Where can I find jeans for my tiny yet callipygian frame?

August 16, 2009 4:36 PM

Where can I find jeans for my tiny yet callipygian frame?

Continuing my goal of "aging up" my wardrobe, I'm looking for jeans that an adult would wear. But there are two factors that are making this particularly challenging:

I'm a short, skinny female (5'2", 100 lbs) with a frame that makes finding jeans difficult; even size zeroes at the Gap generally hang off me. I recently found a pair of 00P dress pants at Ann Taylor that fit, but 00P isn't exactly a common size to find in stores. So that's problem number one.

My second problem is the fact that I have a butt. Not a big butt -- I happen to think it's rather proportional to my body and, frankly, quite spectacular -- but in the rare event that I find a size zero that's cut snug enough for me, it also seems to be cut for someone with no body fat whatsoever. It flattens out my butt and has absurdly large pockets that go down so far they're on my thighs (not to mention the gapping at the back of the waist).

So I always find myself going back to the juniors department, where sizes are cut a bit smaller and also sometimes a bit more bootyliciously -- but jeans in the juniors department always have stupid fading or artificial tears or rhinestones or giant flares or whatever crap that clearly makes them juniors jeans. This does not work well with my desire to dress like an adult.

My question, therefore, is thusly: where in the U.S. (I'm in Chicago, if that matters) can I find women's jeans in very small sizes that are also cut to accommodate a curvier figure? (And, yes, I know the Gap has "curvy" jeans; see previous remark re: size zero at the Gap hanging off of me. If I recall correctly, the Gap curvy jeans in size zero weren't bad in the waist but were way too baggy in the thigh and hip.) I really don't want to spend more than $50, and I only want to spend $50 if they'll actually last for more than a year. Searching for previous questions directed me toward Make Your Own Jeans, but the idea of taking my own measurements and being out $50+ if the jeans don't fit isn't exactly appealing. I would very much prefer to go to an actual store and try things on.

posted by pluckemin to clothing, beauty, & fashion (12 comments total)

The correct answer is almost certainly to get them tailored. Buy jeans that you like that perfectly fit your biggest part, then go to a tailor and have them take in everything else. This is very easy, and not super expensive -- but factor it in while you buy jeans (you can yelp some tailors and call them and ask for pricing before you start shopping)

The truth is *NOBODY* has an easy time finding pants that fit, regardless of their size. Getting them sort of "custom fit" for you, via a tailor, is the thing to do.
posted by brainmouse at 4:41 PM on August 16 [4 favorites]

First of all -- you're not going to find a pair of jeans that will fit without any tailoring. I'm at the other end of the spectrum and that's just the rule. Don't expect jeans to fit well immediately -- and it'll take a few attempts at purchasing/tailoring to get it exactly right.

Have you tried Petite sizing? I think that would help the proportions immensely.

I'd go into a Nordstrom's Petite section and see what they can do. They also have tailors in the building who can come up -- while you're trying on a bunch of jeans -- and tell you which ones are the best to tailor. Go at a not-busy time (i.e. Monday afternoon or something) not during the rush of Friday-Sunday. Get a salesperson to help you go through the options and let you know which ones look the best, and put aside 2-3 pairs. Then have them call the tailor and model your options and let them know what you'd like the end result to be (i.e. no gaping at the butt, fairly straight legs). They will tell you what's easier to do (bringing up the bottoms, inseams, a bit of waist-band narrowing) and what's harder (bringing up the inseam, etc.)

Alternatively, I'd try to find more European or Asian attire. Both have generally slimmer proportions in their clothing lines. So: Zara, Benetton, Japanese denim, etc. But remember: you will have to get them tailored.

Good luck! Great jeans are sooooooooooo worth it and will make you look like a million bucks. I'd honestly say to be prepared to spend more like $100 on a great pair of jeans that will LOOK like awesome pants and last for a few years. Target and Gap jeans look like Target and Gap jeans. Which is fine, but not what you're going for.
posted by barnone at 5:30 PM on August 16

PS: there are at least two pairs of Ann Taylor 00P jeans on eBay right now. If you measure the pants that you bought there, you can compare them to those listed for those jeans. And if they're close...I bet you can get them tailored even more.
posted by barnone at 5:33 PM on August 16

Have you tried these two sites? You put in your measurements (or guess your measurements) and they give you lists of recommended jeans and how they would fit. You can order through the sites or head to a department store to try the recommended brands and styles. Zafu and True Jeans.
posted by loulou718 at 5:39 PM on August 16

These are Nordstrom's brand jeans in Petite -- they have 0P in this model -- something less than a 25" waist which would probably be a good start for the tailor. Good luck!
posted by barnone at 5:44 PM on August 16

I know someone your size who seems to get a lot of jeans from Abercrombie, so you could look there.
posted by twblalock at 6:24 PM on August 16

The simple fact of the matter is that any manufacturer who sells pants in the $50 range is likely to sell larger pants than manufacturers who sell more expensive pants. Old Navy and the Gap are known to be extreme offenders in the world of vanity sizing; upscale brands like Diesel and Rock and Republic are not.

I am several sizes larger than you, but I have found that the following styles of jeans tend to fit those of us with "spectacular butts" better than others: Joe's Jeans "Honey," AG "Angel," and Citizens of Humanity "Ava." These jeans start around $120 new, but you can easily find them for half that (or less) on Ebay, often already hemmed (a negative to some, but a huge positive to your 5'2 self). Go to a major high end department store like Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus and try on a ton of jeans; write down the size, style, brand, and wash of the pair you like best, and then lay in wait for them on Ebay. Also sign up for designer discounting houses like RueLala, Ideeli, and Editor's Closet. Sometimes they even pop up on Overstock.com.

Finally, we could probably help you better if you provided your waist and hip measurements.
posted by telegraph at 6:30 PM on August 16

Seconding Abercrombie. I am a bit smaller than you (4'11, 90-95 lbs) and I have a round butt. I wear a size 00S (short) there. They are too long but I get them tailored. You might be a 0S there? Despite the teeny-bopper image, all of their jeans are available in a dark wash.
posted by pintapicasso at 7:30 PM on August 16

Forgot to mention - Abercrombie is the only "mall store" I shop at. Old Navy, Gap, and even Ann Taylor or way too into the vanity sizing. Us small girls can swim in their size 0 pants!
posted by pintapicasso at 7:32 PM on August 16

I'm pretty much your size, and Blue Cult, A.G.s, Paper Denim & Cloth, and 7s work for well me. They all come as small as 23/24, and if you look on Overstock, Bluefly, etc., you should be able to find them for around the $50 mark; make sure to get the ones with some stretch.
posted by snickerdoodle at 7:06 AM on August 17

Apple Bottom Jeans?
posted by chunking express at 7:33 AM on August 17

What about MakeYourOwnJeans.com?
posted by Cogito at 2:46 PM on August 17