Trends…oh the trends! What trend am I talking of, you ask? Well, those gorgeous, leg-lengthening flared bell-bottoms. Talk about retro! I’ve been obsessing over them ever since Current/Elliot came out with this gorgeous pair, the Low Bell Jean. Now, so many bloggers are really working this look, with a nod to the 70’s. Girls like Karen of WhereDidUGetThat and Gemma of FADETOBLACK, really nail it on the head.
But how do YOU wear them, you might ask? Well, it’s simple. The silhouette of a flare or bell bottom is most extreme from the knee down. It creates a full silhouette, requiring you to add a tighter or sheer element to your upper half. Great tops to pair this type of jean are tops like JoieElvia Lace Top, this Cathrine MalandrinoV Neck Tiered Blouse with Rosettes, or the Robert RodriguezSilk Bra Tank. These tops add a sexy look to a very retro yet classic style.
This post is written by Christina Topacio of Profresh Style
So many companies are making trendy denim jeans; you’ve got shredded, embellished, mineral-washed, sanded, etc. Where do you buy your trendy denim? How much do you usually spend? Any favorite brands?
Well, how about I tell you there are ways to make your own favorite trendy jeans? There are so many options and ways to go about it. Here are some great ways to use quality denim but DIY’d just the way you like it.
DIY Colored Jeans
Find a favorite cut of jean you’d like to alter. A clean example are these Cheap MondayTight High-Waist Skinny Jean. This jean is a great way to add color to a pair of white jeans. You should also want to get a size bigger because the jean will shrink when you dry them.
Choose your “poison”. You want to create an awesome pair of dyed denim? Purchase a fabric dye in the color of your choice, which you can get at any fabric or craft store. Soak your denim in a basin that you wouldn’t mind getting dirty and stained. You could also use a plastic bucket that you can buy anywhere. Soak your jeans in the dye with cold water. Leave the denim in there for a few hours. Turn the jeans inside out, ring out the water, twist the jeans and tie together.
Put the jeans in a laundry bag which you can get at Target or Wal-mart, with small stones or pebbles. This will create a “worn” look and give a unique look to the dyed denim.
Dry the denim on high heat in the dryer, twice. It should seal the color and pattern in.
Place your jeans on a sheet outside. Make sure you have a face mask. You’ll be using sodium dichloroisocyanurate which you can buy near the bleach. Using sodium dichloroisocyanurate works like bleach but blends better. Put the liquid in a spray bottle and spray your jeans in a random or strategic pattern. You can use pumice stones to fray edges or add aging to the jeans. Put the jeans in another laundry bag to wash and dry.
Take a shaving razor to your jeans to add small frays.
Use embellishments like grommets to update a pair of simple jeans like these 7 For All MankindThe Skinny Boot Cut Jean. It will give it a more trendy vibe at your creative expense.
Soak a large bath sponge in bleach to create a mineral wash. Sponge lightly on the jeans for a distressed look. It’s also great to rub pumice stones along the outside seams for more distressing.
You’re online shopping and you’ve got a couple tabs open. You’ve got a few fast-fashion websites open and a couple higher-end websites too. You’re trying to decide where to buy jeans. You’ve got the $20 jeans with all “bells and whistles” and another pair of jeans for $165 made with high quality fabric and processed to fit your body perfectly. Which do you choose?
It’s always a big debate. Do you buy the bargain jeans or the premium jeans? But have you ever analyzed why you’re buying what you’re buying?
Case in point: Before I was a denim specialist, I knew nothing about denim. I bought my inexpensive $20 jeans and I wasn’t ever happy. Which in turn, I started hating denim. It gave me “dooky booty” (“dooky booty”-a reference I use to refer to saggy jeans in the rear portion of your body), it gave me muffin top, it would dye my skin blue, and the like. Once I learned how denim jeans were created and what it takes and why they are more expensive, I was sold.
Jeans should be a staple in any woman’s closet. It’s one of the most basic pieces you could own but it’s totally worthless if you have jeans that don’t fit you correctly due to poor craftsmanship.
Here are some tips to knowing what’s quality denim:
If you’re the stretch type, find denim with 2% elastane or 2% Lycra like these Hudson Mid Rise Boot Cut Jeans. The jean will expand with your body without stretching out and then, come back together a bit after being taken off. Also, jeans with at least 20% polyurethane will give you that “snap-back”. It will stretch out and come back together, almost better than denim with elastane or lycra. For those who prefer a rigid denim (without stretch), beware of your jeans becoming loose. They won’t retain shape as best as jeans with a bit of stretch. However, if you buy a size down, you’ll have a better chance at still loving the way you look in rigid jeans.
If you have an opportunity to look at the denim closely (most online sites have zoom. USE IT!), look at the grains in the denim. Denim that has thin, vertical lines are more flattering on a figure when on but the grain doesn’t retain shape as best. Denim with a crisscross grain like these Current/ElliottAnkle Legging Jean (which is usually used in Italian denim) is a higher quality because it expands with your movement and comes together again. It’s like bindings.
Price isn’t always a determinant of what’s quality. Get the facts about the denim you’re interested in. Ask questions like: “How was the denim washed? (Potassium or bleach)”, “What kind of denim was used? (Ramie, Italian, etc)”, “How do I wash this particular jean?”. In order to love your denim, you’ve got to know the facts. It’s like a relationship. In order to care about the person, you’ve got to know them first.
Don’t get carried away. If you want your jeans to last you forever, buy jeans that look long-lasting. Usually denim with slashing, acid-rinsed, shredding, doesn’t always withstand the test of time. Buying a good quality, dark-rinse, appropriate cut jean, will be your best investment. My favorite by far are the Anlo Stella High-Rise Trouser jean. I love anything classic and with polyurethane.
You’re staring at a hang tag on a pair of jeans. What do you see? Size 27 or is it size 4 or how about size 40? How do you even begin to understand if this is the correct size?
Most premium denim uses a sizing system based on waist measurements in inches, like a 26. Whether you’re coming from the US or the UK the sizing seems to be all over the place. The biggest reason is because denim is coming from all over the world. If you’re a 4 in the U.S., it doesn’t always mean you are 4 in the U.K, and with premium denim, it’s a whole other size system. Here’s a simple way to break it down on how to determine what size you no matter where you are from.
US Size 1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
US Size 2
24
25/26
26/27
28
28/29
30
32
34
UK
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Italy
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
France
30
32
34
36
38
40
42
44
Germany
34
36
38
40
42
44
46
48
*sometimes varies from manufacturer to manufacturer
When buying denim, always check for the label whether online or in-store. If it’s made in another country, especially any in Europe, keep in mind your size may be not the correct size you’re used to. Europeans cut slimmer which means you should purchase a size up to give room and alter from there.
Another tip to get a more accurate size, is to measure your waist and hips. This will help you determine what your size transferred over to in another country’s manufacturer. (This is more important if you’re shopping, say from Europe and you’re more familiar with the sizing 36, 48, etc. and you’re buying jeans in the US).
Here are great examples of international denim brands:
Some of us dislike it. Some of us hate it. The majority despise it-jean fittings. First, they are so many kinds of denim to choose from but it doesn’t stop there. There’s colors, washes, fabrics-where does it end? The best thing to do? Figure out your body type. It is, by far, the most important step in finding the perfect fit.
Apple:
A boot-cut with at least an 18” leg opening to about a 20” leg opening with a 8” to 8.5” rise**
A wide leg with at least a 23” leg opening to about a 26” leg opening with a 8” to 8.5” rise** See the 7 For All MankindDojo Jeans.
*The best way to determine leg opening is if you were to pull the seam of the leg opening facing out, your thigh and leg opening seam should measure up when measured vertically. It creates a more even hourglass shape leaving you with a proportionate shape.
Pear:
A boot-cut with at least an 18” leg opening to about a 20” leg opening with a 8” to 9” rise** See the J BrandHigh Rise Boot Cut
A wide leg with at least a 23” leg opening to about a 26” leg opening with a 8” to 9” rise**
Avoid wide leg as it could add too much of an emphasis to your behind. Also avoid skinny jeans and jeggings unless you pair them with tunics. The proportions created with skinny jeans could be uneven if paired with a simple tee.
Hourglass:
A boot-cut with at least an 18” leg opening to about a 20” leg opening with a 8” to 8.5” rise** See the Joe’s JeansHoney Boot Cut Jeans.
A flared leg with a 23” leg opening with a 8” to 8.5” rise** (The difference with flared jeans vs wide leg and boot cut is the way it flares out from the body. Boot and wide leg are wide around the entire circumference of the opening.) See the True ReligionCarrie Flare Jeans.
A wide leg with at least a 23” leg opening to about a 26” leg opening with a 8” to 8.5” rise**
These jean styles help to enhance an already proportionate shape. Skinny jeans are optional, however, it varies on the rise. Usually skinny jeans with a rise of 9.5” to 11” is the proportionate rise to give the illusion of mega-long legs. It emphasizes your thin waist and your natural curves.
A boot-cut with at least an 18” leg opening to about a 20” leg opening with a 8” to 8.5” rise**
A wide leg with at least a 23” leg opening to about a 26” leg opening with a 8” to 8.5” rise**
The rectangle figure is by far the most diverse. However, the same principle follows here. The best look is when your proportions are balanced. To add curve, wear the smallest leg opening of a wide-leg.
Keep in mind, these numbers aren’t concrete. Take out a tape measure and measure yourself. Use that to help determine numbers. Most online shops give you all these numbers to help make shopping easier.
*Note: Rises will vary on height. When creating a longer line, change your rise to something higher like 9″ like the J Brand High-Rise Boot Cut Jeans. This works for shorter people. For someone taller, a lower rise like 7.5” like the True Religion Julie Stretch Stovepipe Jeans, is more appealing depending on body shape.
**This method works for most body types
My name is Christina Topacio, writer and stylist for my blog, Profresh Style. Before creating PS, I worked as a denim specialist for a private company creating their own denim. I learned everything there was to know about denim-from the sketches to the manufacturing. The company was clear about wanting to set the trends so trendy denim was one of my fortes’. However, I had a slight difference of opinion when it came to buying trend denim.
Trends come and go-it’s all about what’s hot, what’s in and what’s new. Should that synopsis pertain to denim shopping too? No, not always. The trendiest denim jeans today all go along similar routes-new/updated cuts, changing shades and adding pizazz (i.e. shredding, dip-dye, embellished, etc.) Buying trendy denim is a risk you take because you never know what will be worth the money. However, here are a few tips to keep yourself up-to-date without going over budget.
You shouldn’t invest in a pair! (unless your budget allows) There is no sense in buying a pair of dip-dye (aka ombre) skinny jeans for the same price as a dark-rinse skinny jean. Being trendy is about being disposable. It’s fun to try new fashions but don’t go wild and crazy by buying ever single trendy denim out there. You’ll go broke before you’ve even had a chance to wear these now, out-of-date, jeans.
Buy in the mainstream. Stores and online boutiques that have disposable fashion are the best places to find the trendiest denim if that’s what you’re sought after. Not only will the selection be widespread but you’re bound to find something you’ll enjoy for half the cost of what a premium pair would cost.
Just because it’s trendy, doesn’t mean you should buy it. If your body shape doesn’t allow you to rock skinnies, then don’t buy the latest shredded, grommet-studded, sandblasted pair of skinny jeans. Just because it’s the trendy pair of skinnies, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for your body type. Stick with what works for you.
Allow yourself some fun! Enjoy playing around with trends! It opens up a gateway of creativity to flow through your style.
Stick with the shapes that mesh well with your body type and go for it! So many denim brands offer a plethora of trendy denim-just grab a stack and play!
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