Lately the girls in my Community Group and I have been on a jeans kick. After careful consideration, we are realizing that since we are now old enough not to be growing out of jeans constantly, it is actually more cost effective to invest in quality jeans that cost a little more and fit perfectly to your body and wear them for many years, than to buy a larger number of cheap jeans that have to be replaced regularly and are not built in a way that would take full advantage of your natural assets. Let’s face it – if it doesn’t flatter, you aren’t going to wear it (or feel comfortable when you do). You are just going to spend more and more money buying more and more cheap jeans that still don’t fit right.
My first experience with designer jeans comes from a few years back when I was at the Salvation Army main store on Inwood here in Dallas. It’s huge and it has a boutique area. A lady came up to me, out of nowhere, and said “Hey, I saw some Sevens and some Citizens jeans on that rack that look like they would fit you”. The Sevens were too small but the Citizens fit great! That is how I acquired my first pair of designer jeans for $4.00. I have been wearing them for years and occasionally searching eBay for the same style, but I can never find them much below $100.
A few weeks back, I was able to pick up a pair of moderately nice Odyn jeans for $40 at a FIG sample sale (normally $80 – $90), thanks to Mica May, who let us know about the sale! Then the girls found out about a denim warehouse sale at Dallas Market Hall this weekend. They went early on Friday when the crowds were thick, but I work all day Friday, so I went on Saturday in the afternoon. There was still a huge selection and I had my own area of the community dressing room for all my stuff and my own mirror to try on the jeans. I was excited to find another pair of Citizens for Humanity jeans that fit even better than my Salvation Army pair!
You may be thinking at this point “I thought this post was about hemming jeans”. Yes, that is where the hemming comes in. If I have learned anything from What Not To Wear, it is that clothes do not always come to you completely fitting off the rack, and especially that well-made clothing is created to allow being altered, if necessary. With the Odyn jeans, most parts fit great and the length is good for heels as-is. But, the waist band was a little large ,which always happens with my body type. For $40, I couldn’t pass them up! And honestly, I may sew, but I am not touching the combination of denim and a waistband alteration. So I took them to a tailor, and for only $16, that is being taken care of (thanks again to Mica for the referral!).
When I bought my original Citizens jeans at the Salvation Army, I could tell that they had been hemmed. Fortunately, the original owner was apparently exactly my height, so it was great! The Citizens jeans I bought on Saturday were long, but I was so excited that I had the original Salvation Army pair because I was able to deconstruct how the (probably professional) tailor had hemmed them, keeping the original hemline intact. It took me probably 4 hours of doing and re-doing my new jeans this weekend, but I have figured it out as of this morning! I am so totally excited! I am not sure if I really saved myself that much money by doing it myself but I think the satisfaction of learning how to do this in the future is so fun!