Donna Ida’s Top 20 Tips For Buying Jeans

I thought it would be fun to include this on the blog. It’s Donna Ida’s top tips for buying denim. As you know I took a trip last year to her denim clinic in London to try on lots of jeans and it was a great experience. Having worked with denim so long myself, I really saw that Donna and her team know denim so well! Not to mention Donna is wonderful! She’s so sweet! Enjoy her top tips!

1.) Be open minded. Always visit a denim specialist and be open to the suggestions the assistant makes. Like any garment all jeans are essentially the same – two legs, five pockets, but the magic is in the individual fit.

2.) If they go on easily, go down a size. Kicking your way into the legs isn’t unusual.

3.) The waistband should be snug, if you can fit two fingers down the back that’s good, a whole hand is not.

4.) A curved, or pieced waistband, is ideal. This will be slightly higher at the back than the front and will curve into your waist rather than sit straight up.

5.) High waisted jeans without a yoke can make the bottom look longer. Look for styles with a yoke if this is a concern.

6.) There should be no ‘grab’ room at the crotch when trying. The jeans should be nice and firm when you buy them, and loosen with wear.

7.) When buying jeans with super stretch, look for good quality denim that has great memory. The ‘memory’ is how quickly the denim springs back after wear.

8.) When buying jeans with super stretch buy them firm but not overly tight. If you have ‘seam strain’ down the legs, they are possibly too tight and this could damage the stretch.

9.) Look for white jeans with faux front pockets. If the style you choose has front pockets you can ask the tailor to remove them for a neater look.

10.) ‘Whiskering’ adds interest and depth on jeans around the crotch area and is a flatting feature. Lighter styles with no whiskering can sometimes look a bit ‘blocky’.

11.) When having your jeans hemmed for flares take the shoes you want to wear with them to the fitting. You should decide on the shoes and stick with those shoes for your flares.

12.) When having your jeans hemmed make sure the tailor always measures them from the back of the leg, i.e. at your heel, otherwise they may come back too short.

13.) Alterations can give you the perfect jeans. Think about adjusting the waistband or slimming the legs – small adjustments are not unusual.

14.) Pear shaped or curvy ladies who like skinny jeans should look at high waisted styles – it elongates the leg and slims down the hip.

15.) Apple shaped girls should look for plenty of stretch in a straight leg in a dark wash as they are the most flattering.

16.) Boyish shapes can wear most styles. Add some shape and interest with zips and details on back pockets.

17.) Long legs look best in a mid to low rise to keep the waist at the right height, whereas petite girls look great in a high rise that accentuates the waist and elongates the legs.

18.) Don’t be afraid to hem cropped jeans. People often think that if cropped jeans aren’t the right length then they’re not the jeans for them, but cropped jeans should be hemmed to fit properly, just like a bootleg or straight leg.

19.) Read the care instructions. Most premium jeans are best washed COLD, that’s cold and not 30 degrees, Any warmer and you are damaging the fabric.

20.) Have fun with your denim…the traditional five pocket jeans now come in a myriad of colours, patterns and fabrics. Just wear them with a simple white tee.