Jean fit guide
Jeans can be skinny. Jeans can be slouchy. There is even such a thing as "skinny slouchy jeans."
One thing is for sure: There is no one perfect Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants pair that looks great on anyone who tries them on.

Before you head to the dressing room yet again, we've compiled our best shopping advice to help you find your perfect denim (without all the bells and whistles).
A few smart rules to shop by from O, The Oprah Magazine:

Go slowly when you shop. Quality time in the fitting room—45 minutes to an hour—pays off. Pick a store with lots of inventory.

Sit or squat while you're trying on jeans to make sure not too much butt is showing (and to gauge comfort level).

Be flexible about size. An 8 in one brand may be more like a 10 (or a 6) in another. When in doubt, take more than one size into the dressing room.

Buy two pairs when you find great jeans—one to hem for heels, the other to hem for flats. You'd be surprised how fast styles get discontinued.

Tone down to a dark blue wash; it's most slimming. Special fabric treatments (whiskering, abraded texture) make sense only on areas of the body you want to spotlight.

Think wardrobe, rather than one grubby pair you wear to death (that's so college). Three to five jeans are the minimum: one or two for work or going out (dark, straight-legged denim looks most polished), one or two for weekends (with sneakers or flats) and one with extra give or stretch for "fat" days.

Next: Stacy London finds your perfect pair
Whatever your fashion hang-up, Stacy London has a stylish solution.

Long Legs
For once, can a tall woman wear heels without looking like she's waiting for a flood? London, Oprah's jean expert, says that more and more companies are making jeans with a 36-inch' inseam. But, if you find a jean that you love and they're a little too short...go ahead and take the hem out. Just be sure that the hem falls to the bottom of your heel in the back to avoid high-waters.

Best brands to try:
•Rock & Republic
•Notify
•Habitual

Perfect for Petites
If you're vertically challenged, finding jeans that don't drag the floor can be an even bigger challenge! London suggests some brands with shorter inseams, but she says you shouldn't be afraid to hem. As long as the jeans are straight leg, and not boot cut, they can be shortened and rehemmed with the same gold stitching—without destroying the shape of the jean. But stay away from cuffed jeans, she stresses, because they will only make you look shorter!

Best brands to try:
•Banana Republic
•Kasil
•Jag
•Caslon

Next: Jeans that flatten your tummy and flatter your hips
Tummy Troubles
Battling a belly bulge? Trying to hide your tummy? London says a boot-cut jean can help to balance out a heavier midsection. Women with a tummy typically have thinner limbs; the thicker your limbs, the worse a boot cut will look on you, she says. Look for a midrise, and make sure the jean hits across the belly, not above or below it. The width of trouser leg jeans can also help create a more balanced body line.

Best brands to try:
•Seven
•Citizens of Humanity
•Gold Sign
•Gap
•Paige Premium
•Levi's
•ck
•Marc

Flatter Your Hips
London says women with wide hips should stick with a midrise jean that is slightly on the lower side in order to fit around the widest part without creating love handles. Also, look for a straight leg or a trouser leg, which falls down from the hips to create a longer-looking leg line. Ladies with hips typically have thicker limbs, and straight-leg jeans help give the leg a uniform width. Boot-cut jeans only serve to highlight the thickness of the thigh in relation to the knee.

Best brands to try:
•Cambio
•Lucky
•Banana Republic
•Gap
•Womyn
•Tahari
•Levi's
•ck
•Marc
•Seven
•Citizens of Humanity
•AG
•Diesel
•Joe's Jeans

Next: Bootylicious brands
Bootylicious Brands
The tricky part about buying jeans to fit a bootylicious backside is finding a rise that fits properly in the crotch. London says there are jeans now that are made with a lower rise in the front and a higher rise in the back, which can help fit a larger tush. Stay away from any kind of flap pocket or pockets with heavy embellishment or embroidery—they only call attention to the rear. Instead, look for smaller or angled pockets to help camouflage and flatter the fanny.

Best brands to try:
•James
•Earnest Sewn
•Seven
•Citizens of Humanity

Flat Tush Troubles
Looking to add some curves to your flat tush? Look for jeans with flap pockets, heavy embellishment or embroidery, London says. Jeans with slightly higher back pockets can also help make the butt look lifted.

Best brands to try:
•True Religion
•Joe's Jeans
•Hudson

Next: How to choose the perfect shade of denim
The Dark Side
Fashion pros Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine say the lighter the denim, the heavier you will look. A darker wash will create the enviable slimming effect.

Joseph Hallak, vice president of Hallak Cleaners in New York, has a trick that will help stabilize the dye in dark colors and keep your jeans from fading. Add a quarter cup of salt along with detergent to a large basin of water and soak the garments overnight. Follow with a short wash cycle using cold water and a gentle detergent. "Jeans, the first time around, will bleed no matter what you do—but this will help stabilize it," Hallak says.

To help your jeans maintain their color and shape over time, wash them inside out on a gentle cycle with cold water. "If using a dryer, we advise drying on the tumble dry low setting inside out," says Chana Taft Schuman from True Religion Brand Jeans.

Step into the White
Although dark denim is slimming, O magazine's creative director, Adam Glassman, says white can be ultra-flattering. "White jeans freshen up anything you wear, from a navy blazer and striped tee to an embellished tunic top or bright twinset. They also tend to feel a bit dressier than blue jeans. As for the fear factor, if light-colored pants fit well, they will not make your butt and hips seem bigger."

For the best fit, Glassman prefers boot cut or straight legs over extreme skinny jeans for extra stretch and comfort.
If you white denim gets dirty, Glassman says to dry-clean or just toss them in the wash. And while white denim is a summer staple, Glassman says they're more than okay to wear post–Labor Day.
 
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