So, my stand-by’s for jeans have (understandably) slashed the quality of the denim they use. Rather than raise prices, they cut quality. It’s so bad and the fabric so cheap and flimsy that I feel that I could get something at WalMart at half the price for the same quality.
Yuck.
The worst part is that my stand-by’s made jeans in my size (IOW, short and fat) that always fit. I’ve become frustrated at even trying to buy jeans since I can’t do standard makers (did I mention I’m short and fat?) nor department stores.
Ladies, I turn to you. I’m willing to spend… I know I’m going to have to spend. Is there a good custom made site/maker that will give me jeans that fit of good quality? I don’t like too too trendy (like, no sparklies on my ass, please). Just a solid pair of jeans that fit, goddammit!
Is indiDenim any good? The Levi’s custom fit jeans? What others are there that you like? Or, are there brands that actually make jeans for short fat girls that fit “off the rack”? Last time I tried Old Navy, for example, I found their petite jeans are now four inches too long!
Short shouldn’t be an issue because you are suposed to hem your jeans if they are too long. Some places do it for free or if you want a European hem it’s about $20.
Are you talking about Lane Bryant jeans having lesser-quality denim now?
I have a pair that I bought probably in 1997 that I still wear as my “work jeans”. The pair I bought from them 3 years ago wore out in the crotch in one season. (Altho to be fair, the other pair I bought in a different wash did not wear out)
Yup, go ahead and hem them. It’s better than being tall like me and not being able to buy jeans/pants off the rack except at a few stores (Old Navy/Gap, etc.) because “normal” ones are too short. I like the fit of the ON jeans that I got; they have a number of different fit styles, and mine have held up nicely.
I measured, and re-measured and re-measured, and they were close, but… not quite. I learned to live with the fit because it was still better than what I get off the rack, but the denim itself was sucky, and was an entirely different color than the online swatch. Like, entirely different. You can’t return the jeans, and they won’t fix them.
And, see, that’s my bigger concern. Sure, I can get stuff altered, and I do. But I will not pay good money for shitty denim. I remember Eddie Bauer jeans, Lane Bryant jeans, Old Navy jeans from years ago that have were the heavy denim like you expect, and if I hadn’t outgrown them I’d still be able to wear them. But I ain’t payin’ real prices for jeans worth ten bucks at Kmart.
It’d be great if I could find jeans off the rack that would fit, and if anyone knows a maker that does plus size that isn’t made for women who are six feet tall please spill. You can be either short OR fat. But not both. And, sadly, there are more issues than just length when dealing with Women’s sizing and cut.
As good denim goes, I just ordered a pair from Lands End that I think are quite good quality. I don’t know about the fit for you, though - you can take them back to Sears if they don’t fit.
A friend of mine, who definitely has the LA face and the Oakland booty, is over the moon with the new Levis. I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet myself.
I came to say Land’s End. I’ve done the Land’s End custom Chino’s in that past and was very happy with the results. I was going for straight legs though, and really just using them to get the length correct.
Now I’m dreaming about the “Clone a Suit” section of the makeyourownjeans.com though. Hmmmmnnn
Grr? How come I can’t find how to make a custom women’s shirt on Land’s End’s website? Do you have to go into the store for this? That would make more sense, but I see a place to make men’s custom shirts, and nothing else.
As far as off the rack I’ve had great luck with Victoria’s Secret jeans. They have petite sizing and I just checked and most styles go up to a size 16.
This is way out of left field, but I did do this once. My parents were planning a vacation close to the US border and I managed to talk them into going over the border so I could hit Lane Bryant and Torrid and try on their clothes so I’d know my sizing and be able to buy online. It worked well.
How close are you to Canada? You can try the online store for our major plus size with petite sizes retailer: http://www.1-plus.com/.
I have recently discovered DL 1961 jeans. With 4 WAY STRETCH. Not cheap, but damn my ass has never looked better.
Don’t be thrown by the website pics, necessarily- obviously those skinny bitch models aren’t us. If you can try them somewhere and find your style/size, they can be found on eBay and other sites for scads under retail.
(Altho to be fair, the other pair I bought in a different wash did not wear out)
You can try the online store for our major plus size with petite sizes retailer: