Halp! I need jeans that fit!

December 8, 2010 7:26 PM

I need help denim size equivalency among brands (Lucky, Gap, and Banana Republic)!

I am a relatively curvy/pear shaped girl, with especially robust hips and thighs and a somewhat smaller waist. I wear a 14/16 in Banana Republic and Gap. Generally a 16 fits comfortably/a little loose in the store, but is way too big after wear. 14s usually seem way too tight/cause a muffin top in the store, but fit perfectly after a little wear. But after too much wear, become baggy also. I'm tired of this happening--it'd be nice to have a pair of jeans that would fit me properly for more than a few months without ripping or starting to look dingy. I've been thinking about switching to Lucky brand, but unfortunately the sizing on their website is terribly vague, only providing the waist measurement. And given the ridiculousness of vanity sizing, that probably doesn't mean anything anyway. According to the waist measurements provided, I would probably be a 16 or 18. But rather than potentially wasting money and time ordering jeans that won't fit, I thought I would see if any of you lovely metafilter ladies have experience with Lucky sizing. Will they likely fit me? And if so, what size would you recommend? Do they wear well? Do you know of any other brands that are of high quality and might work for me? Thanks!

posted by faeuboulanger to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

I'd go to a high end denim boutique and try on tons of jeans. Don't worry about the size - the fit, feel and look matters.

If you don't have a denim boutique, try Nordstrom.

Sales people at these places know their stuff.
posted by k8t at 7:36 PM on December 8, 2010

Best answer: I've also had terrible luck with Gap jeans! Believe it or not, I LOVE Express jeans. Definitely buy them TIGHT. Go for muffin top. The pair I'm wearing right now are over a year old and still fit perfectly and have no crouch-wearing (I commute on my bike 5-6 days a week). I also bought a pair of stretchy skinny jeans at H&M that still fit perfectly after months of wearing them almost all the time. Again, I bought them TIGHT.

I hate Gap jeans. They suck.
posted by two lights above the sea at 7:39 PM on December 8, 2010

I'm the same size and have the same issues. Gap recently changed their jeans (again) and not a damn pair fits me now.

I had luck at Dressbarn of all places. Their website is awful, but the jeans I found were "seven" brand. Not the expensive, designer 7 brand, but it was spelled out. Anyway, they were $50 and are perfection.

I've found I need jeans with a little stretch to them to keep the stretching and bagging to a minimum.

Good luck! I'll be following this thread b/c I'm always looking for new jeans.
posted by ACN09 at 8:00 PM on December 8, 2010

I have found Lucky to be in line with Gap and BR sizing. I wear an 8 or a generous 6 in BR, and a 29/8 in Lucky.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:11 PM on December 8, 2010

Seconding Express - BUT, so far as I've seen, they only carry up to a 12 in their stores. You'd have to buy online, where I've seen them carry up to a 14, which would probably be your size. ... I also carry my weight in my hips, am a 12/14 at Gap, whose jeans I hate, and a size 12 at Express fits perfectly after a little bit of wear.

Theyll wear out eventually on the inner thighs - my current pairs are starting to give out, but I've had them for probably 3 years, and did a LOT of walking.
posted by Metasyntactic at 8:16 PM on December 8, 2010

I have had luck with (please, don't scoff!) Lauren jeans (by Ralph Lauren). I love, love, love these jeans! The denim feels great (smooth and solid but not heavy) and I look great in them. I would wear them four days a week were it not for my love affair with black pants. I'm curvy (size 12) and short; the 30" inseam fits me perfectly. They were $65 or so, so while they're not cheap/disposable jeans (Old Navy, I'm looking at you) they aren't fancy-dancy skip-the-rent expensive either.

Have I mentioned I love them?
posted by heathergirl at 8:37 PM on December 8, 2010

Look at Carhardts Traditional Fit bootcut jeans. They are cut a bit higher so they don't gap at the waist (but not too high, they still look good on) and the denim is way better quality than anything at the mall. Fit true to size, come in about 4 colors and cost $50 or so on amazon. Not "dressy" jeans but great casual wear.
posted by fshgrl at 9:23 PM on December 8, 2010

Not Your Daughters Jeans, they fit well and wear well. I bought a pair at Savers for $5, they usually go for about $100. They are not "mom" jeans, they fit perfectly; I have a small waist and round hips. I wear a 10 in Calvin Klein and a 8 in Lauren and Not Your Daughters Jeans.
posted by wandering_not_lost at 9:36 PM on December 8, 2010

go for the 16 in Lucky. They usually are a tiny bit small/stiffer denim, so the bigger size of your normal will probably be better. They are more robust jeans than Gap/BR, hopefully they work out for you!
posted by annie o at 10:25 PM on December 8, 2010

I had a good experience with a jeans boutique (called in-jeanius, I think) here in Boston.

Tried on a bunch of pairs, found two that fit. Both were Red Engine. They're the same size I would buy in Gap/Old Navy jeans if I ever found a pair that fit.

I experience the dreaded butt gap wherein the back of my jeans see fit to try to lie flat on a chair while I sit down (while of course my back remains perpendicular to the chair, alas). This particular brand eliminates that issue for me, but I did have to try on c. 20 pairs of jeans before I found one that worked.
posted by nat at 2:25 AM on December 9, 2010

I've found Lucky jeans to be reliably one size smaller than Gap/BR. Most cuts/styles don't fit me at all; I've got wide hips and a narrow waist (like you), and also not much of a butt. However, in the styles that DO fit, I'm pretty much always an 8 at Gap/BR and a 10 with Lucky.
posted by miagaille at 9:59 AM on December 9, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks, y'all!
posted by faeuboulanger at 11:08 AM on December 24, 2010