Back to school/work season is pretty much in full swing, and often that means buying new clothes. A good pair of jeans or two is anyways a good staple to have add in your wardrobe, because when chosen correctly jeans can prove to be very versatile. Here, we’ll see how to choose the best pair of jeans, all while considering your shapes, colouring and lifestyle.
How to choose the best pair of jeans: considerations
We all know that choosing the right pair of jeans can be something really tough, and you might take forever before you find “the right one”, but actually there is no need to fear.
There are a bunch of things you want to consider before you buy a pair of jeans. First is your body shape: depending on that, you can choose the style that works for you. The fit is the most important thing, because if you nail that, you can make the rest tick. That means: everybody can wear jeans, just choose the style properly. Then is the size, for which I have a little trick that will help you work it out without trying the pair on. Third is the wash. In fact, colour does influence how it will look so choose it carefully. Lastly, the material: you want your jeans to last for a long, long time.
Basically, if you nail all of these things, your chances for choosing the best pair of jeans easily will be really high. And, with time, you’ll be able to reduce the guesswork.
The style
Alright. If you have a triangle/pear body shape, you may want to stick with those more comfortable and wider fits, with a high waist, like mom jeans. More flared jeans, like bell ones and bootcut ones work well too. If you like wearing a skinny fit, then make sure you wear a pair of shoes in the same colour and with a bit of heel.
On the other hand, if you’re an inverted triangle you can wear pretty much every style. Still, make sure it looks balanced with your broad shoulders by keeping your top simple.
People with a rectangle body shape ideally should wear straighter styles, like sigarette jeans; same should go for people with a diamond body shape. The latter should avoid cargo jeans (basically, styles with lots of pockets on them), because they might not figure to be so flattering. Again, choose what works for you, these are a guideline.
If you have an hourglass body shape you can wear pretty much any style, but if your barycentre isn’t high, you may consider trying the styles for a triangle/pear body shape. If you have an eight body shape, you may enjoy straighter styles because yes, you look like an hourglass but don’t have as many curves to emphasise. Here we want to work with what we already have.
Also, if you are a very busy person, who needs to make sure their attire is smart at all times, you should avoid ripped/distressed ones. They aren’t exactly the most versatile kind of jeans (you can’t wear them on every occasion), and definitely not the kind you can wear all year.
The size
Oftentimes, nailing the size is the toughest bit. What I like to do when checking the size is that I put the waistband around my neck. If the two sides of the waistband touch slightly, it’s fine. In case the two sides overlap it will be too wide. If they don’t meet at at all, it’s too small.
Now. If you are someone who has a minute waist and wider hips, you need to make sure you can comfortably get the pair of jeans over your hips. Then, you can fix the wider waistband with a belt or an alteration if necessary.
Detailing to look out for
One of the first things to look out for is a contoured waistband. This means that the waistband on the backside of your jeans is higher than it is on the front, making sure that when you bend over or sit down your backside won’t show. Your jeans don’t have to be high-waisted, but make sure to check for the countoured waistband. If you can’t see that, make sure to try the pair of jeans on and bend over. If you don’t need to pull your jeans back up, you’ve found the right pair.
Next, you want to see if there is a zip on the crotch, and whether it’s been stitched all the way down. A zip on the crotch that goes all the way down will make sure that you won’t get camel toe, avoiding any unwanted attention in that area.
Third, you want to see of there are any pockets on the back side of your chosen pair of jeans. Basically, flip the jeans over so you see the back side. Then, from the crotch, draw a straight line to the other “side” with your finger, so you can have an idea of where the pocket is going to be on your leg once worn. No pocket? If you’re a diamond body shape, go for it! If you’re not, you may consider looking at the size of the pockets. Big pockets can make your buttocks look flatter, and smaller ones make them seem rounder and bigger. You can also achieve the effect of bigger and rounder buttocks with no pockets there. The presence and the size of the pockets can create an optical illusion.
The colour
These days, you can find jeans in all sorts of colours. It’s amazing if you like variety, but here we’ll only mention the more classic and “neutral” colours. Now, since you definitely don’t wear jeans close to your face, you can go for pretty much any colour you like. Still, of you want to know which colours you want to wear with your season’s colour palette, we have you covered.
The blue colour we associate with jeans is pretty universal: you can wear it regardless of your skin tone and complexion. If you are a Spring or a Summer, you may want to try a light blue pair, and if you are an Autumn or Winter you may like to try a darker blue one. Both can try a dark grey one, and Winters should experiment with a black one.
Also, do consider that light coloured jeans dilate any volume you have, yet darker coloured ones constrict. Also consider where the washes are lighter. If they go half the way down your legs, they will cut them in half. See if the lighter wash is on an area that you don’t want to emphasise: if, for example, it’s on the back side and you don’t want to emphasise your buttocks, don’t buy it.
Bonus: fabrics and maintainance
The best jeans have a little bit of spandex/elastan/lycra. Ones that are completely made from cotton are rigid and don’t provide that often-needed stretch, so use those only if you know your silhouette will remain stable with time. Also, don’t tumble dry your jeans: this will burn any elastan/spandex/lycra. The result is that after the first wash, your jeans will lose stretch, and that’s not what you want. Basically what will happen is that when you wear them before you first wash them, they’ll fit OK but after you don’t wash them properly they won’t do anymore.
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