Jeans can be skinny. Jeans can be slouchy. There is even such a thing as "skinny slouchy jeans." One thing is for sure: There is no one perfect Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants pair that looks great on anyone who tries them on.
Before you head to the dressing room yet again, I've compiled our best shopping advice to help you find your perfect denim.
Go slowly when you shop. Quality time in the fitting room-45 minutes to an hour-pays off. Pick a store with lots of inventory.
Sit or squat while you're trying on jeans to make sure not too much butt is showing (and to gauge comfort level).
Be flexible about size. A 10 in one brand may be more like a 12 (or an 8) in another. When in doubt, take more than one size into the dressing room.
Buy two pairs when you find great jeans-one to hem for heels, the other to hem for flats. You'd be surprised how fast styles get discontinued.
Tone down to a dark blue wash; it's most slimming. Special fabric treatments (whiskering, abraded texture) make sense only on areas of the body you want to spotlight.
Think wardrobe, rather than one grubby pair you wear to death (that's so college). Three to five jeans are the minimum: one or two for work or going out (dark, straight-legged denim looks most polished), one or two for weekends (with sneakers or flats) and one with extra give or stretch for "fat" days.
Long legs
For once, can a tall woman wear heels without looking like she's waiting for a flood? More and more companies are making jeans with a 36-inch' inseam. But, if you find a pair that you love and they're a little too short...go ahead and take the hem out. Just be sure that the hem falls to the bottom of your heel in the back to avoid high-waters.
Perfect for petites
If you're vertically challenged, finding jeans that don't drag the floor can be an even bigger challenge! As long as the jeans are straight leg, and not boot cut, they can be shortened and re-hemmed with the same gold stitching-without destroying the shape of the jeans. But stay away from cuffed jeans, because they will only make you look shorter!
Tummy troubles
Trying to hide your tummy? A boot-cut pair of jeans can help to balance out a heavier midsection. Women with a tummy typically have thinner limbs; the thicker your limbs, the worse a boot cut will look on you, she says. Look for a midrise, and make sure the jeans hits across the belly, not above or below it. The width of trouser leg jeans can also help create a more balanced body line.
Flatter your hips
Women with wide hips should stick with a midrise jeans that is slightly on the lower side in order to fit around the widest part without creating love handles. Also, look for a straight leg or a trouser leg, which falls down from the hips to create a longer-looking leg line. Ladies with hips typically have thicker limbs, and straight-leg jeans help give the leg a uniform width. Boot-cut jeans only serve to highlight the thickness of the thigh in relation to the knee.
Bootylicious brands
The tricky part about buying jeans to fit a bootylicious backside is finding a rise that fits properly in the crotch. There are jeans now that are made with a lower rise in the front and a higher rise in the back, which can help fit a larger tush. Stay away from any kind of flap pocket or pockets with heavy embellishment or embroidery-they only call attention to the rear and are good for women looking to enhance their bottoms by a size. Instead, look for smaller or angled pockets to help camouflage and flatter the fanny.