Conan O'Brien brings a new meaning to the jegging. Mr. Obrien is wearing the king of all jeggings. His are super skinny, super stretchy, acid wash jeggings showed off his long slim figure. I know some people have been skeptical about men wearing skinny jeans, but how about jeggings?
On a quiet Sunday afternoon in the fashionable women's store Jet Black an indecisive shopper grabs a couple of jeans and heads to the back to try them on. A sales associate is not far behind her, she's there to help. It's time to find the perfect jeans.
"A lot of people expect to put on a pair of jeans and think it’s going to almost change their body – you kind of have to work with what you have," says Kate Waters, manager at Jet Black in Syracuse.
Waters has three years of experience working at Jet Black. She knows what customers want and need. After selling only two brands of jeans at Jet Black, Waters learned customers wanted more variety in their denim selection -- so Jet Black delivered. This August Jet Black expanded their denim collection which now includes:
Waters says customers may come into the store looking for a dress, try on a pair of jeans, love them, and take both.
“People are willing to spend whatever it takes for a good pair of jeans that looks good, is flattering, is slimming, and is comfortable,” Waters says.
Jet Black started 11 years ago with one style of a black leather jacket. Owner, Joel Shapiro sold the jacket at his men’s shop, Mr. Shop, in Syracuse, N.Y. The jacket sold so well that it sold out, and Jet Black was born. Jet Black has been serving fashion conscious working women ever since.
At Jet Black customer service is more like personalized service. This sets them apart from other stores. “If someone comes in looking for jeans we stay with them through the whole process, show them what we have, listen to what they’re looking for and put it together with what we have,” Waters says.
So how do you go about finding the perfect jeans? Waters has a few suggestions:
Look for a dark wash
Bootcut jeans never go out of style
Make sure the jeans fit in the waist and in the back
Be willing to get them tailored
Finding the perfect pair of jeans can be tough. But when you have a store like Jet Black, finding quality jeans is made easy. Well, easier. Waters realizes the difficulty in finding the perfect jean, but it's possible. She found hers in AG’s denim leggings, but she's a fan of Seven jeans too.
Once you find that special pair of jeans you love it may be with you for many, many years to come. That's Waters' experience and soon to be yours, just keep trucking!
“I still have a pair of jeans I bought when I was a freshman in college, they were 7 For All Mankind,” Waters says. “ I was a freshman 7 years ago.”
I can't get away from it, we have to talk about it again because waxed jeans are in. There is no way around it. On a positive note the cool thing about these jeans is the the details -- stitching, zippers -- it's all pretty unique. If you are interested in trying something new here are some brands to try:
Trend ALERT! Her name is Janet. Janet Jackson and she is making my life worth it! She wears some of the most amazing jeans -- and shoes, but we're not going to talk about that. I don't know if she has a great stylist, great taste, or simply a banging body, but she looks amazing in all the jeans she picks out. Curvy women -- take notice, skinny women do the same. She isn't afraid to wear different styles, from boyfriend jeans to skinny jeans. She picks out the best pair for her body and I am in love! We can all learn something from Ms. Janet. Thanks a bunch lady.
The first ever (soon to be annual) Boutique Week is finally here. But what the heck is it? Boutique Week is a shop-a-holic's best friend, a whole week of discounts. America's boutiques are brought together giving savings of at LEAST 25% off -- only at participating boutiques of course. Co-founders Olga Vidisheva and Polina Raygorodskaya have put this together to give fashionistas access to the best of the best clothes for a low price.
Participating boutiques are in Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Here are a few stores to check out:
Boston - Karmaloop Boston, National Jean Company and in-jean-ius (cool name!)
New York - Variazoni, National Jean Company, and New York Look
Los Angeles - New York New York (yes, this is in LA) and Koromo
Don't forget to sign up to get your access code! Let me know what you find. Sales end on Halloween.
Ever wonder what you can do with an old pair of jeans besides donate them? Apparently there are lots of things you can do and all you need is an idea and a sewing machine- or a good tailor (for folks like myself). I stumbled upon a blog that listed 65 things you can do with denim. Most of the suggestions were lame, but I found a couple of great ideas. Put your creative hat on and try some of these out! Here are my top and bottom five.
The Good Stuff
Make a jean skirt-This is great, your high-water or over warn jeans have done their job now onto another, hugging your curves in a skirt or shorts. The skirt they have shown on this website is hideous. I suggest leave the extra (ugly) girly fabrics out and go for something simple, or use more denim material.
A bag made of overalls- If you actually own a pair of overalls this is a good way to use them- instead of wearing them, unless you live on a farm of course (just kidding, I love overall shorts). This bag is adorable and sturdy- two handles!
Zippered travel pouches- You may need to be a sewing machine expert to pull this off but wouldn't it be great? It's original too. I know I haven't seen one of these. If you want something bigger a make-up case or shaving kit would be interesting to try too.
Eye glass case-Sunglasses or reading glasses, whichever you use you can always use an eye glass case at one point. You don't need too much material to make this, so make two or three for you and your friends. Plus this is a non-expert sewing task. My kind of gig.
Make a hot-pack- I have a bean bag hot pack and it is a life-saver. This is something that can be done so easily with one leg of your old jeans. You can fill it with rice or beans and your good to go. If you don't want to use it as a hot-pack-well at least you will have a bean bag.
I have to admit, it was extremely hard to choose the bad ones, because there were so many! Here are the winners, or losers rather:
Please Don't Try This at Home
Table runners- Now I don't know where you live, but a denim table runner just isn't classy. In this case keep the denim on your jeans- not your table.
Make slippers- I realize you wear slippers in the comfort of your own home, but denim slippers? That's just unnecessary.
Patterned vest- A denim vest is a fashion statement of its own. To add a pattern is a problem. Also, I can't imagine where you would start in creating a vest out of your jeans. Non sewing experts please step away from this idea- ASAP.
A casserole carrier- First of all I didn't know there was such a thing. Denim just doesn't belong in the kitchen or the living room, period.
Waste basket cover- I'm not going to even get into why a waste basket needs a cover, but no, no, no. Don't do this- please!
There you have it, the do's and dont's of how to resuse your old denim. If non of this sparks your creative interests you can stick to the good old donation method. Whichever you choose it's a good deal.
Denim lovers, denim likers and denim wearers. Stay tuned into the Denim Lounge for all your denim needs. But, there are some other great blogs that can keep you updated as well. Check them out.
Keeping you in the know: Share your passions and connect with mentors at Levi's new site Shape What's to Come.
7 for All Mankind sample sale is still going in Chicago starts in two days! RSVP, don't miss out!
Also, the results of the last poll: What do you think of men wearing skinny jeans?**** 66% hate it, 38% are indifferent, 11% love it, and 5% would wear it. Thanks for voting. No prizes this time, just the satisfaction of knowing what everyone else has been thinking about men in skinny jeans.
The Denim Lounge is your go to place for all your denim needs. Now open late night! Here you will learn about the past, present and future of denim! Throughout the years there have been many different denim trends and there are more to come. The Denim Lounge will keep you updated on new denim initiatives, denim news and the most unusual in the denim world. There is a reason why denim has been so popular over the years and here at the Denim Lounge you will find out why.