Please excuse the very specific personal question, but I want to know about a product I have purchased that is unsatisfactory. I bought a pair of expensive American jeans; they are black, "butterwash" Not Your Daughter's Jeans. They fitted like a glove in the shop. I took them home and washed them as instructed before wearing to remove excess dye. When I put them on, it was as though they had expanded to a larger size. I can put my arm inside the waistband and down the legs. They seem also to have got higher in the waist. I did not want baggy jeans! I was wondering if anyone has tried these jeans before. Is this how they are, or are these ones faulty? I want to be armed with accurate information before I return them. Thanks
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Posted 10 months ago #
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I have these jeans and I love them. I am surprised to hear about this problem. I would take them back. Mine are perfect and I have several pairs. Hope this helps.
Posted 10 months ago # -
I have not tried that specific brand but I have experimented with jeans containing spandex and have been unhappy -- for me, they fit out of the wash but in a few hours are down around my ankles. I'd say that if they fit in the store and then were too big after a wash there is something wrong with them.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Thanks jmhva and Susan. These jeans were highly recommended by the shop assistant. I rang this afternoon and told them I was bringing them back, and they were fine. I only have one other pair and I can't afford to keep ones that are faulty. I would not wear them, they would clutter my wardrobe and I would end up donating them in a year or so.
Posted 10 months ago # -
jack, these clothes that we buy under one brand name may actually be made by different factories and they may vary in quality by individual item.
It is my understanding that these jeans are made to sit on the waist. The cut of the modern pants leaves much to be desired. Most of them are cut too slim and have no curve in the back seam and are too short in the front seam. The result is an ill-fitting pair of pants.
There is a site that is called the Fashion Incubator. This person blogs about the ready to wear from the viewpoint of the factory floor. She has written a good article about "monobutt' and "camel toe". Both of these are evident of poor fit and poor cutting at the factory.
Have you looked at the rear end of many people who are wearing these modern cut jeans? They appear to have just one butt cheek, all the way across. There is no lift and separate going on there. Even those with a desirable butt look pretty horrid wearing these.
The other is the camel toe. That is because the crotch seam of the pants is too short and it cuts up the path of least resistance. And, then there is the "wong". (She explains the wong better than I can.)She speculates that all of this ill fit is the result of one cutting floor mistake or aberration of a cutting pattern to save money on the cutting. It became a norm as it got perpetuated down the line. I see women all the time that look very uncomfortable in their pants. The legs are so tight that the leg has to fight the enclosure of the pant leg with every step.
Many times, there is a gap at the back waist and the front is falling down.
Just google the Fashion Incubator and look for the key words.
These Not Your Daughters Jeans are supposed to be a more old fashioned fit, or, at least I though that was so.
Real women have lots of curves and TWO butt cheeks, not one mono-cheek. You'd never know it by looking around at these ill fitting pants that many wear,. And so tight, also.
I think that mostly who looks and feels good in most jeans are those who are so thin that their clothes are very loose. With Spandex being used in almost every piece of clothing they are being cut to fit more snug. I find it not only bad looking, but uncomfortable.
Surely, there are some bodies that wear these pants comfortably enough. Some will write and say that they love the fit! For most of us, though, we are just suffering through the poor choices that we have and that we think are fashionable.Here is a link to part of the discussion of poor fit. You can search for "wong", "camel toe", and "monobutt".
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/jeans_fit_lousy_these_days/
Posted 10 months ago # -
There's definitely a science to shopping for jeans. Jackthetiger, I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience; if any jeans stretch in the wash, they're defective, and you should definitely take them back.
@genny - I agree that most jeans are poorly cut; I don't know if that's a recent development, but I can say with certainty that there are significant geographic variations. Moving from Europe to North America has made it near impossible for me to find pants that fit. North American designers seem to have trouble grasping the concept that some women have a waist. And hips. And that pants need to fit both. I know hourglass figures are rarer in this part of the world, and harder to fit than the glorified coat hangers with legs they use as models, but I live in what is supposed to be one of the most multicultural countries in the world (Canada, that is), and all the clothes are cut for women shaped like planks of wood - no shoulders, no breasts, no waist, no hips, no butt. Why bother making clothes if they're only meant to fit anorexic Anglo-Saxon teenagers?
Posted 10 months ago # -
The quality of clothes has gone steeply downhill, and jeans particularly so. I bought some Seven For All Mankind jeans on sale and the denim turned out to be so thin that the I got a huge rip on my butt (thankfully my BF noticed as I went up the stairs at home when it happened and not while I was out somewhere! phew!) I also bought two pairs of Paper Denim Cloth jeans (also on sale - I hate paying retail) and the buttons fell off on both pairs! Joe jeans are a bit better, but I just found a rivet to one of the pairs on the floor this morning. I miss good old classic Levi's - but those are not as great anymore, either. There was a TED talk in which the speaker discussed the sheer abundance of stuff and styles... he said the plethora of choices and styles available make us enjoy our stuff less... and it makes one feel inadequate because styles change quickly and it makes us more fickle. I have to agree. I wish I remembered the speaker's name, so I could post the talk here. If I find it, I'll post it.
Posted 10 months ago # -
I'm not sure you can blame it entirely on cutting at the factory, although many garments are die cut, which means that stretching material in one or many layers of fabric can skew the results away from the original pattern. But the pattern drafting is really bad nowadays. I think there must be little draping or fitting going on in 85% or more of ready-to-wear. You buy one tshirt and the armholes go down halfway to your waist, and another one has armholes sized for a toddler. And pattern grading (for different sizes) is just bad. For instance, you can look at a small and extra large and the whole neck and shoulder area is the same size, with the only difference in the body width perhaps.
Another pet peeve is darts: many of them are set so high the point comes inches above the horizontal centerline of the bust (though that may just be my personal droop) instead of an inch below and outside the point of the bust.
Rant over.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Oh, don't get me started! There no longer seems to be any difference to pants/trousers manufacturers between short and petite! Petite needs to have a shorter rise (waist to crotch) as well as shorter length. And even when you find a brand that understands that, they rarely do it in their shorts and capris, or PJs. I just hate it when the crotch of my pants is halfway to my knees! Or then there are the shirts/jackets in larger sizes, except for the armholes/sleeves. Grrr. Is it any wonder that I spend most of my life dressed in the one brand of jeans that fit well and t-shirts? :)
Posted 10 months ago # -
I was so annoyed with fit that for years I didn't own any jeans. I found that the Talbots jeans fit well this year, and I also have hips and a waist. If you are persistent, there is usually a brand out there that will work, at least until they make "improvements" and they don't fit anymore. Also, never trust sizes to be true, as stated before, because they may be made in completely different places for the same label.
Posted 10 months ago # -
I have got to throw a curve ball in here! I am at the other end of the size spectrum. I have always been underweight and glorified coat hanger group. I did not own jeans for years because it is very difficult to find jeans that fit. It is hard to find pants that fit as well! There is either too much hip and too little waist or they are too long in the crotch and/or leg or too short, or look like I am wearing a diaper-too much bum. I am not petite, just thin. I could try on jeans or pants in the girls section but then they do not have enough hip. The Juniors section does not have good quality and are too juvinile. I am 38 not 16. I don't want to pay for new clothes that look like they have been worn for 20 years, or have enough fabric in the width of leg to wrap around my waist-and that is if I can zip them up. Most 16 year olds have not had a baby!
Another problem is the sizes are getting bigger! I wore a size 7 in college. I am now anywhere from 1 to 4, depending on the brand. I weigh the same! Combine the sizing problems with the fit and you have problems! What fits my hips does not fit my waist. What fits my waist makes me look like I am wearing riding pants, there is so much hip! I take really good care of my clothes because it it next to impossible to find replacements!
Thanks for the rant!
Posted 10 months ago # -
I did not expect to uncover such a range of problems with jeans. I found the articles fascinating Genny, although I have not really noticed the camel toe here in Australia. I have to say that the "monobutt" is not something that I worry about so much. I actually found the two examples of curvy bottomed jeans a bit odd because there seemed to be too much fabric going up the bum. I am not sure I would find this comfortable!
The size issue is also frustrating. A size 10 in Australia is a 12 in Britain and an 8 in the US. It can also be a 1 if that sizing system is used. It it can be a S/M, whatever that means.
The jeans I purchased certainly do have a higher waist than Australian jeans, but the way they stretched after washing was was quite ridiculous. The waistband was up to my midriff and I could take them off without undoing them. NYDJ jeans have a good reputation, but just did not work for me. I have exchanged them for Embody straight legged jeans.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Ha, HA! I just read the article linked above! I thought I was the only one with pancake bum! I am sorry, I don't look at women's bums. I thought, I was becoming old and not exercising enough! Instead, it is a fashion conspiracy!
I have to say though, I don't care for Rockies jeans. They look too cowgirilish. I live in Montana and I love a good rodeo, but I am not a cowgirl. I prefer clothes for outdoor sports like Patagonia, North Face, and REI. Some of the styles/cuts don't create the pancake bum effect either!
Posted 10 months ago # -
I didn't know we were supposed to be showing butt cleavage, now. LOL! That's a new one on me!
Posted 10 months ago # -
The scientific formula to shopping for jeans is - shop for 3 hours, trying on at least 1 pair of jeans every 10 minutes. Subtract the time and effort spent from the results, and go find a skirt.
Posted 10 months ago # -
A friend in the UK pointed me at jeans for rock climbers: they're cut generously and they have a diamond gusset in the crotch so that the wearer can actually move in them.
Posted 10 months ago # -
lucy, in ancient cut of pants, there was a gusset. A pair of old world pants was cut from one length of cloth. The triangle that was cut off from the legs was sewn into the crotch as a gusset. It lays out like a puzzle where no bit of cloth is wasted.
I am fascinated with the cut of ancient wear.
I got so frustrated with pants fit. Everything fits me so badly. I am a pretty normal 12 or 14. I find most all of it to be so terribly uncomfortable! And, I dislike most of the fabrics and the tight spandex fit.
I found a pants design by Marcy Tilton who designs for Vogue patterns. They are loose on top and tapered at the legs and have two large pockets down the front legs and elastic in the back. They also have an articulated knee construction. I love this pattern so much that it is just about all I wear anymore. I have tweaked the pattern to make them different ways.
My favorite fabric is linen, or a rayon/linen blend, when I can find it.
I have made them in fancy silk and nice fabrics for nice occasions, wool for winter hiking pants, cotton for the summer, and houndstooth and fancies for just casual dress. Heck, I even make pajamas! I don't give a rat's butt that people may look at me and say, "Here she comes, always wearing those dammed pants!". Man, am I comfortable! It is much like wearing a skirt that does not blow up and has POCKETS! They are very easy to sew.Here are a couple of links to the ones that I love so much.
http://www.marcytilton.com/item.php?pid=992&cid=102
http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8499-products-8876.php?page_id=264
There is a reason why so many garments are stretch with spandex or interlock knit. The reason is that there does not need to be much fit because it stretches. And, my some of the body areas that we DO stretch that stuff over! Many of our figures would look better with clothing that fits, yet has some drape and hangs off the body. So many people literally look like they have stuffed their bodies into the garments, and that is flattering to only a few., and has to be so very uncomfortable!
This pattern looks best in a fabric that has a little drape. If the fabric blooms out, you will look puffy.Posted 10 months ago # -
Cute pants but $15 for a pattern? Seriously?
Posted 10 months ago # -
@genny I did know that; I did postgrad work on the subject.
@Sky Pattern prices be crazy! I've paid more for reconstructions of specific garments; if it does precisely what the person building the clothing needs it to do, it's not a frivolous expense.
Posted 10 months ago # -
I love this thread. I'll just post a link to a post on my blog about my dramas with ill-fitting clothes: http://laetitiabm.blogspot.com/2011/05/op-shop-fortune.html
I need to learn to sew clothes - maybe I'll do that when I permanently borrow my mother's sewing machine later this year (have to make sure it still works of course). I'll get the ladies at my craft group to teach me if Mum doesn't have time. :-)
Posted 10 months ago #
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