few hours and they are slicing into your belly button or falling off your butt.
Jeans have a way of changing sizes while you wear them. Yes, while you wear them!!!! They can get bigger or smaller. It’s amazing and I don’t know how it works or which way it will go. Sometimes they get shorter WHILE you wear them too.
A salesperson in a well-known store once told me to buy the tighter pair because they “give” after a half hour or so. Mine must have given at the office because they didn’t give on my body!
An easy fix is to move the button at the top of the zipper. Oh wait! There is no button — at least no real button with holes in it for stitching. It’s a stupid riveted button that sticks out an inch. I don’t really need anything sticking out an inch on my abdomen. Whoever designed that must have had too much wine (or no ovaries!).
I got the beloved husband to remove one of them. Yes, there is a tiny hole but it’s covered by my top. I don’t ever tuck in and if you did, a belt would cover it. It worked so well, I’m having him do two more pair. Moving the button a half-inch makes a big difference, especially at dinner time.
Then again, perhaps this is a great way to curb your food intake!
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
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Not only is the sizing completely random, the length can be too. I need to wear petite clothing since I’m not quite 5 feet tall. I understand that there can be a difference in length/size from brand to brand, but one brand had petite inseams that ranged from 26.5 inches to 28 inches.When you’ve only got 59 inches to start with, 2 inches makes a big difference. It’s really frustrating.
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I’ve had good luck with Lee’s. The waistband is stretchy but not puckered, and they seem to realize that some women have hips.
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I remember hearing advice from a fashion consultant about jean shopping. She claimed you must try on at least….yes least, 20 pairs before finding one you’ll love. Umm…..NO. I can just see myself sweating on the floor in a pile of denim. I’ll just move the button thank you.
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I don’t have that patience either. You can try on 20 pair and still walk out empty handed!
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Yes! I have every size clothing in my closet . . . and they all fit! I might be wearing XS, S, M, L, XL ~ it all depends on the manufacturer.
The only thing that definitely won’t fit is the article marked “One Size Fits All.”
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🙂
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Kate, this is why I don’t buy my clothes over the internet. I have to try them on. Those “vanity-sizing” jeans are so deceptive. I can wear anything from an 8 to a 12. How can that be? It took me several years before I found brands that I was comfortable with and that looked good on me. Those are the brands I gravitate to at the store.
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I’m short, so I “should” shop in petites – but I’m also not a 4’10” 80 year old. I’m also long in the waist. So a petite cut means the zipper is roughly 3″ long. You can picture where it ends – nice.
It’s a struggle and trying them on is a must – which I hate. I have to be in the right frame of mind/mood to even try and that only happens about 2 x a year 🙂
Great post!
MJ
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I share your pain. I am 5’2″ but have long legs. I have had a salesperson insist that I am a petite. I am not. I have a 29-1/2″ inseam. Petites are typically 28″. My arms are too long for petite tops too. The only petites I can wear are short sleeved dresses or high end jackets. Tee-shirts aren’t too hard to shop for but that’s about it.
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I get overwhelmed when shopping for jeans, way too many choices. My problem is, they fit fine in the store, but after I wear them for a couple of hours, the bottom stretches, my butt disappears and there is enough material for another person.
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Sounds familiar. When you find something that fits, go back and buy more. Oh wait! They’ve been discontinued.
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I remember a story that a reporter did once where she tried on several jeans all of the same size but the dimensions varied widely. I wish there would be some standardization in jean styles! Or for that matter, all clothing.
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I think jeans are the worst. I can wear a size 4 or a size 8. That’s just crazy. Swimsuits are hard to shop for but it has more to do with how you look than the sizing.
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Absolutely, you never know with denim, and different designers have different ides of what a size is. I love button up but then the band will get so lax that like you, I fear they might fall down mid walk.
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I tried a pair of jeans with an elastic waist once. I looked like Snow White with this big bunch of fabric under my (uncomfortably tight) waist. Now I only do real waistbands with zippers.
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My favorite jeans I got at Penney’s. yep good ole JC had em. Went to get some more and they stopped carrying them. Bummer! I don’t like shopping for clothes. I think most anything in clothes and shoes is a crap shoot and I think that is just a lot of crap!
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JCP carried a lot of good brands. Don’t know if they still do because there isn’t one convenient. Boscov’s is good too when they have my size. For some reason most stores carry more size 12s than size 6s.
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I think it’s weird that in every store, you have to discuss with the sales staff what their sizes mean. Sizing is a crap shoot.
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Yes, it’s bad enough with the standard numbers but some brands have their own. So what exactly is a size 0? I guess it’s supposed to make us feel better about ourselves.
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Times change. It used to be an insult to call someone a zero.
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I didn’t know you could move those riveted buttons! My handy Hubby could certainly do that for me! Thanks for the idea!
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He does it with 2 pliers pulling the two sections apart.
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Too many styles – too confusing. Sizes don’t mean anything. (I used to love Levi jeans until they got fashionable)
And then there are the ones that change sizes while you wear them – is that sadistic or what? And the “denim” is weird fabric.
My favorites are a pair of heavy denim pair I tried from Land’s End …surprise – they are just ordinary, plain, straight leg but they fit and it’s real jeans denim – but when I went to buy more – they had been discontinued because “everyone wants the stretchy skinny ones now). I dread having to buy jeans
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When I find a pair I like…and that means I wear them a least a month to make sure nothing funky happens…I go back and buy several more.
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life used to be so easy – when jeans were utilitarian and not high fashion
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The last “perfect” pair of jeans I had was in the eighties. I choose to put full blame on the designers and that stupid idea that all women’s jeans must be snug and in stretchy material. 😉
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Buying jeans is a crap shoot!
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