Help me wrap her ridiculously long legs in premium denim!

February 12, 2010 5:30 AM

I'm taking my wife shopping for Valentine’s Day to buy new jeans. She's tall-ish (5'8" or so) and has very long legs. What stores are our best bet in the Tampa, Fla. area?

She needs jeans with an inseam of 36-38" in order to make them functional (with heels). She'd also prefer premium brands (7 For All Mankind and True Religion have worked in the past). A Google search indicates that Macy’s carries 7 for All Mankind, but a recent visit to one of their stores turned up nothing. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

posted by unclejeffy to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

Best answer: For a more fancy shopping experience than Macy's, could you check out boutique style stores that have fancy denim? From a quick google Glamour Inc seems like it might fit the bill, and sells 7 for all mankind. Also, they aren't premium jeans, but Gap jeans are running super long right now. I'm also 5'8" (though with relatively short legs...) and I recently had to buy ankle length (the shortest length, there are also regular and long) jeans so the fabric wouldn't drag.
posted by fermezporte at 5:41 AM on February 12, 2010

Nordstrom usually has a good selection of premium denim brands.
posted by xsquared-1 at 5:50 AM on February 12, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks, fermezporte. I hadn't thought of the Gap, but a quick look through their website indicates a number possibilities.

xsquared-1: Nordstrom was might first thought, too, but I didn't see any reference to longer inseams on their site. Maybe we'll check them out in person. Thanks.
posted by unclejeffy at 6:15 AM on February 12, 2010

Neimen Marcus. They carry J Brand jeans - I love them and my much taller friends do too - worth checking out.
posted by meerkatty at 6:19 AM on February 12, 2010

Most of the premium denim brands run very long - I'm 5'5" and have had to get as much as six inches cut off to wear them, even with heels. Any high-end department store with a nice denim selection is going to have a lot of options for her.
posted by something something at 6:36 AM on February 12, 2010

Nordstroms does carry a good selection of premium denim, and a lot of those brands tend to just make everything with super-long inseams. I believe the idea is that you'll have them tailored to the right length, which in your wife's case probably won't be necessary.
posted by you're a kitty! at 6:40 AM on February 12, 2010

Go to International Plaza (on Boy Scout Blvd) by the airport. it is by far the most upscale mall in the area with the most designer stores including Lucky, bebe, Nieman, Nordstrom, Diesel, Guess, etc.

you will find good jeans there.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:30 AM on February 12, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions. I appreciate it!
posted by unclejeffy at 7:52 AM on February 12, 2010

2nding toodleydoodley. International Plaza has stores that carry the brands you suggest and is your best bet.
posted by 6:1 at 8:08 AM on February 12, 2010

Seconding the Gap for everyday long jeans, also (again not premium) Eddie Bauer from your local mall. I'm about your wife's height and I wear a 33-34" inseam. The long length regular EB jeans drag on me in moderate heels. Plus they're heavier denim than the Gap, which may be an issue for your wife, although they are not premium sexy. On the other hand, neither is the Gap.
posted by immlass at 9:04 AM on February 12, 2010

Nthing Gap. Their Long and Lean jeans are very long (and lean). I'm 5'8" and usually look for the long lengths in jeans, but these jeans so long I bought the regular length. Plus, I'll bet she can get them in one size lower than her normal size (at least that's the trend I've seen).
posted by ellenaim at 9:31 AM on February 12, 2010

Keep in mind that a lot of brands (including Gap, Lucky and Diesel that I know of from experience) make jeans with super-long inseams, but almost never carry them in brick-and-mortar stores. You have to buy online or from the catalogue. My jeans shopping trips always start by cornering the nearest salesperson and asking "do your jeans come in inseam X?" and then "do your jeans in this pile right here come in inseam X?" It's totally worth going into the stores to check for fit, though. Bring a notebook and write down the names of brands and styles.

I wear a 36" inseam in FLATS. Grrr.
posted by miagaille at 3:59 PM on February 12, 2010

Lucky Brand (which has a store in International Plaza) is nice and sometimes has long-length jeans which I think might be good for her (I'm also 5'8" with legs on the long side). I got x-long pants at an outlet of theirs once, and I generally have to roll those up to make them reasonable, although I do not wear heels very often.
posted by that girl at 5:17 PM on February 12, 2010