Oh, how I struggle to find pants, especially jeans. Nowadays, a stylish pair of jeans should be stretchy and fitted through the leg, which sounds like it shouldn't be that challenging.

But it is challenging. Fitted jeans are made for women with narrow hips. By the time I get a size my hips will squeeze into, the legs are loose and the waist is gaping. Other problems include fabric that is not stretchy (so the jeans feel like a tourniquet). Or they cost $200. Or they are slashed to the point where I look like I just lost a knife fight.

Well, OS told me about a new online company that sells women's jeans: Everlane. They sell jeans in several popular washes, and their web site allows you to see how the product looks on a woman your size (!). They sell by waist size, with three lengths, and high-and mid-waist options. Moderate price ($70-ish). Free shipping.

Better yet, you can return them by just taking them to a drop-off location at the mall. The first four pairs I ordered were wrong, so I took them to the customer service desk at the mall, they accepted them, and they emailed my refund to my phone on the spot. No more boxing things up, hoping the package doesn't get lost, and remembering to make sure the refund went through.

Anyway, I now have two comfortable, perfectly fitting jeans in a blue wash. Next up: White jeans for summer!!

Ooh, thanks for sharing this!

These the ones you mean?

https://www.everlane.com/collections/womens-jeans

Hmm, first impressions: I love their models!

Second impressions: every single pair/style/cut has their ankles showing.

Do I have to change my style? I wear a bootcut, no ankles visible.

My work socks are definitely not ready for prime time...

Mmmm, well. For summer, ankles showing with flats are good. If the leg is fitted and goes down to the shoe, you get a collision.

For winter, I tend to wear booties or knee-high riding boots. For either look, you need a fitted leg.

And frankly . . . I am a curvy woman. Adding extra fabric in the leg just makes me look like the Michelin Man. YMMV.

They do have some wide-leg pants and they make straight-leg jeans. I got some of the straight-leg jeans and sent them back. See above re Michelin Man.

I’m not skinny ... I like fitted through hip to knee and then a slight flare and loose around ankles... I feel like that’s more flattering on me, but I could be mistaken!

Don’t you get cold ankles?

Not in the summer.

Actually, I am 5’ 4”, and the regular length covers the ankles. I would have to get ankle length for my ankles to show.

I've always been...um...curvy, and I'm getting more so every year.

I feel like I look better in jeans that fit in the way that Cindy describes. I'm 5'6" so I sometimes wish for an extra inch or so in length. My preferred length is for them to hit the top of my foot and crunch up just a little. It's hard to find jeans like that at the moment, because the ankle length is more popular, but I figure the style pendulum will swing sooner or later.

In any case, I don't mind a little ankle showing above sandals or loafers in the summertime. I mostly wear shooties and booties in the winter, so they cover most of the offending ankle skin. (Socks do, too, but I hate socks. It gets cold enough in Oklahoma that I have to wear them sometimes, but I think wistfully of Florida until I can get home and take them off.)

What are shooties?

Shooties are between boots and shoes. They come up higher on the foot than most shoes, almost to the ankle, but they don't come up on the leg like boots. With boot-cut pants, they look like boots, but they still look nice with ankle-cut pants.

They're comfortable when they fit well, because they give some support. They often have a bit of elastic on the inside of the foot, which is nice for hard-to-fit feet.

They are different from booties?

I've never heard of shooties, either.

At almost 5-9, "ankle" length hits me about 6 inches above the top of my foot. Not a good look. I'm also confused because the website says "available in ankle length," but all the photos are ankle length, so I'm not sure if that means the regular ones are longer than the photo or the ankle length are even shorter than the photo.

Debating whether I should try some of these, though.

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
They are different from booties?

The shoe companies say they are.

The ones they call booties rise up at least to my ankle bone or a little above.

The ones they call shooties stop at the top of the foot.

It's really all marketing, but they do hit a sweet spot for me between being substantial enough for support and being so tall that they cramp my ankles or make my legs hot.

I would post a picture but I can never remember the name of the hosting site.

postimage.org

(I wanna see your shoes!

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
I've never heard of shooties, either.

At almost 5-9, "ankle" length hits me about 6 inches above the top of my foot. Not a good look. I'm also confused because the website says "available in ankle length," but all the photos are ankle length, so I'm not sure if that means the regular ones are longer than the photo or the ankle length are even shorter than the photo.

Debating whether I should try some of these, though.

I would confirm that there is a drop-off site near you first.

There is a new company called "Happy Returns." They work with on-line retailers and have drop off sites for returns. It was way more convenient than mailing things back/

I would suggest you go on-line and order every pair/size that might work for you. If it doesn't work, drop off at Happy Returns and you haven't spent any money.

Regarding ankle length . . . mine are not that short. I imagine that if I were taller, the tall length would be OK, provided I didn't buy "ankle."

quote:

"Happy Returns."

The closest one to me is 105 miles away. Phooey!

Oh wait. The inseam length for regular jeans is 28.5. My inseam is 33-34. That's a lot of lost acreage. I think they're going to be too short.