Jeans Jeans Jeans…

Hi girls,

Happy weekend! I hope you have fun this weekend whatever you’re up to.

So, last week I decided to do something completely rogue, something historically very stressful and out of character for me. I decided to go JEANS SHOPPING. I know, it’s making you stressed just thinking about it but hear me out…

I have always had a bad relationship with jeans. As a kid I struggled so much to find a jean fit for my shape; basically small waist, giant ass and short skinny legs. All my other friends looked great in jeans and a hoodie from Jack Wills (that was the ‘cool’ look back then) but I just looked fat and lumpy. I remember shopping for jeans with my mum once, we spent the entire day shopping and tried everywhere but nothing worked. The one pair of jeans I did have were Levi’s but they still didn’t look right and I never felt good wearing them. I did wear them though as I just wanted to look like all my friends! (Oh the problems of being a teenager). But my jeans were a full length straight leg whereas all my friends were rocking the skinny jean look with their Jack Wills band on their knickers peering out the top (what a look that was!).

This was me at round 15 years old with my white (yes WHITE!) pashmina scarf, navy hoodie and my Levi straight leg jeans with a lovely brown belt over the hips (I know what you’re thinking, wow she’s cool…).

So anyway, my relationship with jeans took a turn when I was around 18 years old when I discovered the Topshop ‘Leigh’ jeans – super skinny and high waisted and that was it, I’ve worn Topshop jeans ever since.
From being 18 to now at 24, I have also acquired some vintage Levi’s, super baggy, boyfriend jeans from a vintage store – I also wear these a lot which you can probably tell from my Instagram.
However this year I have been getting really sick of my denim skinny jeans from Topshop. I’d had this pair for about 4 years (they had served me well) but they just didn’t look good anymore and always looked scruffy. I wanted a smarter jean that I could wear to work and go for drinks in, that would look good in heels and trainers and was a good enough fit to tuck a t-shirt into but also wear a long top with (not asking for much hey!).
So I kept a look out for what was around the high-street. Now I don’t buy high-street clothing any more (I’ve banned it this year as I have too many clothes!) but this jean buy was essential for my wardrobe (I also have been giving a lot of clothing to charity this year so I’m doing my bit too). I was prepared to go more expensive than the £40 quid Topshop price if the jean was truly worth it. I looked around for a bit, did some research too and then last week on my lunch break, I popped into & Other Stories to look around and saw the jean I was looking for. I decided to come back that evening and try it on…

So it’s their ‘Straight Slim Rigid’ jean which is basically a high waist, straight leg and full length style. I had to go for the biggest size they had (blame the giant ass!) but I don’t care, I don’t believe in shops sizes and have become immune to the fact I have to get a size 14 in some shops and a size 10 in others. They are too long for me (short legs!) but they look great with a turn up as well. High waisted to skim over my hips and a straight leg to proportion out my large hips to my skinny legs.
Now the most important thing to check when trying on jeans is the back gap – as in when you sit down how much gap do you have where your lower back is. A little room is normal but if you can fit your entire fist in the gap then you’ve got your self a bad fitting jean! Luckily, these had the correct amount of gap and so I was sold at £60!

They look good on the giant ass too…

I did also try another pair of jeans on that day and my gosh look at the difference, obviously I did not buy these ones. I look like a 50 year old American man who thinks he’s a cowboy! All I need is my brown rancher hat with the strings and I’ll be on my way.
Now that’s not to say these jeans are completely hideous and slagging off & Other Stories, jeans can look completely different on every single different body shape.

After deciding to go for it with these new jeans that I am in love with (sounds like a relationship!), I put my actual skinny jeans on that I was wearing that day and gosh you can see the difference here too…
I wouldn’t ever wear a tucked in t-shirt with these skinny jeans but you can see the difference it makes to my body; my hips look so much bigger and just generally look like I’ve gained 10 pounds in the process of getting changed.

Now I must mention the body confidence part of this. I am not saying that you should hide your hips or trick the world into thinking you are thinner. If you are happy with your size then you show it off girl and wear the skinniest, ‘no hiding your wobbly bits in that outfit’ kind of outfit you can imagine! Personally I struggle sometimes with my curvy hips and derrière and do prefer to wear things that slim me down a bit which makes me feel more confident and that is fine also. That’s also not to say I’m not proud of my body sometimes and I can definitely shake my thing on the dance floor as all my friends have seen many times!

So if you, like me, have struggled with jeans previously and are looking for a new pair, I’m NOT going to say & Other Stories have the answer as their jean worked great for my body but they could look entirely different on yours. What I will say is that there will be a perfect jean out there for you somewhere, so do your research, try lots of different styles on and always go into the fitting room with body confidence and a lot of love for yourself!

Lots of love xxxx

Ps, relationship update with me and my jeans, I have worn them basically all week with trainers, heels, short tops, long jumpers – you name it! I think we’re going to get married soon…