12 October 2007

Kick-ass jeans

Lane Bryant may be cancelling their bridal line, starting with the dress I wanted to wear for my wedding next year (le sigh)... but I have to say I'm digging this Right Fit thing!

Firmly in Yellow territory [straight from waist to hip], LB's previous lines of jeans - which their marketing says was based on the Blue model [curvy from waist to hip] - never really fit me in the way that I'd hoped for. In fact, I do believe there are previous posts on this blog ranting about how jeans often look like riding jodphers on me.

(FYI - there is a third color/type. LB split the difference between Yellow and Blue, to create Red, which is moderately curvy from waist to hip.)

Right Fit Yellow's are so snugly fitting around my hips that at first I didn't know what to do with myself. After a couple years enduring quasi-jodphers, correctly fitting jeans looked downright weird on my body. You could even say... flattering. Seriously? Seriously! Gasp.

LB not only has their standard jean collection (Classic, Bootcut, Flare) in Right Fit, but also offers their universal work pant, the Houston. I got a pair in the mail yesterday and almost started to cry - in the good way. Do you know how many times I've put on work pants and started to cry tears of frustration and defeat? I don't need to mimic thin girls in their perfectly fitting, perfectly pressed, wide-leg trousers from Express, but I would rather die than show up to work in the equivalent of too short, pleated-waist, peg-legged rayon pants. I don't care if the tag says "has flared leg", there's something about my body that has always made work pants look peg-legged on me.

If you're wanting to buy Right Fit online because there are no LB stores in your neck of the woods, here are a few tips. Firstly, lengths are a little funky. I have the Petite Bootcut and Flare which both ran longer than past Petite models at LB. If you're generally halfway between a Petite and Average (like me!), go with the Petite and it'll be perfect. However, the Petite Houstons I bought were way shorter than any Petite jean or pant I've ever tried at LB. So, go with Average unless you usually have to get your Petites hemmed.

Second, and this isn't specific to LB or Right Fit, I find that Bootcut is now more Straight Leg, and Flare is like a fuller version of Bootcut. I put my Bootcuts on and, being a tried and true fan of Flares, really had to spend some time getting used to how they looked, especially with some of my tops and shoes. If you're a "true" Bootcut fan, I would recommend going for the Flare instead.

And lastly, I found that the fabrics between Bootcut and Flare were very different. Flare in Blue/Black Denim has a much thinner and stretchier texture, and I find them very comfy for moving around in. Bootcut in Dark Rinse Denim has a really lovely polished texture, so much so that they could be substituted for khakis at work. Sorry to say but I haven't investigated the lighter finishes since I'm always scouting for nicer denim for work purposes.

Go forth and conquer the denim world!

ps. Sorry for not writing for so long... I promise to post more often!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know, clothiers for slender women could learn something from what Lane Bryant is doing. Being thin does not guarantee a good fit in jeans or pants. I have always had to settle for jeans that have to be cinched at the waist because of gapping in the back. Jeans that fit my waist scream for mercy as they try to expand around my hips and thighs. We are all either straight, curvy, or somewhere in between - I wish pants makers, universally, would figure that out! Fortunately, I have found work pants that fit me well at Ann Taylor Loft, but I am still on the quest for the good-fitting jean.

I love the LB wedding dress - since it is still online, is it still available? If so, I think you should snatch one up, and get whatever alterations are required when the wedding gets closer. Just a suggestion!

Zaftig Chick said...

Good point! I ASSumed that LB was just following what skinny stores had already done, but I guess not.

As for the dress - it's too bad I'm not a size 14 or 16 cuz that's all they have left. I regularly comb eBay for someone's "LB Long Satin Bridal Gown" cast-off, too. Oh well, I've got my eye on another dress that is just as pretty if not prettier... and it ain't gonna be white. Think Kate Walsh at the Emmy's, only fatter.