5 Women On The Denim Shopping Experience

Jeans are notoriously difficult to shop for, yet any wardrobe without them is incomplete. Straight sizing, though suitable for some, too often falls flat, particularly in the denim department, where even an inch in the thigh, seat, or inseam can make all the difference.

Luckily, many brands have begun filling in the gaps, with labels like Levi’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, and ASOS offering a wide range of styles, sizes, and lengths made for a variety of body types.

Even still, many shoppers are forced to get creative with their denim, especially given the rapid pace of today’s trend cycle.

“When you want to fit in with what’s going on culturally in fashion and you can’t because something doesn’t work for your body, it’s really frustrating,” Brooke Hargrove Bouzi, a UX product designer from New York City, tells The Zoe Report. A recent resurgence in Levi’s 501s, for example, led her to fall in love with the 550, a men’s jean that better suits her curvy frame.

No matter one’s height or build, finding that dream denim fit doesn’t have to be impossible. Below, five women’s foolproof tips for buying jeans you’ll love.

Taye Hansberry, Content Creator, 50, Los Angeles

If there’s one thing Taye Hansberry has learned about purchasing jeans, it’s to avoid online shopping at all costs. “It just never goes well,” she says.

When she’s in search of a new pair, Hansberry recommends making a day out of it. “I recently spent about two hours trying on different sizes at a Levi's store, but I went with a friend, and we actually had a really great time,” she recalls.

The blogger and content creator, who stands at 5-foot-8, typically separates her denim into two categories: trends and classics. Regarding the former, she’s currently loving the Ribcage fit from Levi’s, a stellar dupe for Saint Laurent’s viral waist-grazing jeans. When it comes to the latter, she says you can never go wrong with a rigid straight leg.

Hansberry’s denim wardrobe runs the gamut — she’s a fan of both Toteme and Zara, for example, as well as brands that specialize in premium denim, such as Citizens of Humanity, Mother, and Agolde.

Keeping a range of sizes on hand is also helpful, Hansberry says: “I believe that everyone has to have two denim closets, because I know I fluctuate in weight by about five to 10 pounds.”

“Denim can be the kind of thing that weighs on you when it doesn’t fit,” she adds. “I have a set that fits me at certain times and a set that fits me at other times. I can’t always do a skin-tight jean, so have your feel-good denim, your sexy denim, your everyday denim — just a few different options.”

Despite how daunting denim shopping can be, Hansberry insists there’s nothing to fear. “We don't need to be afraid,” she says. “It's just a matter of finding the right thing for you, and what’s right for your friend might not be right for you.”

Brooke Hargrove Bouzi, UX Product Designer, 35, New York City

There was a point in Brooke Hargrove Bouzi’s life where she completely gave up on wearing jeans. Being on the curvier side, she found that many styles didn’t fit properly in the hips and thighs.

“If I just look at how the denim is fitting on the model, it's never going to fit me that way,” she says. “It wasn’t until I got into my 30s that I started putting in more work to figure out how to achieve the look I want.”

For starters, Hargrove Bouzi recommends ignoring sizing completely: “It’s kind of a vanity thing, right? Let go of what the number is and focus on getting the right fit.”

She usually likes to order multiple sizes, and she often searches for keywords like “relaxed” or “loose,” which indicate a roomier fit in the seat.

Hargrove Bouzi lauds Gap’s expansive scope of styles, inseams, and sizes, citing both the quality and affordability of their product range. As someone who’s 5-foot-4, she appreciates having the option to take a petite inseam if needed. Currently, she’s loving the Low Slung Extra Baggy Jeans and the Mid Rise UltraSoft Baggy Jeans.

Finding a good tailor is another must. Not only can they fix those pesky waist gaps, but when taking a larger size, they can adjust the structure of the jeans so they’re better suited to your specific proportions.

“There’s a way they can be taken in where there aren't darts on the back, so it doesn't disrupt the integrity of the jean. They essentially take the extra fabric in by undoing the seams on the sides,” she explains.

Hargrove Bouzi also asks to maintain the original hem, so it still looks as if you picked them up from the store.

As for how she knows she’s found the perfect fit? “My favorite jeans make me feel like they were made for me, like there’s nothing wrong with my body, and I don’t need to change anything about myself,” she says.

Pearl Froud, Model, 27, London

For Pearl Froud, finding the perfect pair of jeans always comes down to that “feel-good moment.”

“A great-fitting pair of jeans quite literally makes me feel like a ‘90s supermodel,” she says. “The nature of denim makes it tough to wear, so when I find myself in a pair of beautifully fitted jeans, it feels like it’s meant to be, or without sounding totally ridiculous, kind of magical?”

“I pretty much exclusively wear rigid denim, and those two things don’t exactly go together for a plus-size body,” Froud adds.

Still, that’s never stopped her from curating the wardrobe of her dreams.

“A running theme in my personal style is the desire to wear things that have always been out of reach — I’ve been plus-size my whole life, so vintage clothing is truly out of the question for me most of the time,” Froud says. “But denim is one of those things that gets better with time, and I don’t always feel the magic with a brand-new pair of jeans.”

That’s why she suggests browsing the men’s section for that perfect vintage fit — particularly Levi’s or Wrangler, if they're available at your local thrift or secondhand boutique. For a bespoke option, Froud recommends Studioina, a London-based brand that makes one-of-a-kind pieces out of upcycled denim.

The model also urges shoppers to be open-minded when trying on jeans. Her motto? “If it goes on, it has potential,” Froud says. “Even if it doesn’t quite zip up, it can still work. I love thinking outside of the box when it comes to finding clothing, and denim is super versatile and moldable in the right hands. Find a local tailor or reach out to Studioina, because you’d be so surprised at what can be done with a pair of jeans and a vision.”

Since welcoming her first child earlier this year, Froud’s approach to shopping for denim has shifted: although she no longer has as much time to sift through the racks at her favorite vintage store, she knows she can rely on high-street staples like ASOS, Eloquii, and Ambela, which provide a decent range of sizes that won’t break the bank.

Chelsea Vaughn, Content Creator, 34, Los Angeles

Standing at nearly 6 feet tall, Chelsea Vaughn shops for denim online out of necessity. The tallest inseams that many stores carry — a 32- or 34-inch — usually fall short. At her stature, she prefers a 36- or even a 37-inch inseam, which ASOS sells in a variety of styles.

“It's not just about getting a longer jean,” she says. “They need to have the correct proportions also, because certain parts of my leg are longer in different places.”

Vaughn says she wears her favorite pair of ASOS jeans — a mid-rise medium wash with a wide leg — at least four times a week because they’re so versatile.

“They're so long that they almost drag, which never happens to me,” she says. “I love that I can wear them with a kitten heel or a heeled boot.” Vaughn likes to dress them up with a nice going-out top, or dress them down with a plain tank, a sweater, or a crop top. “I determine what kind of shirt I want to wear based on the button placement,” she explains.

Vanessa Giuliani, Content Creator, 38, Toronto

Being 5-foot-1, Vanessa Giuliani knows all about understanding one’s inseam. “Even as someone petite, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to have the same proportions or inseam length as someone else,” she says.

Giuliani, a full-time content creator who often specializes in denim, typically shops for jeans based on what shoes she plans to wear with them. Because she’s longer in the leg and shorter in the torso, finding the right combination of rise and inseam is key for a flattering fit.

“I prefer a 30-inch inseam and a mid-rise for denim I want to pair with sneakers,” she shares. “I'm loving a flare lately, so I’d wear a high-rise with a nice pointed-toe boot, and it's just going to give you legs for days. If you’re going to do a loafer, I personally like something that's going to hit my ankle.”

Despite being on the shorter end of the spectrum, she rarely, if ever, sees a tailor for denim. “I would sooner cut them myself and leave a raw hem,” Giuliani says. She’s also not opposed to a little DIY action. The mom of two suggests iron-on hemming tape, which can be purchased on Amazon.

While some shoppers might avoid certain styles or cuts altogether, Giuliani recommends throwing any of those hard rules out the window. “As a millennial, I never thought I would go back to a low rise,” she admits, citing the Levi’s Low Loose as one of her current favorites. Giuliani also loves their Cinch Baggy Jean, as you can adjust them throughout the day as your waistline fluctuates.

Giuliani discovered her ideal fit through lots of trial and error. “When I was younger, I would just go on a website and buy whatever denim looked good on the model,” she says. “I ended up with all this denim, and I had to return the majority of it because none of it fit me properly.”

These days, Giuliani knows exactly when she’s found the perfect pair: “If you're wearing your jeans and you can't wait to rip them off by the end of the day, you need to keep looking, because I can wear mine all day long and feel good in them.”