Jeans Under $100- Brands I Am Loving!

If you have been following me for a while you would probably know by now that finding a good-fitting pair of jeans has always been a struggle for me. As much as I love wearing jeans especially on colder days and on days when effortlessly curated #OOTD is on my mind, I’ve had very rare occasions when I’ve enjoyed wearing jeans. When your jeans don’t fit right and your outfit doesn’t align with your sartorial mood- it sucks!

My biggest concern when comes to finding the perfect pair of jean is FIT! I have relatively flatter tushie and finding a pair that accentuates them and gives them a bit of a lift is next to impossible. Most of the jeans these days comes with extra stretch to them and that makes the struggle even more worse. I hate when the jeans start to sag around your butt and knee area after a while, especially after prolonged sitting.

While fit is one thing, until a few years ago I also had problems finding the right inseam. Since my torso is shot and legs- long and lean, average ( regular ) length jeans were just a nightmare. I needed longer inseam and I’m glad that brands now make jeans TALL jeans ( jeans that have a longer inseams and are meant for people with longer gams).

Talking about some of the high-end brands whose jeans I had been practically living in all these years were Alexander McQueen, Armani Jeans and J. Brand. But, I was taken aback by some of the mid-end retailers that offered good-quality, good-fitting jeans but for a fraction of the price I had been paying for designer pairs. It was all about giving some time to explore and I now own several pairs from them, that fit me beautifully and are under $100.

Before I delve into listing the details of the brands that make and sell affordable jeans for under $100, I would like to share some tips that you should keep right up your alley when in the market for a new pair of jeans. Finding the right pair of jeans is like finding needle in a haystack. If you don’t have patience and strategy- you’ll never succeed finding the IT pair!

• 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 and squat– when trying on, do the sit and squat test. If the jeans feel tight and show too much butt, go up and try larger 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. 

1. GAP: I now own four-five pairs of jeans from GAP. They make three different inseams- Petite, Regular and Tall and I’m usually a TALL 4 (waist 27) . What I like most about Gap jeans is that they are pretty consistent with the fitting. The pair that I am wearing is their newest High Rise Vintage flare jeans. It has a slight almost non-existent flare making it appear almost straight leg. All their jeans are priced under $100 and with the sales and promotions it is much cheaper.
2. BANANA REPUBLIC: It was very recently that I bought a couple pair of jeans from Banana Republic and instantly fell in love. Check out my favorite pair of BR jeans HERE. Like Gap they make their jeans in three different inseams- Petite, Regular, and Tall and what makes these pairs so covetable is the quality. Some pairs range in the upper 120’s but again with all the sales and promotions ten final price comes down to under $100.

3. EXPRESS: Express jeans have also been on my try-out list and when I did: I was sold and regretted not trying it out before. Their jeans are not only budget-friendly but stylish at the same time. Their selling TRP: they offer not 3 but 4 different inseams- short, regular, tall and petite.
4. FREE PEOPLE: This might be a prejudiced pick but after owning three pairs of the same jeans in three different prints, I had to include Free people in this list. I own three pairs of their JUST FLOAT ON FLARE JEANS, all in different prints and they are my fave. There is never a time when I don’t get complimented on my jeans whenever I wear these. Their jeans can range between $70-$130, most retailing for under $100.

5. MADEWELL: Madewell is like a denim jungle- you have so many pairs and styles to hunt down. They take pride in their jeans quality and affordability. What I like most about their collection is the range of stretch they offer- RIGID, COMFORT STRETCH, STRETCH, and SUPER STRETCH. Depending on then style I usually go for the rigid which is zero stretch.
6. ZARA: Zara can be a hit or a miss when it comes to their jeans collection. I’ve had luck in the past but recently I’m not seeing anything that I like. Despite they are everyones favorite as they are super affordable and Zara always hits the bulls-eye with the runway to realway style translation. Their collection is an iteration of the runway collections and hence always trendy and most-coveted.

Some of the other but not limited to affordable brands that influencers rave about are LEVI’S, ABERCROMBIE & FITCH, OLD NAVY and EVERLANE. Since I don’t any pair from these brands, I couldn’t give any personal input on them.

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