Why Size Doesn't Matter When Choosing Jeans + Why Its Okay to Size UP!
If you haven't figured this out yet, the fashion industry wants to break your ass. They literally want to pummel your heart until you have no soul left. Kidding. But also not.
There are so many things wrong with fashion. While it is getting better...SO MUCH BETTER, there is still so much work to be done. For the longest time, I swore we needed young, tiny models that were 6 ft tall to sell our clothes online. Why? Because that's what I saw as being the norm, which I wrongfully assumed was what women wanted. Convoluted as it may be. And then my pudgy self and my sis started modeling our clothes ourselves (not because we thought it was a good idea, but because we were too lazy to find models every 15 minutes and edit all the pics ourselves...and by the time we finished that arduous process, the dress was already sold out). And you know what happened? Business soared. I don't think it had anything to do with our lackluster modeling performances, but I do think it had EVERYTHING to do with reliability. Women could relate to us and to our body types.
If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone complain about having to size up in a a pair of jeans, or even not buy the jeans because they had to size up, I could open 5 more shops. And the joke is on us. Because the entire sizing model in fashion could not be more bogus. You know how companies get their sizing? They choose a gal that fits their idea of a "fit model" and recreate her shape as their sample size. So, oftentimes, that girl is probably not very curvy. Not very short. Not huge hips. No bust. A visible thigh gap that I have never had IN MY LIFE. And she is probably younger than 25. And I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that most of the time she hasn't had a child yet.
I can tell you one thing. Those statistics could not be further from the demographic of the amazing women shopping in our store and and on our webshop.
So, why am I telling you this? Because size runs literally mean NOTHING and I want to personally prove it to you!!!! In some brands, I can vary almost 3 sizes in differing styles and differing types of denim. Across brands, my range is even further. Levi's typically run SO small and Hidden run big (2 styles we carry at the shop). If the denim is a vintage denim there is no elastane in it, so there is no give. Some denim 50% elastane, which will drastically change the way the jeans fit your body.
So, stay calm in that dressing room ladies. Before you go binge dieting or go for a disgruntled run after hitting the shop, know that it is okay and totally normal to range in sizes. You would be crazy if you didn't!!! Because no body is the same body...there is no such thing as a "fit model" for ALL women and ALL beautiful, unique body types. Its a flawed way of doing things which is why we shouldn't be beating ourselves up about usually being a 28 and needing a 30.
I created this fun reel to show you a pair of my favorite jeans and how they fit!!!! The Tracy High Rise fit like a dream and are cozy and comfy with a high waist and straight leg. I bought these jeans in a size 26 (because my own insecurities got the best of me and that is the size I typically wear in Hidden Jeans, even though they were a smudge snug). Then, I tried them on in the store in a size 28 a few months later and fell head over heels for them... in the size 28! They look better loose and comfy. They feel better. They are more effortless and casual looking because they are literally more effortless and casual.
Case in point? I should have put my pride to the side and stopped caring about the damn size and sized up... 2 whole sizes. Because that is the size that looks and feels better. And no, I don't need to crash diet because of it. We've done enough of that bullshit our whole lives, gals. Buy the jeans. And love them. And love your body in them...whether its a 24 or a 32. Nobody gives a damn and you shouldn't either.
Peace, love and happy shopping. xx
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