"My Name is Kimberlee, and I am a Denim-a-holic." My Skinny Jean Pick of the Week

For years now, I have been forced to succumb to my denim-aholic-ism. Glorious washes, tricked out back pockets, and ankle openings ranging from 10”-slicker-than-a-tight-roll to Woodstock worthy bell-bottom. Love, love, love them. It seems that each time I attempt the challenge of downsizing my 27 pair collection; I find that when I remove one pair 2 new pair somehow replace them as I sleep.

Addiction to denim, however, is only one component to my psychological puzzle. The deeper issue here is actually that I am obsessed with finding my soul-mate denim fit. You know what I’m talking about, those jeans that exist in some undisclosed remote location on the planet and are comfortable, trendy, perfect length in heels, roll up easily for flats, make your thighs look thin, make your butt look great, and create no…I repeat…NO muffin top roll-over. Oh, and did I mention that my body tends to change shape at least twice a year? I have a smaller middle and fuller lower half, square hips, and a very short waist. If I indulgently gain 5 pounds over the holidays, never fail, I go up a full size. If I so much as look at a cheeseburger sideways, my tummy will leak out over the waistband. I don’t recall anything being this complicated in my 20’s, or before my 2 children, but I am doing my very best to properly dress this imperfect moving target.

On a mission for fall to hit on a criteria meeting pair of jeans in the trend hitting skinny cut style, I have been blindly foraging through a whirlwind of denim as of late. What I found overall was that, tried and true, the good old Gap 1969 does it again with their Always Skinny low-rise denim. I love that the fabric has just enough stretch to allow me some shape changing comfort, yet enough grip to hold my body in place. The deep dark saturated color of the thigh slimming denim does not fade if washed inside out religiously, and the rise is low without being “ultra” low eliminating the muffin top potential. I love that the ankle opening of the Always Skinny is narrow, but yet leaves just enough wiggle allowing me to scrunch them up over the top of my hot fall booties just as easily as I can slip them into the shaft of my smokin’ over the knee boots. I could not ask for a more perfect pair of jeans for my body type. Price Tag? $69.00. Paid? $48 using my 30% off Give and Get coupon, while donating 5% to charity. Value to my collection? Priceless.


****Sugarlips Tip: With all Gap denim, you MUST try it on before buying. Their denim tends to loosen up while you are wearing them, almost a full size. When you try them on, pick a pair that is really tight…but not painful. If they are loosely comfortable, you will hate them in an hour. If they are really tight, they will loosen up just enough to be perfect. Not sure why, but this is true with ALL Gap denim. I wear a 4 or 6 with most designers, but at the Gap I am always a 2 or a 4 depending on the cut and oddly – the wash.

A couple of pair that I loved, but did not love me back were:


The Rocker Jean in Clean Slate (gray) from Victoria’s Secret. Love the design! TONS of stretch, great detail at the super slim ankle opening, and very on-trend. Definitely meant for someone with height though, and a longer waist. The rise was too long for me, and combined with the stretch made for way too much material in the tummy area and made them look too big. If you have a longer waist, these are perfect…and gray is soo hot for fall!

Converse One Star Low Rise Skinny Jean in Dark Blue Denim from Target. Deep dark wash, cool pockets, great length and very little stretch creating a great form. I found that these seem to be cut for someone whose body is more uniformly proportioned, or who has thinner legs and a fuller midsection. They were very slim on my legs, yet the waist was entirely too large to fit me. Great price at only $35!