Something happened to me once I had kids. Well, lots of things happened, but one of them is something I am not particularly proud of. I lost my style. Weight gain, weight loss, a lack of showering, a lack of money, a lack of time, exhaustion, not leaving my home, not interacting with other adults, and not wanting to be upset when nice clothes get covered in what my kids eat…these are just some of the reasons for my style getting a bit murky. I am sure I will explore this in more depth in future blog posts, but for now, let’s focus on the positive. I found the best pair of blue jeans.
Madewell for the win.
I’m going to be honest. I don’t have time to go to the stores and figure out what jeans are best. And I no longer have the money to head to Anthropologie and buy a couple different pairs. So this article isn’t super research oriented.
After having my first kiddo, I headed to a Lucky Brand store in Maryland. A very lovely and talented saleswoman could read me like a book. I think she could sense my discomfort with my expanded size and tiredness. She brought me a bunch of clothes to try on, and I left the shop with two pairs of blue jeans and some tops. (I paid more for a dark wash pair that was made in the USA. Yay America!)
At some point after that I bought a couple more pairs of jeans…one was from Anthropologie and was Pilcro brand. These are tight in the thighs and have a pretty big flare on them…I’m guessing they were a sale item. And then a Madewell pair of trouser jeans that my husband suggests I don’t wear out of the home.
But I didn’t love, love any of those jeans. I had to worry about muffin top or (for lack of any nice way to put it!) exposing my butt crack or else they were uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, skinny jeans became the rage. Really?
And that’s when I discovered Madewell’s High Rise Skinny Jeans. They come in 9″ and 10″ rises which means they cover up and hold in any lower belly flab…no muffin tops in these jeans. They also cover up butt cracks, so I can bend over to pick up little kids without worrying.
The pair that I fell in love with was a size 28″ in something like their danny wash. I loved them, and continued to love them even when I got a hole in the knee. A hole in the rear put them out of commission. (The featured photo is of these jeans.) I just replaced them with a size 27″ 10″ rise in what I think is the lucille wash (shown below). I prefer the variation in the lighter, danny wash, but these will do just fine for the rest of winter.
If/when you buy a pair, make sure you size down. They are stretchy, and I started these jeans in size 29.” I sold them to someone on Instagram because the crotch always fell down uncomfortably.
I love high-rise blue jeans. I think I’d buy a pair of jeans up to my armpits if it meant no belly rolls. Jean spanx?! I’m on it.
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Now for some random things…yes, I wish I was in slightly better shape! Especially the behind shot, but, hey, I am doing the best I can! I usually wear these jeans with longer tops, but I’m not going to sweat this too much. (I say that, but I may or may not have just been Googling best butt exercises for the past 15 minutes…)
And I also tried on these Cali demi-boot jeans while in Madewell. They have a 9 1/2″ rise, and I loved these pants. They seemed a little more comfortable and more flattering to me than the skinnies. If they are still in my mind once late spring hits, I’ll looks into purchasing them. Or I’ll keep an eye out for Madewell sales that include denim.
And notice the mess behind me? My house is definitely not Pinterest-worthy these days…BUT I am having a living room design put together by Havenly! I cannot wait to see what my designer pulls together…I should here from her this week some time, and you bet I’ll be sharing the results in a blog post.
Do you have any favorite brands of “mom jeans”? If so, please share!
