Designers We Love

By Adam Glassman
Cookie Johnson
Photo: Robert Trachtenberg

I'm a huge fan of Magic's stylish wife, Cookie Johnson, and her fresh, body-friendly take on denim. (And Oprah loved them so much, she wore them on the October cover!)

If I had a dollar for every woman who's vented tome about jeans that don't fit! Instead of kvetching, Cookie Johnson got creative, founding a new designer line (it launched nationwide this summer) tailored to her own shapely, toned figure. I caught up with her in Los Angeles.

Adam: What made you want to design jeans?

Cookie: I love them as much as any girl, but I wasn't able to fit comfortably into a lot of the premium labels. I kept waiting for a brand cut for a woman with thighs, hips, a butt. It didn't happen.

Adam: Who are you designing for?

Cookie: She's any age: a mother, a daughter, a grandmother. She has curves, and she has style.

CJ JeansAdam: You studied fashion in college. What makes your jeans different?

Cookie: We weave self-esteem into the fabric! I can't give away all our secrets, but we cut to fit someone with a more universal body type.

Adam: When is a pair perfect?

Cookie: When you don't have to fidget—they aren't too low in back, too tight on the thigh, too loose in the waist. When you can breathe and feel great about yourself.

Bang for Your Buck Cj by Cookie Johnson jeans come in six styles, from $145, sizes 24 to 38; Nordstrom.com.


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From the November 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine