This Crazy Thing I Did

You know how I went shopping for the grad dress. Well, other than prosecco, what I really needed was an easy shopping moment. I decided it would be educational to show M how it works: You find something you want/need. You look for the right size. You take a couple of sizes into the change room (just in case). You try on. Optional: You ask the SA for another size. You debate the merits of the garment in all of the sizes. You decide whether the purchase is viable (this takes 5 minutes). You buy. OR You walk.

The item in question, for me, was jeans. You know I wear them tout le temps. I've tried to make them. (Disaster.) Note: I will make another pair of jeans. I just need some more time to get over the last experience - and to feel more comfortable with making buttonholes.

Anyway, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I have been intrigued by Not Your Daughter's Jeans for quite a while. They're supposed to disguise one's post-natal / middle-aged abdominal challenges. In full disclosure, I've had those challenges since before I had a kid or approached middle age.

I found myself at The Bay - looking for M's grad dress shoes - on a sale day - and the jeans were right next to the shoes.

You may recall that, recently, I tried on every pair of jeans in a "denim boutique", only to find that there wasn't a-one with a rise that hit my navel - except for a tall-brand (name eludes me right now). Amazingly, the tall jeans fit my proportions pretty well - because I'm all legs in as much as I have height. But over time they've stretched out everywhere. I knew from the get-go that the fabric memory was mediocre, but I bought them out of impulse - and I've vaguely disliked them ever since. (Note: It's rare that I buy something I come to dislike, but it does happen...) I'm still looking for a pair to approximate my Second Denim (Yoga) jeans - a brand I loved, the quality of which has floundered in recent times. I really cannot recommend the new crop.

This is where NYDJ (I cannot bear to call it by name) comes in. While waiting for M to choose shoes, I was pleased to try them but amazed to find that the petite style was WAY too short (I'm only 5'3" people). The regular size, however, was the perfect length, and they are very well-constructed jeans indeed. The fabric memory is awesome. The rise is HIGH (but not visibly so). The pockets are well-positioned to give the impression of a high-derriere. The width of the bootleg is not extreme, but balancing. There are no stitching embellishments (at least on the style I tried). The denim is dark and rich. Happily, there are no signs of branding to call one's attention to the horror of the name.

Seriously, ladies, this denim is an excellent product and it looks awesome. When I tried these jeans on, M said: Wow, they're amazing! You have to get them! When I told her the brand name she snort-laughed and said: Do NOT tell anyone! That's the worst thing I've ever heard. If they're not daughter's jeans, what are they? Mom-jeans???

Now, the thing is, name aside, they're not cheap. Note: I think you're high to go cheap on jeans unless you are a) very young and slim or b) truly unable to afford anything else. Good denim shows its chops. It's cut well, it wears well. It trims and lengthens. It looks luxe, no matter you pair it with. I managed to get a discount, though the jeans were not actually on sale. But I would have paid the $170.00 price tag (which comes to $192.00 after tax). As it is, I paid $160.00.

I also believe that they are optimally constructed for a shorter woman with an apple shape that's proportionate but not extreme.  (What I mean is, though they come in plus size, I don't know that they're ideal for that shape. If you fall into that bracket and you've tried them, I'd love to know your thoughts!) I don't think they're long enough in the leg for a really tall woman (though I didn't see the "tall" sizes). I don't think they'd work fantastically for a pear-shape - as the derriere fits well on the basis of the fit constructed around a proportionately larger stomach. The legs are pretty slim, if stretchy, so I don't think those with width in the upper thigh or low hip will necessarily find them flattering. Essentially, I'm suggesting that they fit a slimmish apple frame with a proportionately large stomach - the kind of shape you see in certain middle-aged women who've had kids or who are embarking on the journey to menopause. Wow, I sure do make them sound sexy.

Hilariously, they are so vanity-sized, it's absurd. I bought a size 4 (a stretchy 29 inch waist and 39 inch hips). I think this size might actually be a bit loose as the denim wears. You can see they're appealing to the woman who used to be an RTW size 4. But I'm not knocking it.

So, have you tried this brand? What do you think of my perspective on the demographic? Does the name totally put you off? Do you agree that California-designed denim is the best around? (I do.) Let's talk...