STYLE SWAP TUESDAYS- DENIM BUYING GUIDE

A pair of good-fitting jeans is the Holy Grail of all denim clothing: the better the fit, the more use it will have in your closet. Every woman needs a pair of go-to jeans in her closet: one that hugs your curves and fits to a T, without any bulging whatsoever.

Finding a pair of jeans can be exasperating and agreeably frustrating, but once you’ve found THE pair, dressing-up will be so much simplified, especially on the days when your are time-crunched and depressed ‘coz your closet has nothing that you could wear. ‘

I have rounded up a few tips that will act as your guide when in the market for a pair of jeans:

Take time – don’t buy jeans when you are short on time. Give it at least a good 40 minutes which accounts for the time to look around and the time to try them on. It may take longer, so be patient and keep shopping. Ideally, a store with more inventory would be a good pick.
Pick out multiple fits and washes– keep your options open. Shop around with an open mind. If you’ve been the skinny-jeans-diva, widen your horizon. Carry a few other fits and washes to the fitting room- boyfriend jeans, wide legs and cropped ones too. You never know what else might hit the right note with your jean style.
Every brand fits different – every brand fits differently so if you are a size 26 in one brand, you might be a different number in another brand. Don’t let the number intimidate you. Focus on finding the right fit, don’t allow the number game to play you.
Try on a few different sizes– even if you know your size in a brand, I would recommend carrying a few sizes up and down in that brand. It just pays off. Also try a few different inseams.
Sit or squat– when trying on, do the sit and squat test. If the jeans feel tight and shows too much butt, go up and try bigger sizes.
A little stretch goes a long way– don’t bring home a rag in the name of jeans. A little stretch would go a long way with that bear-belly, post-lunch paunch and those blah days. Too much stretch would just ruin the fit and get saggy by the end of the day. So go for something with just a bit of stretch.
When the jeans fits, buy a couple– if the jean fits, get two different hems. One for the casual-with-flats look and the other for that hawt-momma with killer heels look.