How good are your jeans?
Jeans are everywhere, and a staple in a well rounded closet. But so often, I see people wearing jeans that don't really fit them so well or are poorly constructed. And it's no wonder. No one really teaches people what to look for in a good pair of jeans or how to know if a pair looks good, without just eyeing it. This is challenging because for people who are not naturally very visually or spatially aware, eyeing it just won't make the cut. So, what should you look out for to make sure your jeans look good.
To start off, here are two things to look for to make sure your jeans are high quality. First, look at the inside of the bottom cuff of your jeans. The outer seam should have two flaps, not one. A two flap design is stronger and will get you through the wears and tears of life. Second, look at the zipper. It should say YKK. YKK brand zippers are incredibly reliable, basically an industry standard. They signify that the brand didn’t try to go cheap on you when they purchased the zippers for their products, and the zipper should last a long time.
Now, for the actual look of the jeans, let's consider the most important part, the booty. To start off, jeans often have a seam above the pockets on the back known as the yoke. Make sure the yoke comes to a v and isn't a straight line. If it is a straight line it will make your butt look flatter or more saggy.
Secondly, the pockets. Most important is that you do not want the pockets to be lying over the creese your glute makes. There should not be any fold on the pockets. You should go for jeans with smaller packets in the back if you have a choice to help add shape. You should also make sure the pockets are leaning slightly towards each other and are not parallel with one another. This will also help make your glute appear more perky. In addition, I find that jeans tend to look better when there is not a bunch of pointless seams on the back pocket that do not blend in with the color of the pants. These can create all kinds of subtle visual illusions that I find are better to avoid if possible (but that is more of a personal opinion).
Lastly, you will want to make sure there are no strangely placed fade marks. The placement of fade marks will make that part look wider. So if there are fade marks in an area you don't want to look wider, the jeans are not for you.
People always ask me what style of jeans they should go for? If it is still acceptable to wear skinny jeans or if they look okay in a wider bottom pant. I consider this topic to be a bit more complicated and needs to be decided on a case by case situation. Mostly what matters is how you style the jeans (including what else you are wearing) and what you are comfortable in. If you hate skinny jeans, don't wear them. If you are a die-hard skinny jeans fan, go for it. Body type does play a role in what can look best on a person, but how you style it can make a huge difference. The most important thing is to make sure what you wear brings out the best side of you!
If you are looking for some more ideas on how to tell if your jeans fit well, check out this Bustle Article by Hayli Goode. It has some more helpful tips and visuals. Click here to see article.
Another great resource by a stylist I love, Busbee Style, created this great guide and video on getting the right jeans that I would highly recommend. Click here to see article.