Things You Thought You Knew About Your Jeans

Paige Denim jeans - found at a secondhand store

Nothing feels better than a great pair of jeans.

But do you know how to fit yourself? Do you know their proper care?

Here are a few tips:

1. Buy them as TIGHT as you can.
Jeans stretch more than a lot of fabrics.  Customers often complained that they bought a pair of jeans at the store, they looked good there, and then after they wore them, they got baggy in the leg, especially under the butt, and in the waist.  They also lost shape in the thigh. I explained that they need to buy them according to the stretch, which I'll explain next.

2. Know how much stretch is in them.
Look at the tag.  Premium jeans will have 2%, but most jeans have 1% and most jeans that won't ever look good on you have 0% (so please don't buy these unless you are gardening in them).  If it is two percent, and you are a 6, buy a 4 for sure.  If 1%, then use your best judgement.

3. Limit how often you put your jeans in the dryer and for God's sake, NEVER dry clean them. You might dry your jeans all the time to get them back into shape.  I do the same thing sometimes, but it's not good for your denim or for the stretch in the denim.  The more premium the denim the less you should put it in the dryer.  So, I dry the ones from the GAP, but not my Citizen jeans.

4. Jeans can go in the freezer.
I got to be good friends with the JOE'S jeans rep in Houston.  He and I would talk a lot of nerd talk about jeans.  Jeans should not be washed often, and really probably never (I know you are grossing out now).  If you spill something on your jeans, put them in a baggy in the freezer over night. Tomorrow morning, pull them out and that gunk on them will just flake off.  if it is something oily, you need to wash them.  Pairs I have with embellishments on them, freezer treatment only and I promise, they look great.

5. Size does NOT matter.  I have jeans in my closet that fit that are size 10 and size 4, and I am probably closest to a 8.  Nothing annoyed me more than someone refusing to BUY a pair of jeans because they were not going to go a size up, i.e. they thought they were a 4, but won't buy the brand if they fit in a 6.  Silly rabbit.

Later, I'll tell you what jeans fit what types of bodies, where to go and where to get help.