This is a stereotypical complaint, but I can’t help myself. I have to type it.
Why is it so hard to find a decent pair of jeans that don’t cost as much as my first apartment’s rent?
I’m short (5’2″). I’m at a pretty healthy weight right now (132 lbs., with my ideal being 125). But I have post-enormous-pregnant-belly stretchmarks and irreparable skin. (I’m not posting pictures. You know what I’m talking about, you’ve seen Dr. 90210. Moving on.) I have a lot of trouble finding jeans in my price range (I have a really, really hard time understanding why people pay more than $50 for jeans. I usually stick to the $25-30 jeans myself. But I’d consider a $50 pair, I think.) that are also a good fit. If they fit my inseam, they are usually much too tight in the seat and waist for my new mommy proportions. If they fit in the tummy and butt, then they drag the ground even if I wear stilletos. Which, seriously? Is just never going to happen. And then you have to decide on a shade of blue, or a wash, or do you want colors?, or which type of pockets won’t make you look like a Mack Truck from behind, and do you want that feathering or whiskering or whatever they call it that sort of resembles big arrows pointing to your you-know-what, and I honestly just don’t understand that at all.
I have had 2 pairs of jeans that are were well-worn, well-loved, and well over three years old. I’m thrilled that they fit me again after losing my pregnancy weight, but alas! Both pairs now have holes in the knee. So I’m on the quest for new jeans, and I hate it. I ordered a pair that *should be* an exact replica of one of the old favorites, but you never know until you get them. What if they’ve changed their sizing? What if my old ones say “8” but they aren’t a true 8 anymore from years of washing and wearing and stretching (very possible, by the way) so the new “8”s will actually be too small? What if they added stretch to the denim or took it out? The ways this could go wrong are endless.
I bought a second new pair today at the mall. They were on sale from $40, marked down to $21. They have cute pockets, a great color, just a little bit of stretch (to illustrate, they fit well in the dressing room at 10 a.m., and still fit comfortably when I got home after Chinese buffet lunch at 1:00. That’s awesome!) and fit perfectly in the waist and tush. They are also about four inches too long. I’m trying to decide whether to attempt to hem them myself, or to find a tailor to do it for me. (I’m trying to convince myself that even if I pay a tailor to hem them, they’ll still be a good deal since they were on sale to begin with. Also, have never hemmed jeans before in my life and am a bit afraid that I will ruin them.)
Luckily – I guess – we’re having a major hot spell here so I don’t actually need any jeans at all. I have plenty of time to figure all this out. And once I do….
no jean shopping for at least three years. Wheeeee!
Fizzledink 
have them tailored. no question. they will look better.
Definitely take them to a tailor…it’s still a great deal, even with that expense.
Also, if you have a Gap outlet nearby, their jeans are <$40, and they have some great cuts for the joys of a post-partum body…The long and leans (I am long, but not all that lean anymore) and the curvy fit are both great.
Two votes for a tailor…. and just when I had myself convinced I should return them. Now I need to find a tailor near here. Maybe I’ll ask around at playgroup.
Courtney, you’re the second person to recommend Gap’s long & leans to me. I’m neither long nor lean though, so I don’t know how well they’d fit me. But it’s worth a shot, in this never-ending quest!