Denim Dilemmas Resolved..... Heidi Klum, eat your heart out!

I finally have an up-date for you about my quest to find the perfect pair of jeans. Thanks to all of you who commented and gave me some advice about where to look and which jeans to try. Now I am ready to share all my new found denim knowledge!

The story last left off when I had stormed out of Kohl's ticked off about Christmas being celebrated before Thanksgiving and without a pair of new jeans. I forgot to mention that while I was shopping that day my friend Holley was also in the store shopping for clothes. She informed me that she had gotten a $10 coupon in the mail for Kohl's that day and that was why she was there. She asked me if I had received the same coupon. Of course I hadn't checked my mail BEFORE I left for the store, so that just added to my frustrations!

Right when I got home I checked my mail and sure enough I had also received a $10 coupon. I decided that I would return to Kohl's the following day and use my coupon on something for Owen since it was only good for a couple of days.

The next day came, so I packed Owen in the car and headed back to Kohl's. After browsing the children's and home furnishing sections and not really finding anything I wanted to buy, (Sounds crazy, especially since I had 10 free dollars to spend) I decided to make one last ditch effort to find some jeans.

You know that section of clothes where NO ONE ever shops? That section where not even my grandma would dare go into? The section of clothes that when you enter you feel like you've been trapped in a time warp? Where shirts have puff painted designs around the collars and the waists on pants are up to your armpits? You all know which section I'm talking about?

The funny thing is that this section is never marked as anything. In department stores there are always large signs over each section describing what you can find there, like: Juniors, Men, Women, Intimate Apparel, (I will have to dedicate a whole other post to this section!!) shoes, etc. Then there is the "UNMARKED" section. I guess stores don't really want to put up a sign that says, "Crappy Clothes Section" or "You're crazy to wear any of this stuff section."

O.K. so I realize I'm getting off track, back to the story. As I walked past the UNMARKED section I thought to myself, "What the heck, I'm not having any luck anywhere else. If anything I might find an ugly sweater to wear to our Christmas party." So I pushed Owen off the safety of the tile walkway and onto the carpet of unknown territory.

I weaved the stroller in and out of the racks of clothing and low and behold I ended up at the denim section. I randomly picked up a pair to get a close-up view of exactly what "old lady jeans" look like. As I examined the jeans and to my surprise they really didn't look half-bad. I checked the label: Levis, a reputable brand. I slung the Levis over the stroller and decided that if I was going to try those on I may as well make the trip to the dressing room worth my while and try on a few more pairs. I was in a much better mood than I was the day before because I had already decided that I was going to hate all the jeans I tried on so my expectations weren't high at all.

After picking up 5-6 pairs of decent pairs of jeans I headed to the fitting room. And since the title of this post is "Denim Dilemmas Resolved" I bet you can guess what happened next. That's right I found a pair that I liked!! And not just one pair, I purchased THREE pairs of jeans from the UNMARKED department in Kohl's.

Am I embarrassed to admit that I purchased clothes from the "OLD LADY" section, absolutely NOT!! My jeans look great and if I hadn't told you this story no one would of even guessed what section they came from. So let me give you the low-down on what I purchased and a few tips that maybe you might find helpful the next time you venture off to find the perfect pair of jeans.

Purchase #1: Levi's Brand jeans in a dark solid finish, a trouser cut, with a zipper fly and belted button. These are a nicer pair of jeans that can be dressed up and easily worn to nicer events. Trouser Cut is my new best friend: snug fitting at the waist, the attached belt holds the belly in, then a wider fit in the thighs and down through the legs.

Review: Love them! Under $40. The dark wash is great! Only downside is they aren't a day to day jean, so I don't get a whole lot of use out of them.

Purchase #2: Simply Vera mid-rise jeans by Vera Wang. The mid rise is great because the waist isn't up to my armpits, but my crack isn't hanging out either. I also bought these in a dark wash, but unlike the previous pair these are a more classic cut of jean that can be worn day to day.

Review: I loved these jeans when I tried them on. They are a little bit longer than the average pair of jeans, and they are even a little long on me and I'm a tall girl. The downside to these jeans is that the fit has never been the same since the first couple of times I wore them. They are the kind of jean that stretches out and never goes back, even after I washed and dried them. I probably won't buy this kind again.

Purchase#3: Gloria Vanderbilt's mid-rise jean with belted top. I got these in a darker rinse, but not as dark as the other two pairs. I would call it a more traditional "denim color." These too also have a classic fit, not too tight, and not too baggy.

Review: Seriously the name "Gloria Vanderbilt" made me feel like an old woman, but I don't care. These are my favorite jeans and I wear them almost every day! (Not kidding.) The belted top is seriously the best thing ever, I call it the "skinny maker." It's a combination of four buttons and a zipper that sucks me in enough to flatten my tummy, but not suffocate me. Downside is that the detail on the back pocket is pretty memorable so people probably do realize that I wear the same pair A LOT!!

Even though these are the only three pairs I purchased there are a few other brands of jeans that some of you told me about in your comments that I want to mention.

"No-Gap Waist" by Lee. Laura L. told me about these jeans and I have to agree that they are pretty incredible. I tried on a pair and didn't buy them only because the store didn't have them in the color I wanted. This will be the next pair of jeans that I buy. Yeah Lee might be a brand that only your mom/grandma wears, but I say "So What!!!" These jeans are great. They feel like maternity pants because of the stretchy top, but the top looks like the top of any other pair of jeans....I don't know how they do it. Stretchy waist that holds in tummy's, super comfy, and really cute!

Not Your Daughter's Jeans: My friend Marti told me about these beauties. These can be found in department stores like Nordstrom or Macy's. I haven't seen them any where else. I tried a pair of these on and they are fabulous! Only problem is they cost over $100. If you can afford them I say do it!

Sweetheart jeans by Old Navy: A lot of you mentioned this jean, so I had to try them out. These are a great pair of jeans for the money. They are a mid-rise and aren't super tight on your legs, and are very affordable, about $25. My only reservation is every jean I've purchased from Old Navy stretch out and loose their shape pretty quickly. Any feedback on the sweetheart jean would be great!

So there you have it!! Denim Dilemmas solved! And seriously don't I look just as good in my jeans as Heidi Klum does in hers?? I can't even tell who's who!

Heidi Klum Eat your heart out!!