Typically, I wear jeans 2-3 times a week. They are my go-to item if I’m going anywhere on the weekends that requires me to change out of my sweats, & once a week to work on Fridays, because despite jeans being totally acceptable in my school’s (non-existent) teacher dress code, I try & look all professional-like Monday-Thursday, because being the youngest on campus means that I try to at least appear remotely adult in my wardrobe and it sets a tone that education is serious & all the other stuff they tell you in credentialing programs. But, now that my job situation has changed a bit and it’s the last quarter, I’m uh, “rebelling” by wearing jeans a little bit more frequently. Side note: WHAT A REBEL. Wearing something that is completely acceptable but just makes me feel rebellious! I am such a badass sometimes, I can hardly stand it.
Anyways, wearing jeans has reminded me of just how much I hate them. Yeah, I know, American wardrobe staple, you can dress them up or down, they make your butt look great, BLAH BLAH BLAH.
I beg to differ.
First, you should know that I’m 5″1. Miniature in height, not so much in body. This means that finding pants is nearly impossible. Don’t come at me with the “You can cut them off!” or “At least you’re not too tall…all pants are floods on me!” Being short means that if I do hem pants, I cut off any sort of boot cut situation, meaning that they end up looking like skinny jeans with a little “kick” at the ankle. NOT CUTE. On the rare occasion that I do find a pair in short or petite that fit, they’re either still too long or too short with heels.
Next, there’s the zipper. I have a pair of jeans that I love & adore. They’re comfy, worn in and generally awesome…save for the fact that the zipper absolutely refuses to stay up. My zipper was down once & I fixed it (after running errands for a frillion hours, SORRY, GREATER-SACRAMENTO AREA!) & then a few hours later, it was down again, I was all, “The hell? I haven’t even peed!” Same thing the next morning when I was out to breakfast with a friend, & she casually tried to give me the sign, & then it hit me, OKAY, JEANS, I GUESS THIS IS YOUR THING.
Needless to say, those are being thrown away.
I think the jeans in my wardrobe are ganging up on me, because my other favorite pair is doing that thing where they wear out in the near-crotch…right on my upper thigh. I mean, that’s easier to conceal that the zipper down, but I just don’t think I could handle having my entire huge white thigh exposed in any sort of situation.
So, with these unfortunate Denim Experiences, I have decided to declare a War On Denim.
I honestly prefer skirts and dresses anyways. I always have. Zooey Deschanel & my ever-growing love for her is not helping this situation. But sometimes, I wear them, & people are all, “Why so fancy?” & I’m all, “Why so casual?” but then I feel weird inside & I obviously don’t want everyone thinking I am some sort of dress-wearing weirdo. Also, I have a love-hate thing with tights, meaning that some colder mornings, the idea of putting on tights feels like more effort than it’s worth & I just want to wear PANTS.
Still, with warmer weather ahead & my general Anger At Denim, I’m thinking that now will be the time to test drive a skirts-and-dresses-only policy.
Oh, & leggings, of course. One I find some more shirts that cover my behind properly, of course because NO, I WILL NOT BE LEGGINGS-AS-PANTS GIRL. Uh, this will go into effect once I’ve shaved my legs and found some sort of solution to the BLINDING WHITE that is my skin, but does not involve a tanning bed OR looking like an Oompa Loompa.
Le sigh.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS, I KNOW. My life is hard.
What’s your relationship to denim? Are you a jeans lover or more of a dresses person? Guy readership (all two of you!), do you like girls in skirts/dresses or jeans?
Copyright © 2012
I just had a war with my jeans as well – some bad choice and crap quality pairs + a few lbs (16!) weight loss means I was having some issues too. Got rid of 3 pairs I think, and the ones I’m wearing now are going out tomorrow too. Luckily I have found 1 really great new pair (well so far, it’s only 3 washes in, they could collapse any minute) and have another couple that I now fit into again.
I think the problem these days is mostly the quality issue, I’ve had the zipper issue in the past too, and whereas jeans used to be able to be worn for DAYS before they would just get too ‘stale’, now I can be 2 hours into the day and the ass is sagging, the waist is falling down and they generally look like crap. I *love* dresses, but they do not suit me AT all, I haven’t owned one for years – about 15 years in fact! I’m now wearing skirts at work more because two pairs of work pants are out of circulation too, with the weight loss. I love skirts, but there is the whole effort thing – tights or leg shaving – neither are appealing when you just want to throw something on and be done with it! I definitely think dressing up rather than dressing down is the way to go, no matter the situation. If I had a body more conducive to dresses, I’d like to think I’d wear dresses most days, and mix it up with skirts in between.
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so.. I am also 5’1″ and not necessarily petite in the waist. I actually just roll up my hems. I know it looks stupid, but at least the bottoms do not get as worn as quickly. Also, ALL my jeans eventually wear out in the crotch,inner thigh area. I just had to toss out a favorite pair the other day because of it. but other than that I LOVE jeans. I wear them every day lol.
I hope you are successful in your war on denim
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Secretly I love skirts. My problem? Besides the fact that I’ve got the same blinding white leg issue you mentioned, I can’t stand shopping for shoes. I know – I should turn in my ID card as a female right now. If someone would just hand me a set of cute, comfortable shoes that I could wear with skirts, I’d be all over it. Instead I stay in my uniform of jeans or chinos with ankle boots to “dress up” or Doc Martins to “dress down” or sneakers to “slob out.” Sigh.
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Don’t throw out perfectly good pants. Take an strong elastic (hair or otherwise) and put it through the little hole in the top of the zipper. Tie it, and then when you’re doing your pants up, bring the zipper/elastic up and put the elastic around the button.
Voila. It will never fall down ever again, and you haven’t wasted money nor perfectly good pants that actually fit.
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What IS IT with the upper thigh wearing out? I have to admit I’m relieved that I don’t have some weird upper-thigh abnormality, because that’s the first place my jeans wear out. And by “wear out” I mean HUGE HOLE. Too near the crotch for comfort.
I totally empathize with the dress situation. I love skirts and dresses, and tend to wear them when I go visit clients. But I inevitably get the “wow, you’re so dressed up” comments. My in laws – who don’t even own jeans, I don’t think – make the same comments which makes me feel all awkward and overdressed. I think people should not be allowed to comment on other people’s outfits unless they are saying “You look fabulous.”
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Girl, my relationship to denim is complicated at best. Skirts and dresses look best on this little mama. However, I will rock some stretchy skinny jeans with boots whenever I can.
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I love jeans, but if I could dress and look like Zooey Daschanel, lord that would be amazing. That girl is flawless!!
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I love both jeans and dresses. Not so much skirts. I have similar problems with jeans, I am 5’3″ (on a good day), but I have long legs and I’ve lost a lot of weight. And I’m finding that the smaller sizes are great for with flats, but not so much with heels. Or they are in between flats and heels length, meaning they are too long for flats but too short for heels. It’s obnoxious. I do love a dress, but run into the same problem where my husband says, “don’t you think that’s a little dressy?” Or “Are you wearing that? We’re only going to the zoo.”
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I’m very much a pants kind of girl and I’m a bit taller than you (5’7″ or so) but I’m willing to fight with you in the War Against Denim. As a “big” girl I have problems finding jeans that are a) big enough around b) the zipper will STAY up c) not so long that I am constantly stepping on the hem.
I can’t wear a dress or a skirt to save my life, but it’d really help to have jeans that fit!
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I’m definitely a skirts and dresses girl during the warmer months. I tend to have the same problem with zippers (only on jeans that have some stretch to them, maybe that’s the problem), and overall I just find skirts and dresses to be prettier and more freeing.
Of course, I also have blinding white legs and no desire to buy shoes, so skirts and dresses can also be a problem. I usually buy one pair of flip-flops and wear them all summer, because anything else, no matter how expensive, orthopedic, or carefully-chosen, tears up my feet. I even get blisters from tennis shoes. The result is that I wear one pair of boots all winter, and one pair of sandals all summer. With every outfit.
And since mine broke last summer, I now need to get on the ball and buy some new sandals, since I just started hauling out the skirts for the year and there’s only so long I can rock the skirts-and-boots look.
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I love jeans. They’re pretty much the only pants I wear in the colder months. But then, I am currently still a college student and I think that maybe I’ll have to let go of my love of jeans a little bit once I graduate. With my weight not exactly being very steady, I only really have one pair that fits perfectly but I also have a few other pairs that are okay, I just need a belt to wear them with.
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Totally agree in re: the hairtie trick to make your fly stay up. Nothing more aggravating than pants that are otherwise perfect but for some reason conspire to flash your panties to the world at large.
Personally, I hate jeans. I wore jeans literally every single day, all through college, then one day in the blazes of a late-spring heat stroke, I realized: “FRIG PANTS!” They make your legs hot, they trap in humidity, they’re always touching you, they stretch out after a few wears and need to be washed again so you don’t look like a total burn-out — FRIG PANTS!
One day I went crazy, bought like fifteen skirts, and decided I’d never wear pants again. Which didn’t quite come to pass, but I do only wear pants when it’s very, very cold outside. And I never wear pants when it’s raining ’cause, dude, clammy denim? Gross!
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(Also, frig shoes. I wear all my skirts with the same pair of dark brown men’s Rainbow flipflops. Until I moved to Boston and had to invest in boots, these were literally the only shoes I owned. Can’t go wrong with those. Unless you want to look dainty. Or feminine. Or stylish. WHICH I DO NOT.)
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Giiiiiirl, I feel ya! I have been having a denim war for years! I remember I USED to love jeans, but then then I realized that was back when I was a size 4 and relatively unhappy. So I guess the trade-off is that now I’m a happy person, but my jeans suuuuck.
I did find some decent ones at GAP a few months ago. Wore them for the first time yesterday and loooooved them. Which means, of course, that I’ll wear them exclusively and completely wear them out in a few months. Argh. (You know how when you wear jeans so much that the front gets all crinkly from sitting in them too much? Yeah, that’s what I do. Awesome.)
Also, I’ve been living in leggings and long t-shirts this winter…So much so that I completely wore out the butt (classy.) I just ordered a new pair, along with some tunics, so I should be good to go! Hopefully they arrive today
And for what it’s worth, I think dudes like dresses/skirts. No, wait, I KNOW they do. (At least my husband does.)
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I’m a skirts and dresses kind of gal, too. Especially in warmer weather. In the summertime, my wardrobe pretty much consists entirely of comfy cotton/jersey knit dresses and flip flops (or cute simple heels if I want to dress it up a bit). I’m short like you, and at 5’2″ with VERY wide hips, it’s pretty much impossible to find cute jeans that fit well. I’ll take skirts and dresses over ill-fitting denim any day.
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Left you some easter love at my blog!
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I have a love-hate relationship with jeans, even though I truly believe I’ve found my denim soul mates at Old Navy, of all places. I KNOW. But in college I wore all manner of American Eagle, Abercrombie, and even Lucky Brand (my second favorite because they cut their waists to fit people with actual asses)– only to have all of these get weird little inner-thigh holes. My $20 jeans from Old Navy (The Sweetheart cut, btw)? Never do that. Oh, and I totally know what you mean about the hemming…I recently saw some jeans that had a 35″ inseam. Come ON.
Now that spring is here, I wish it would hurry up and be consistently warm so I could just wear skirts and dresses all the time! Why is it that, to some people, skirt or dress immediately equals “dressed up”?
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Don’t throw away your jeans with the bad zipper yet. Get a key ring (yep, that ring where you put your keys in), put it on the zipper pull. Then zip up your pants, put the keyring over the button, then button as normal.
TA-DA! Zipper will no longer go down, and no one can tell you have a key ring in there, since they’re hidden under the flap.
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I haven’t worn jeans in 12 years.
This is something I need to get the eff over, I know.
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You and me both. I am also 5’1″, and I yearn for the day when I might be able to keep the bottom piece of my jeans. Le sigh. Joe’s Jeans (big bucks, I know) makes a really great petite jean that I still have to hem, but at least the knee break is in the right place! Granted, they’re so darn expensive that I’ve only ever owned one pair, and that pair was the unfortunate victim of a dryer accident (they were shredded, believe it or not).
I love skirts and dresses and would wear them all the time, but SF is too cold most of the year. Blargh!
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i used to hate jeans when i was younger but now i am a jeans addict, i have so many pairs but i tend to wear the same three, haha. i love american rag company and gap jeans, they fit perfectly and the zippers always stay up. definitely try those if you haven’t already
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Not that I’m trying to ring the bell of Gap…. but recently they came out with a new line (recent as in last year) that I can ACTUALLY wear. Before that, every jean I owned had it’s own issues… now I own two pairs from them and I love them. So maybe try them? I hated their fit before that, and refused to wear any of there jeans. I wore Lucky’s which were ok. Too low rise.
I LOVE dresses… would wear dresses everyday. But I agree about tights in the winter, sometimes the idea of putting them on seems exhausting. Amy, you know I’m probably blinding whiter then you. I say, embrace it. Let all those tan people get skin cancer. White skin is vogue, and anytime someone makes a snarky comment, I just shrug about it. Because ultimately, we weren’t made to be all tan and bronzy… we would look weird.
Skirts are a WHOLE other issue. For some reason, those damn things creep up on me. I cannot walk around with a skirt that started at my hips ending up at my waist. Drives me bananas!!! So I usually just opt out.
Hopefully that helps.
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Ok, so I am a jeans girl – all the way through. I hardly wear anything else. We have a (non-existent) dress code at my office: since we’re all scientists, we all wear pretty casual most days… the thing is, I am wearing jeans and I am usually the best-dressed person in my office. All my colleagues wear cargo-pants(in the winter)/shorts(in the summer) and just a normal t-shirt.
So, if I come in with a skirt – which I do occasionally, because I do love skirts! – they always ask me “why so fancy”?
I am 5’7″ though and I usually don’t have a problem finding jeans that fit in length… so I do see your dilemma there.
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I’m a jeans kind of girl, through and through, but shopping for them drive me freaking nuts. I have such a hard time finding a pair that fit me and that are long enough. I’m a bigger girl, and it seems like the people who make jeans think that all big girls are short? I’m not even that tall (about 5’5-ish), so I don’t understand that at all.
The first spot to go on my jeans is always the thigh, on the right side. Ugh.
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My jeans always rip up the inside thigh. I don’t know why as my thighs are the one things I don’t have hang ups about. Anyways, as a result i wear skirts and dresses as much as possible.
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I’m not a huge fan of jeans either! Especially when I sit at a desk all day. Dress slacks fit nicely, dresses and skirts are fine too, I LOVE ME some stretchy-yoga-type pants but jeans are not in my top ten. In fact, in the summertime I don’t even wear them at all!! And now that I will be working a full-time professional job as I’m finishing school and all I doubt I’ll be wearing them much in the winter either!
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I hate jeans. Like, I just really enjoy being girly all the time. Dresses and skirts, they just make me feel good. In fact, all of my friends freak out if I happen to wear jeans, because I rarely wear them. Winter has consisted of lots of tights, and really hot boots! I know you’re shocked by all of this, since we’re the same! xo
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I. LOVE. JEANS! Although I could wear them every day to work, I usually wear them to work 1-2 days. And right when I get home from work? I change into JEANS. Weekends? JEANS!
I used to be a GAP jeanalohlic, but I have had to come to terms with my bank account and buy less expensive jeans (heellloooo Target!). So yeah, I love jeans!
I do sometimes have an issue with length, though. The short jeans are too short and the regular are usually too long, but thankfully I can sew – so I hack an inch of two off! I know what you mean about hemming them and they’ll end up looking weird – that’s really annoying. Also, I have a big bootay relative to my waste, so sometimes jeans can fit weird and I have a hard time finding the perfect ones. Ohhhhh wells!
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I love, love, love wearing jeans! I’m only 5’2″ so I can totally feel you about the length! The only places I’ve found that have true petite jeans are American Eagle and Old Navy – and the jeans fit so nicely! I even found a pair of skinny jeans at Old Navy that don’t bunch up *too* much.
The reason I hate wearing dress pants is because they all have about 5+ inches of extra length on them. And you can’t roll them up! It’s annoying.
Skirts are probably my favorite, and dress capris. Skirts are just so much fun and floating to wear! And so comfy!
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I’m not a really a jean wearer. It’s so hard to find a pair that fits right. I’d rather just wear dress pants any day.
As far as your zipper situation, you could just buy a new zipper and (if you don’t know how) take it to a tailor and have it put in. No need to throw your fave pair away with a simple zipper fix
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I am a skirt and dress girl as well. I own one pair of shorts and I don’t think I have ever worn them. I have been trying jeans during cooler weather, but will always be more comfy in leggings, high boots and a long shirt.
An “what’s with the casual” is so true!!
Sadie at heyMamas
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I love this idea! I enjoy wearing jeans but I get tired of them. Skirts and dresses can be just as casual and they are so comfy, especially in a mild climate. I’m making it my mission to stock up!
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I will admit that I am a huge fan of denim.. Something about a pair of boyfriend jeans and a white t-shirt or a nice pair of jeans and a cute top with some heels just gets me… But I am a big fan of dresses as well, especially with this spring weather coming at me in full swing… Breaking out the dresses and the floral skirts!
Best,
Hannah Katy
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I have a complete hatred for pants. I hate shopping for them and have the same problems that you do where all of my pants start wearing out in the… uh crotch area. I have cleaned out my closet of all but 1 pair of jeans, and I honestly don’t remember the last time I wore them. I think it was about a year ago. Skirts, FTW!
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This might be my favorite part you’ve ever written.
I adore jeans. I only want to wear jeans, ever. EVER. But that’s not a thing. And I don’t want to be a hobo. I wish I liked things-that-aren’t-jeans more… and I, too, love Zooey D. And maybe want to be her. Or be with her. Or say really creepy things like that.
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Mmmkay, we have the same jean dilemna. Being 4’10″ and *coughchunkycough*, I too end up chunking off a large amount of jean every time. That being said, it’s more a short thing than a fat thing, because even at a size 2, jeans (even ankle length) are typically made for 5’3″ and up — so we’ll be hemming pants for the rest of our lives. So I totally grasp that flared jeans turn into akward ankle bellbottoms, etc and so forth. Or, if you end up needing to remove the entire flare, you look like you bought TAPERED PANTS ::shudders::
I also have a few pair of pants that enjoy an open breeze. I don’t know why, but they just like to unzip themselves and not let me in on the secret, leading to an OCD of checking if my pants are zipped up. ALSO same deal. I can have a great pair of jeans and the first thing to go will be my inner left thigh. I GET IT. I HAVE BIG THIGHS.
That being said — I have found I really, really love the long & lean line, preferabley the 1969′s, from The Gap. I always assumed the GAP made clothes/jeans for skinny leggy people until Sean INSISTED I try their jeans — and low and behold, I just can’t buy jeans elsewhere. Their straight-leg/boot-cut thing still retains a cute shape even after slicing a foot off the bottom and they have ample room for my thighs of not-so-much-steel. <3
But I do agree with you. My wardrobe has grown increasingly dumpy because if I so much as brush my hair in the morning, people ask me why I got all dressed up… which is totally embarassing LOL
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I only wear leggings when my tops reach my thighs, past my butt for sure. No way I’m gonna show buttcracks lol
I have the same problem in finding jeans. Such a hassle to always bring new jeans to the tailor to get the bottom cut.
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Now that I can wear jeans all week at work, I do! I am still in shock that I can and won’t go a day w/o them if I can help it! I have trouble though because I’m petite and rotund. Mostly, the legs are too long or petites don’t fit in the waist because I shouldn’t be as fat as I am. But I still love them.
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I wear leggings every day to work. or sweat pants.
Ahhh, the glory of the night shift.
But for the weekends I’m a gap jeans girl. They are awesome.
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I love hearing about other people’s problems with jeans. Lord knows I’ve got them too.
I’m about 5’8″. And what’s weird is that RARELY do I find a pair of jeans that are an appropriate length. I’ve managed to locate jeans at Ann Taylor Loft that are great for wearing with flats and flip flops, etc. But it’s so hard to find jeans that are long enough, but not too long, to wear with heels. It’s ANNOYING. The regulars are just about an inch too short, and the longs are ridiculous. I know I could probably buy longs and take them to the tailor, but it would probably make the cut look weird.
I plan on buying a pair of long skinny jeans and having them hemmed to wear with jeans. Me, in skinny jeans. We’ll see how it goes.
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I totally meant “I plan on buying a pair of long skinny jeans having them hemmed to wear with HEELS.”
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I’m not THAT much into jeans. I wear them out but I CANNOT relax in them. They are the first thing to come off when I get home.
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I am a serious jeans lover…once I find the right pair. It’s the hunt for the jeans that usually does me in. I hate jean shopping with a passion. I’m not all that tiny and my size is usually at the bottom of the pile on the shelf and I always have to dig to find the right size. But, I always feel like the salespeople are glaring daggers at me as I’m digging ’cause I’m messing up their pretty display even though I’m trying to carefully set aside all the size 0s and 2s.
It’s a real pain. But once I’ve found the right pair, I love them passionately. That is until they tear in the upper inner thigh area just like yours do and then I have to start the hunt all over again! Woe!
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I LIVE in jeans (you know, the whole “Texas” thing), but I have the opposite problem – most jeans look like capris on me. I need a 36″ inseam. CRAZY. But finally I have found the perfect pair of jeans (Gap Sexy Boot in Extra Long), which are perfect with heels or I can hem an inch to wear with flats. I now own two pairs & have no intention of stopping there. Now what to do with the 9000 pairs of BAD jeans I have in my closet that I can’t seem to part with?
My advice is: find something that works (whether it’s a brand of jean that fits perfectly, or just wearing skirts & dresses all the time) and GO WITH IT. Variety Shmariety. Get a different color of jean or a different print of skirt. At least you know it WILL work & you’re not going to be all Awkward McAwkwardson.
PS: I’m all for you wearing dresses & skirts all the time, just don’t go all Mormon Polygamist Wife on me, Mmmkay? I think you know what I’m talking about.
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I wear pretty much the same thing every day and pretty much that always involves some type of jeans. Like, when I’m mixing it up, I wear grey or black jeans. Or I have those one pair of mustard yellow cords if I’m feeling particularly brave. OOOH SO MUCH VARIETY.
The thing is, though, I don’t WANT to wear the same thing every day. And I WANT to wear skirts and dresses and feel pretty sometimes. But, when I wear something that is not jeans, I get all this “Ooh, you’re wearing a dress, how cute” and “Why are you so dressed up today?” And I really just want to be all like SHUT THE FUCK UP BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT HELPING ME STOPLOOKINGATMEEE!!! when people say that. But, I mean, that’s kind of catty, right? So, I just, you know, get really uncomfortable. And I don’t even try to hide it. And, yet, these people do not get the hint and continue to make all the comments every time.
And this is why I have tons of clothes that I never wear.
Oh, and another thing! I’m a bit taller than you, but my bottom half is on the short side, yet not on the short enough side and I’m always in between the regular and short lengths and it makes me violently angry.
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I have the same issue with finding jeans (I’m 5’3″) . . . I roll the bottoms up when they’re too long and go for the suedo-hipster look . . .
I want to wear skirts more . . . I just have a hard time doing it more. I’m too freakin’ self concious . . . so I wear jeans because they’re easy.
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