My worst fitting-room experiences have always involved denim. It’s not because of a lack of options: I wear a size that’s abundantly stocked in most stores and online. (Normally, it’s a size 10.) Rather, it’s because of my body shape.
Not to fall into the old-school trope of comparing myself to a fruit, but I have what some would considered a “pear-shaped” body: small waist, big hips—but not in a proportional way. That means that, usually, jeans that fit my thighs and butt are too roomy at the waist; if I size down, though, they won’t make it past my knees. Over the years, I’ve gotten used to settling for jeans that are too big at the waist, just so my legs don’t feel trapped, and I’ll tuck in my shirt to fill in the gap that forms around the back. But I’ve never been able to walk up to the register with a pair I knew would fit just right. Instead, I’d take the waist gap as a given.
Last month, American Eagle launched a new style in its Ne(X)t Level 360 collection, which is made from a stretch fabric that’s meant to hug and conform to the body, with a tailored waistband that wouldn’t sag or gap. Available in sizes 00 through 20 online, these so-called “curvy jeggings” came in a range of washes, fits, and finishes. And they had started to generate somepositivefeedback on Twitter. I was intrigued.
American Eagle Ne(X)t Level Curvy High-Waisted Jegging, $44.95 $37.46, American Eagle
American Eagle Outfitters
American Eagle sent me its Curvy High-Waisted Jegging, which retails for just under $38. My immediate first impression: Though they’re called “jeggings,” this pair looked and felt a lot like skinny jeans—the fabric was just stretchier.
The main difference between these and all the other jeans I’d tried (and been disappointed by) in the past was how they sat on my waist after I had zipped and buttoned them up. The high-rise lands just above my belly button, without space leftover in the back; my thighs and butt, meanwhile, are hugged by the fabric, not choked. The waist gap I’ve come to expect? Nowhere to be found.
Courtesy of Halie LeSavage
I wore the jeans for a few days, and even after multiple #OOTDs, the waistband held its shape. (I’d always feel frustrated when I thought I’d found denim that fit in the store, but would be totally stretched out by the second wear.) It’s a relief to find jeans suited to curvy-on-the-bottom bodies that don’t require tailoring or other compromises—and at a store that I’ve shopped since middle school.
Courtesy of Halie LeSavage
Skinny jeans are, admittedly, not my favorite cut, so I’m hoping that American Eagle will expand this line into other silhouettes, like straight-leg jeans or kick flares. For now, though, I’m feeling pretty satisfied with this fit-to-my-shape pair.
Buy it now: American Eagle Ne(X)t Level Curvy High-Waisted Jegging, $44.95 $37.46, American Eagle
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Coveralls or jumpsuits come in handy when you don’t want to deal with the logistics of a Canadian tuxedo, matching your denim separates and whatnot. Stella McCartney sent some zip-front, acid-wash styles down the spring 2019 runway. If you want something a little more muted, look to more structured options in darker colors, like this one from 3×1‘s new collection.
The question for Grede and Kardashian was whether another underserved segment of shoppers—this time, pregnant women—would shell out $149 and up for a pair of jeans that have a relatively short shelf life. Grede was confident.
“Women don’t abandon their desire for fashionable, well-fitting clothing when they’re expecting or becoming new moms,” she tells Glamour.
PHOTO: Good American
An image from Good American’s ‘Good Mama’ lookbook, starring Khloe Kardashian.
Unlike many brands who take a one-size-fits-all approach to pregnancy-specific clothing, Good American decided to look at their maternity denim line “Good Mama” more holistically. It developed two fits: one for the beginning stages of a pregnancy (called “the Honeymoon”) and one for the end (labeled “the Home Stretch”). Grede also recognized the life of Good American maternity jeans would be longer than just the months of pregnancy. “We know that most women wear maternity clothes for months after having their baby,” she says.
Good American’s maternity jeans were a success from the moment they hit shelves in the spring of 2018. (It didn’t hurt that Kardashian was pregnant at the time of the launch and could show them off on Instagram.) While Grede wouldn’t share sales numbers, she says the collection sold out quickly. The line has been so successful that Good American dropped six additional washes since it debuted in 2016. “The demand for Good Mama was much higher than we expected,” Grede notes.
To understand why $149 well-fitting pregnancy jeans are so in demand, you just need to look at the long-complicated relationship women have had with fashion and their expectant bodies.
PHOTO: Eamonn M. McCormack
Kate Middleton wearing jeans while pregnant earlier this year.
In the early- and mid-20th century, showing one’s pregnant belly was treated as a faux-pas. (“Be entirely free from embarrassment of a noticeable appearance during a trying period,” read one 1923 maternity wear ad in Good Housekeeping). Women continued to feel pressure to hide their pregnancies for career-related reasons (something that still happens today, of note) but 1988 saw a big cornerstone, thanks to Gela Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy: The design duo debuted a line of maternity denim as part of their first joint design venture, Travis Jeans (it would later become Juicy Couture), which would be considered one of the first ventures into this category. Melanie Griffith wore them while pregnant with Dakota Johnson, and a trend was born.
By the 1990s, Demi Moore was nude on the cover of Vanity Fair while seven-months pregnant, expectant celebrities wore bodycon dresses and crop tops on the red carpet, and “bump watch” became a thing in the tabloids. Still, the marketplace was slow to catch up.
PHOTO: Noel Vasquez
Mila Kunis wears denim while pregnant in October 2016.
When Cecile Reinaud launched the London-based maternity label Séraphine in 2002, there weren’t many premium denim options on the market. The “skinny” jeans she released that year “was our first-ever star product,” she says. “The news about them spread by word of mouth, and I remember they sold out so quickly I had to create a waiting list for them.”
“Finding the perfect pair of jeans that works with your body shape can be difficult enough when you’re not pregnant—add a baby bump into the equation and it becomes quite a challenge,” Reinaud says. She credits the success of Séraphine’s denim to its unique approach to fit: She created two versions of the same style—one for women who want their jeans to fall below their bump, and one for those who want them to fall above. (“We find that some customers love one or the [other],” she explains.) She also worked to make sure the jeans had the right amount of stretch so they’d hold their shape, but not so much that they looked like stretch pants.
Since they debuted 16 years ago, Séraphine’s maternity jeans have been worn by Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, and Kate Middleton. “Over the years we have sold millions of pairs of jeans to pregnant women,” she attests, noting jeans now make up 15% of Séraphine’s overall sales.
PHOTO: Pedro Antunes
A lookbook image from Seraphine.
Séraphine’s jeans mostly hover at $99—more expensive than fast-fashion brands, but not totally out of reach for a wide range of shoppers. Reinaud says the pricing was deliberate on her part: “At Séraphine’s we always like to match the prices that you’d expect to pay for the same product in a non-maternity style. The idea that women should pay more for their clothes just because they’re pregnant is ludicrous to me.”
Increasingly, though, as brands test the waters of designer maternity denim, they’re also testing the limits of just how much women will spend on a pair of maternity jeans. It’s a bet backed by industry predictions: The maternity market is expected to grow to $7 billion by 2023 (the birthrate in the U.S., meanwhile, has dipped to a 30-year low.) And it’s the designer category that’s leading the way.
Beyond Good American, Joe’s maternity jeans start at $168, Paige’s at $189, and MOTHER’s at above the $200 mark. Upscale maternity line Hatch partnered with denim brand Current x Elliott on a capsule collection, with pieces starting at $258, while a pair of overalls runs $378.
PHOTO: David Krieger/Bauer-Griffin
Olivia Wilde wearing Hatch x Current/Elliott overalls while pregnant in September 2016.
Ariane Goldman, founder of Hatch, tells Glamour that “jeans are consistently top sellers for us,” and while the Current x Elliott collaboration had a limited run, she hinted that she has her own denim line in the works.
So what gets shoppers to spend that kind of money on maternity jeans, something they will theoretically only wear for a few months? According to Goldman, the general feedback she gets for her jeans is that “they’re as close to what our customer was wearing before pregnancy. Our customer feels like herself in them.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by shoppers: While they can get away with pulling from their existing wardrobe throughout their pregnancies, their favorite jeans usually can’t make the cut.
PHOTO: Christian Vierig
Street-style star Veronika Heilbrunner wearing jeans while pregnant in February 2018.
New York-based fashion photographer Sophie Elgort, who had a baby six-months ago, tells Glamour two pairs of jeans by Séraphine and a pair of pants by Hatch were her sole fashion purchases during her pregnancy, spurred by the fact that her pre-pregnancy pants just didn’t fit.
“I barely bought any maternity clothes at all,” she says. “Jeans were it, so I felt good about buying those and I’ll save them for next pregnancy or hand them down to friends who need them. For all the other clothes I either wore pieces from my closet that had room around the belly like long sweaters and some dresses and I did Rent the Runway Unlimited for everything else.”
Elgort says she also ended up wearing her maternity jeans and pants after she gave birth, too—something she wasn’t expecting, but that she thinks made the purchase even more worthwhile: “They were more comfortable than my regular pants and I couldn’t fit back into my regular pants for a little.”
PHOTO: Michael Stewart
Sophie Elgort wearing jeans while pregnant in November 2017.
Retailers specializing in the maternity space have caught on to Elgort’s point. Because buying pants and jeans while pregnant can be tough, shoppers are wiling to splurge.
Jennifer Bowers, General Merchandise Manager for A Pea in the Pod, the largest maternity chain in the U.S., says pants and jeans are top performers for the retailer, particularly in the designer category. “Our customer is willing to spend money on clothes that get them through their entire pregnancy—for example, high quality denim, work friendly pants, and everyday casual pants,” she explains, pointing to brands like J Brand, 7 For All Mankind, AG, and Joes as strong performers for the retailer.
Other demographic shifts pointed out by retail analytics firm EDITED’s recent analysis of the maternity market also get at why women are increasingly overlooking price tags when it comes to maternity staples—namely, that women are increasingly working through their pregnancies and are having children later in life, when they have more disposable income.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Hatch
A lookbook image from the Hatch x Current/Elliott collaboration.
In other words, $250 jeans are probably just scratching the surface at the opportunity for brands in this space.
“For a while, there was this trend of women trying to make their clothes last as long as possible before switching [to maternity clothes,” Reinaud says. “Some would even boycott maternity altogether, just buying huge shapeless styles in larger sizes than usual… I think women are now coming back around to the idea that investing in maternity clothes is the best option.”
Once you find the one denim style you feel suits you, you’re less likely to dabble in anything else. You get comfortable in your skinny jeans or high-waisted flares—and, over time, other silhouettes just start feeling … less right. Intimidating, even. Before you know it, you might convince yourself that a trend or a shape isn’t for you, without ever trying it on, the very idea of it feeling entirely too foreign. We refer to this phenomenon a “denim fear”—an item you’ve never touched or have sworn off, but might remain curious about.
When we asked Glamour staffers about their denim fears, we found surprising ones: a one-time overall devotee shrinking at its revival, a jean obsessive who found cropped flares beyond intimidating, and a denim editor who couldn’t handle the thought of wearing blue jeans. Still, there was a desire to make it work. So we challenged them to face their denim fear, with the help of a stylist (who so happened to hold a denim fear herself), in order to convince them to step marginally outside their comfort zone.
Behold, the results.
Amy Hou, fashion market editor: Denim-on-denim
PHOTO: Michelle Sulcov
For Amy, the challenge was two-fold: She would be styling all the intrepid participants, while she herself facing a denim fear.
As Glamour’s denim editor, Amy pretty much knows everything there is to know on the subject: trends, differences between styles, nuances of washes, and so on. But, ironically, she herself doesn’t wear denim.
Regardless of the season, Amy can typically be found wearing black and white almost exclusively. That leaves little room for blue denim. So she slowly started purging it from her wardrobe until it was far, far in the rear-view mirror.
“For some reason, blue and black are one of those color combinations that elicit a sort of chemical reaction in my brain that tells me they don’t belong together,” she explains. “It’s not exactly the blue denim itself—it’s when I have to style it with black that it becomes a problem for me. I don’t feel like myself.” On other people? Not an issue. She just can’t picture it on herself.
“I look at and work with blue denim almost every day—a lot of chic pieces come in only shades of blue, and it makes me sad, because I’d never buy it,” Amy says. “Even if I do love something, I just know I’d never wear it.”
Naturally, we thought a Canadian tuxedo would be her match. Luckily, she was game: “I felt an obligation as the denim editor to participate.”
“I’m very particular about fit, and I know what works for my body,” Amy says. To really hit her three main criterias—texture, shape, and cut—she made her own two-piece set from Trave Denim (for the jacket) and AG (for the jeans). “The jacket was basic, clean, dark blue denim, but it was the boxy, longline silhouette that made it special,” she notes. Amy liked that the AG jeans were “a straight-leg, cropped style with a wide cuff” that made it stand out. The dark wash was what made it for Amy: Close enough to black, it was closer to what she’ll wear in her day-to-day. “Overall, I felt like I wore the silhouettes I usually do, and was pretty comfortable,” Amy says. “I don’t even wear a lot of denim to begin with, but going all-out didn’t feel as foreign as I thought it would.”
On Amy: AG The Rhett Cuffed Jeans, $215, Shopbop; The Row Nude Leather Sandals, $730, Selfridges; Trave jacket.
“I’ve long looked to street style as a source of outfit inspiration but it’s no secret that there’s a severe lack of body diversity in the women represented,” Lindsay says. As someone who fluctuates between a size 12 and 14, it’s really difficult to gauge what a trend will look like on me.”
That’s been the case with cropped flare jeans, she explains, a denim style that’s gone from trend to staple in just a few seasons. “I love the look—a kicky hem with a pair of white boots is exactly my dream aesthetic—but every time I’ve come close to buying a pair, I chicken out and go with my fail-safe skinny jeans I know I feel comfortable in,” she adds.
Lindsay says it’s been years since she wore flares (the last time she remembers wearing them: when she worked at Hollister after school), and she generally avoids cropped pants because of her body type (5’3”, curvy, and what you would call “hourglass”). “The idea that I’d have to try these jeans on and then be photographed in them was terrifying,” she notes. But she was willing to revisit the style for the sake of a story.
“The key to making these jeans look like a look is the boots,”she says. “The above-the-ankle length and pointy toe help elongate my legs so it doesn’t look like the cropped silhouette is visually cutting me off at my calfs. I could see my myself wearing the pairing with sweaters, graphic tees, a tank and a leather jacket—really, any kind of top.”
On Lindsay: Gap High Rise Crop Flare Jeans with Raw Hem, $40.99, Gap; See by Chloe Block Stripe Sweater, $425, Shopbop; Ulla Johnson coat; Zara Leather High-Heel Ankle Boot, $129, Zara.
Tess Kornfeld, editorial assistant: Overalls
PHOTO: Michelle Sulcov
For Tess, the revival of the denim overall presented somewhat of a conundrum.
“If you’ve known me since childhood, you’ll remember my obsession with a pair of Old Navy ones—they were just the right cropped length to show off my favorite Converse hot pink high tops—and I loved them so much that I insisted on wearing them every single day in the fifth grade,” she remembers. “But when I went through puberty and my body changed, I no longer reached for my beloved overalls.” She felt that the parts of her body she was most insecure about—a flat butt and big boobs—were on full display whenever she wore them: “I can’t hide from those insecurities in overalls; you immediately notice my lack of butt and the typical bib top brings attention to my abundant chest. Long gone were the days where I could rock them and feel good in my look.”
Tess would see overalls on the rack and online, but could never really see herself wearing them. Though, by the time Instagram and its fashion group-think came around, she started to get a change of heart. “I’m tempted basically any time I’m on my phone to give into the trend,” she says. “One person I follow, the blogger Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What, just designed a line of denim and linen overalls called Second Skin Overalls and I’ve been very close to buying them.” The only thing holding her back? “None of the fit models look like me.”
Still, Tess was open to reuniting with her once-beloved overalls. So Amy set out to find a pair that had a loose, boxy fit around the chest and bum (to address Tess’ fit concerns, and also to allow for easy layering underneath) and with a straight, cropped leg (to maintain a polished silhouette).
“I was hesitant to try on overalls because I really wasn’t in the mood to feel bad about myself,” Tess admits. “But I also was fully confident in Amy’s styling and knew she’d never put me in something that wasn’t fashun.”
“I think the trick to feeling confident in overalls for me is making sure I layer something that’s really fun underneath,” Tess says. “In this case, lavender is my favorite color—I know I look good in that shade of purple, and the sweater was incredibly soft. I think having a sweater underneath that I’d wear the hell out of made me feel much much better about it all.” She could also see herself wearing a patterned shirt, or another bright layer underneath it.
On Tess: GRLFRND Alek Slouchy Overalls, $378, Revolve; Veja V-12 Velcro Trainer, $155, Garmentory; Rachel Comey Moto Hoop Earrings in Shell, $150, Need Supply; Joie sweater.
I would consider a denim jacket to be a staple in anyone’s closet, yet I didn’t own one that I loved and consistently wore. And I happen to be a denim editor.
I attribute this to a number of things: I don’t wear a lot of denim (ironic, I know), I’m very picky when it comes to fit, and, in an ideal world, I need everything in my closet to be versatile enough for a variety of occasions. Plus, I tend to favor oversized, more masculine pieces, and the denim jackets available on the market for women don’t exactly cater to this—always too fitted or cropped for my liking.
If I ever felt the need for a denim jacket, I would reach for my husband’s black Levi’s trucker jacket. Even though I liked that it was too big for me, the proportions felt inherently off—it was cut differently, the shoulders and torso not aligning with my shape. I would push up the sleeves, turn up the cuffs, pull down the shoulders… But still. It wasn’t a viable solution. My husband and I also have a dog and love being active outdoors—translation: Fur, slobber, and dirt are pretty much always on our clothes.
PHOTO: Michelle Sulcov
Because this fabric is considered the workhorse of clothing, denim jackets and jeans should, theoretically be able to transition from an everyday wardrobe to an active one. In my experience, that hasn’t always been the case, though. A denim jacket can be a great as an add-on to an fitness outfit, to style up performance fabrics and tone down the overall active look—but getting a muddy paw print or soaking up in sweat usually means it goes straight into the wash.
So, when Proof Collective promised a trucker jacket made with water- and stain-repellent, odor-resistant technical fabric in the very silhouette I’d been hunting for—oversized, but cropped so it reads cool and effortless, while still being flattering—at an affordable price point? Well, I was intrigued.
Retailing at $195 (currently, it’s available for pre-order), Proof Collective’s signature jacket comes in light blue, dark blue, and faded black. And its fabric delivers on its promises: Water rolls off of the denim almost like a raincoat, and it dries quicker than a regular jacket; stains as heavy as oil or as sticky as wine can be rinsed off with water, or, if dried, removed in the wash. It’s also treated with an antimicrobial that protects against odor-causing bacteria. On top of all of that, the fabric is Bluesign-approved, meaning it’s certified environmentally-friendly and non-toxic.
I wore this jacket consistently for two weeks in the midst of summer in New York: to and from my workout classes (reluctantly putting it on while still dripping sweat); while walking my dog in sunny 90º weather (wiping the sweat from my brow with the sleeves); during one of those sporadic, torrential downpours (hesitantly sticking my arm out from under my umbrella, and watching in disbelief as the rain rolled right off); to the office and on the weekend. The jacket came out on the other side—without a hint of odor, sweat, or stain to show what it had been through.
PHOTO: Michelle Sulcov
More importantly to me, though, is that it proved to be the perfect hero item to bridge different gaps in my closet. My work wardrobe and weekend wardrobe are completely different—if I have any errands in the evening, I’ll always have to go home to change first—but this jacket is one of the only pieces I own that works for both work and leisure, morning and evening, without ever looking out of place.
After this summer—i.e. extreme weather—wear-test, I can foresee this jacket being a staple for me year-round. I love that I finally have a piece that has performance qualities while not looking like activewear and that I can wear in almost every situation without worrying about getting it wet or dirty. It might not seem like a huge deal but being as knowing the denim market is part of my job yet I myself didn’t have a tried and true jacket I could vouch for because of fit, color, style, or versatility, this discovery is an incredible addition to my wardrobe. The best part: I no longer have to share my clothes.
You look to the runway for styling ideas, to get a head start on trends that won’t manifest for another six months, and to figure out what gaps might exist in your current wardrobe. Those three things converge when it comes to shopping for a new season’s worth of denim: For their Fall 2018 shows, designers offered us fresh takes on a staple you might not think to update, but might feel compelled to after seeing these looks.
Ahead, check out five of the biggest runway denim trends for the season, made shoppable. From acid washes to patchwork finishes, see which one (or ones) you want to incorporate into your fall rotation.
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