In my world, THE most important thing to curvy women is jeans with a stretch. I want something that will fit my waist as well as my hips, I don’t want any gapping, or having my underwear show when I sit, and I want my jeans to be comfortable and breathable. I know I’m asking for a lot.
Lucky for you, I enjoy shopping both online and in-store. I’ve found some gems and thought why keep such amazing information to myself… okay obviously no one actually thinks that way but in this blog bubble we do! Prices range from cheap to pricey and range of quality follows right along with the price points. I even have some honorable mentions. I will say about 95% of my jeans are high-waist/rise if not mid-rise because… well low-rise jeans and fupas don’t really mix. I wear skinny jeans, straight, or jegging-styles because that’s what I find is most flattering on my shape and for my style. AT LEAST 2% spandex is a must and when possible a cotton blend works best.
I’ve found that the most helpful reviews include a description of the person reviewing so you have a better idea of what will work for you and your body. My measurements will be included at the bottom if it will help.
So here’s what I got:
We’ll start on the lower end of the spectrum with Fashion Nova. Now don’t get me wrong FN jeans are pretty amazing, they look great, super stretchy, come in a wide variety of of style, washes, and rises, and the prices aren’t too bad especially when there’s a sale (I know I’m not the only one that gets the texts). However on the other hand they almost never have front pockets (which is an issue plaguing women’s jeans as a whole *eye roll*) and I can go through a pair of FN jeans in less than a year.
FN jeans range from a size XS/00 to a size 3X or Plus size 22, the most common price for jeans is about $30-35 ($29.99-34.99). The cheapest I’ve seen is about $7 ($6.98 on clearance) upwards to the most expensive being $90 for the super extravagant joints. I will say that I wear my jeans several times before I wash them, especially if I’m only wearing it for a few hours to go out. They always snap back into place and the stretch allows the jeans to fit my waist without the dreadful pancake booty. I usually purchase a size 15 in FN jeans and rarely have any issues. My best advice is to READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE YOU PURCHASE.. not yelling.. okay maybe I slightly elevated my voice but seriously, read them.
Pros: stretchy, affordable, fast shipping, wide variety of styles and colors, sizes up to 3X
Cons: online only (if not in California), rarely have front pockets, fabric can wear down quickly if being worn and washed frequently, one inseam length, no refunds only store credit.
Next up is Torrid… I oddly said that in the weird way that Oprah says things when shes excited (don’t judge). I have a love/ hate relationship with my Torrid jeans. They are amazing but after spending $20-30 on FN jeans, I have to remind myself that I’m paying a higher price for a higher quality garment. That being said, I only own about 4 pairs of Torrid jeans, but I LOVE every. single. one. I get mad when I have to buy more, because these jeans are literally an investment. For those of you that have not heard of Torrid, it is a plus sized women’s clothing store starting at size 10 to size 30. The prices range from about $40 ($38.67 on clearance) to the most expensive being $90 ($89.50 distressed premium denim). Now Torrid does have a variety of washes, but they only have about 5 staple styles: skinny, straight, flare, bootcut, and wide leg. They may occasionally offer a boyfriend/girlfriend cut. The ones I flock to and by far the most popular are the jeggings which are super stretchy and even comes in different lengths (score for the short AND tall girls). They also don’t have pockets, but we’re used to this right? Depending on the type of jean is the amount of stretch you will get. The jegging in particular is a cotton/poly/rayon/ spandex blend which we love, and can be purchased in lengths ex-short (25″ inseam) to ex-tall (33″ inseam). I purchase size 12 or 12 tall.
Pros: high quality, multiple inseam options, slimming waistband, long-lasting, in-store and online shopping options, customer care is great
Cons: some sizes/styles may not be available in-store, online only sales are common, cheap is not a thing
Lastly I do want to mention some places that I’ve found some pretty decent jeans from but haven’t had repeat successes either because the stores I usually shop at weren’t around, or because I needed something immediately. Do we need a drum-roll? no? fine.. American Eagle and Express. Now before you come for me, hear me out. These stores were not my first or second options I just happened upon them, I also spent HELLA time in the fitting rooms trying to figure out their sizing system since at this point each store has their own size chart.
I’ll start with Express since they surprised me the most, I bought a pair of jeans a couple years ago and when I say I fell in love with those things, I wore them all the time. However I’ve since tried to replicate said experience and the sizing has changed drastically. The pair I bought were a size 14, and now I barely fit into their size 18 jeans depending on the position of the sun. I asked a store employee about the sizing issue I was having and she said the jeans come from different vendors in Asia and have absolutely no uniformity to sizing so its literally hit or miss with each style.
American Eagle has a “curvy jeans” section but its weird.. the girls they use to “model” the jeans are straight sized… so I’m guessing they mean the body shape as opposed to the size. I tried on a pair of high-waist jeggings, which were pretty heavy for a jegging option. They fit rather well in the fitting room but after wearing them for a while they ballooned and didn’t quite snap back the way I’d hoped. They were a bit pricey at about $50 but the quality is decent, they’re soft, and serve their purpose.
What jeans do you swear by?
Stats:
Height: 5’9.5″-5’10”
Bust: 38C
Waist: 36.5
Hips: 47.5