The Madewell Jeans I Own Three Pairs of Are On Sale Right Now
My Gmail inbox currently has 21,087 unread messages. Inbox Zero people often ask me how I function, and I assure them it’s mostly where junk emails go to die—but amid the graveyard of Seamless notifications, Verizon bills, and shopping newsletters, there’s one subject line that never fails to actually make me click: “Madewell Sale.”
I’m very much a sucker for the Madewell aesthetic. I gravitate toward a quirky logo tee, oversized jacket, and leather slides like a Kardashian does to spandex. What I can’t stop buying religiously, though, are its jeans—specifically, its high-rise skinnies. Now, I realize in the era of more–is–more denim, this is a relatively boring obsession. But what I can say? The heart wants what it wants, and for me, that’s a pair of really stretchy (but never baggy) black skinny jeans.
Luckily, Madewell offers sales on the reg. Discounts on denim, however, are usually more few and far between—which is why when the news about its Insiders Event (which is running now through Monday) hit my inbox, it immediately grabbed my attention.
If you’re a Madewell Insider (if you’re not, it’s free to sign up for), everything is 15-percent off, even denim and leather. That means my one true denim love, the 9″ High-Rise Skinny Jeans, are $20 off.
These jeans aren’t trendy or flashy, but they’re incredibly reliable: They fit curvy and straight frames, thanks to the below-your-belly-button rise and “Magic Pockets” that keep the front from bunching. And because they’re so simple, they make the perfect foundation to anything: Add a blousy, puff-sleeve top; or a coat and shoes you really want to show off. The denim is so soft and comfortable, sometimes I don’t even take them off when I get home, which is really saying something.
They also come in Madewell’s new extended sizes. I teeter between a 12 and 14, and where finding a pair in stock at the end of the spectrum used to be tougher, the fits now go up to a denim size 37. Plus, if you’re short like me (5’3″) and you buy them in-store, they’ll tailor them for you. (Although lately, I’ve just been cutting off the hems myself so they’re more bedraggled, which I think makes them look a tiny bit cooler.)
I wear my Madewell jeans so often, I cycle through a pair about every four months, until the fabric wears down at the inner-thigh and rips. I’ve started buying them in bulk so I can rotate the time in between wearing them. I get that having to buy a new pair of jeans every season sounds a like huge inconvenience—and it is. But here’s where Madewell has it going for itself: If you bring your jeans back in with a receipt (which they give you the option to email to yourself so you don’t lose it), the brand will let you exchange them for a new pair. And in the five years I’ve been shopping there, I’ve never once had a problem.
Sure, digging the receipt out of my inbox takes forever for obvious reasons, but it’s a small cost to pay. Now excuse me, I have some shopping to do.
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