I Tried on a Gazillion Pairs of Jeans So You Don’t Have To

And you know what I learned?

Always trust your instincts—and what’s tried and true for you—not the trends.

I have a short torso, an athletic-but-curvy build and long legs for a 5’2″ baddie. Do not put me in petites.

But here’s the thing: it has taken me a surprising number of dressing rooms, questionable rear views and jeans I couldn’t wait to peel off my body to fully understand what actually works for me.

For years, I automatically reached for high-rise jeans. High-rise was the silhouette. High-rise was flattering. High-rise held everything in. High-rise was what we were apparently all supposed to be wearing.

Except…

High-rise isn’t really my friend.

And 32-inch inseams? They may have been perfectly reasonable in my 20s when I regularly wore sky-high heels (even to work) but these days, 30 inches is about as far as I’m willing to go.

Then there’s another lesson I’ve had to accept: some really great denim brands simply aren’t cut for me. Womp womp.

And that’s okay.

Because the brands I love have yet to do me dirty. Thankfully.

First: Know Your Own Proportions

One of my biggest denim-shopping mistakes has been assuming that certain sizing rules should apply to me.

I’m 5’2″, therefore I should buy petite.

Nope. No thank you.

My height might technically qualify, but my proportions don’t cooperate. I have a shorter torso and longer legs, with an athletic, curvier build through my hips, thighs and butt.

Petite jeans can shorten things I don’t need shortened or change the proportions of the jean in places where I don’t need them changed.

The same thing happened with high-rise denim.

After years of automatically gravitating toward higher rises, I finally started paying attention to what I was actually seeing in the mirror instead of what the tag, or the trend, told me should look good.

Mid-rise is my sweet spot.

It gives my short torso a little breathing room while still giving me the coverage and shape I want.

Sometimes the problem isn’t your body.

Sometimes it’s literally just the rise of the pants.

My Inseam Has Changed Because My Life Has Changed

There was a time when a 32-inch inseam made complete sense in my wardrobe.

That was also the era when I thought nothing of putting on a serious heel for a regular Tuesday at the office.

That woman had places to be.

And apparently calves of steel.

Today? I still love a heel, but I’m not building my entire denim wardrobe around four-inch shoes.

For a full-length jean, 30 inches is about my max now.

That’s an important distinction because our clothing needs don’t only change when our bodies change. They change when our lifestyles change.

Before deciding that a pair of jeans is too long or too short, think about the shoes you’re actually going to wear with them—not the imaginary outfit involving heels you haven’t worn since 2019.

And While We’re Establishing Rules: Absolutely No Button Fly

I don’t care how good the jeans look.

I don’t care if they’re $250 marked down to $39.99.

I don’t care if they make my butt look like it was personally sculpted by Michelangelo.

I will NEVER wear a button fly.

Only a psychopath does.

Sorry not sorry. I said what I said.

How do you PEEEEEEEEE?!

When I have to go, I have to GO. I do not have time to stand in a bathroom stall negotiating with four tiny metal buttons while my bladder sends increasingly urgent emergency notifications to my brain.

And then I have to button them all back up again?!

No.

We invented the zipper for a reason. Society progressed. I will be participating in that progress.

This is also an excellent example of why I don’t care how trendy, expensive or “perfect” a pair of jeans is supposed to be.

If they don’t work for the way you actually live, they’re not the perfect jeans.

The Suite List Denim Commandment: Zipper fly or it’s goodbye.

A Designer Label Doesn’t Mean It’s Your Denim Brand

This month’s denim experiment involved a LOT of dressing rooms.

I tried the expensive brands. The mall brands. The familiar brands. The brands I’d heard were amazing. The pairs that looked incredible on the hanger. The pairs that should have worked based on every measurement on the tag.

Some were great.

Some were aggressively mediocre.

Some made me turn around, look at my butt in the three-way mirror and immediately say, “Absolutely not.”

Here’s what I’ve finally accepted:

A great denim brand does not have to be a great denim brand for me.

Different brands use different fit models, rises, hip-to-waist ratios, pocket placements and proportions. You can love the quality of a brand and still hate every pair on your body.

Stop fighting the jeans.

How I Shop High-End Denim at Discount Stores

This is where things get interesting.

Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls and TJ Maxx can be fantastic places to find premium denim without paying premium-denim prices. But they can also convince you that you desperately need a pair of jeans simply because you recognize the label and see a dramatic markdown.

A $200+ pair of jeans for $89.99 feels like a score.

However, it is only a score if you actually want to wear them.

When I spot premium denim at an off-price store, I look beyond the brand name.

Check the actual cut.

Straight, slim straight, bootcut, flare, wide leg, boyfriend… ignore what you’re “supposed” to be wearing and start with silhouettes you already know work for you.

Check the rise.

This has become one of my first checks. “High-rise” can mean very different things depending on the brand, so if possible, look for the actual rise measurement.

Check the inseam.

Especially with premium denim, because some of those jeans are LONG.

Unless you’re willing to have them hemmed, don’t convince yourself you’ll suddenly become a six-inch-platform person because the jeans were on clearance.

Check the fabric content.

How much stretch is in there? Is it mostly rigid cotton? Does it feel like it will relax significantly with wear?

A jean that looks phenomenal while you’re standing perfectly still under fluorescent dressing-room lighting still needs to survive an actual day.

Look at the pockets.

TURN. AROUND.

Rear-pocket placement can completely change how your butt looks. Too low, too wide, too small, too far apart… there are a plethora of expensive jeans capable of committing all the crimes back there.

The label cannot save bad pocket placement.

Move.

Sit.

Walk.

Bend.

Squat a little.

And for the love of all things denim, look at yourself from the side.

We’re buying pants to live in, not to stand motionless in a fitting room.

The Denim That Actually Won

After all those dressing rooms, brands and questionable rear views, one name kept rising to the top:

KUT from the Kloth.

At this point, I have to give them their flowers. KUT has consistently made denim that works with my athletic-but-curvy shape, and this latest round of try-ons only confirmed it.

And here’s what’s interesting: my favorites aren’t all the same silhouette or even the same rise.

So while I’ve learned that I generally prefer a mid-rise on my shorter torso, I’m not turning that into another arbitrary fashion rule. If the proportions of the jean work, they work.

These are the pairs currently on my list:

KUT from the Kloth Natalie Mid-Rise Bootcut

This is exactly the kind of jean I mean when I say tried and true.

The Natalie gives me the mid-rise I’ve realized I prefer, while the bootcut works beautifully with my longer legs. It feels like a classic rather than a jean I’m going to look at two years from now and wonder what happened.

I like this cut enough that I recently found the Natalie in black corduroy at Nordstrom Rack and immediately scooped them up.

When a silhouette works, I’m perfectly happy to let it work in multiple fabrics and washes.

The Suite List verdict: Tried. True. Would absolutely buy again.

Shop the Natalie Mid-Rise Bootcut: [On mega sale!]

KUT from the Kloth Maya Fab Ab High Waist Wide Leg

Now here’s where I’m willing to contradict myself a little.

Yes, I just gave an entire speech about realizing high-rise isn’t generally my friend.

And yet…the Maya works.

That’s exactly why I don’t want us shopping according to rigid rules.

Rise is only one piece of the equation. The shape through the waist, hips and thighs, where the leg starts to widen, the pocket placement and the overall proportions all matter.

A tag saying “high waist” isn’t enough to make me automatically put a jean back anymore, but it isn’t enough to make me buy one either.

The Suite List verdict: Proof that the fitting-room mirror gets the final vote. Also perfect for work.

Shop the Maya Fab Ab High Waist Wide Leg: Nordstrom has it

KUT from the Kloth The Jean High Waist Wide Leg

Another high-waist jean!

I KNOW.

But again, this is why trying things on matters.

“The Jean” gives me the wide-leg silhouette without making my 5’2″ frame disappear underneath a mountain of denim. That’s an important distinction for me because I love the look of a wide leg, but some cuts can overwhelm my proportions very quickly.

This one works.

The Suite List verdict: Wide-leg without being swallowed alive.

Shop The Jean High Waist Wide Leg: Nordstrom wins again!

KUT from the Kloth Rachel Fab Ab Cropped Mom Jean

And then there’s Rachel.

The cropped mom jean gives me a completely different shape from the Natalie or the wide legs, which is exactly why I like having it in the denim rotation.

“Cropped” is also a much more useful word to me than “petite.” I don’t necessarily need the entire garment reproportioned for a petite frame—I sometimes just want a shorter inseam.

There is a difference.

The Suite List verdict: An easy casual jean and another reminder that 5’2″ does not automatically equal petite.

Shop the Rachel Fab Ab Cropped Mom Jean: So many styles of this one!

Apparently I’m a KUT Girl

I didn’t set out to make this a KUT from the Kloth appreciation post.

The jeans did that themselves.

And that’s really the point of this entire experiment.

When a brand repeatedly works with your proportions, pay attention.

That doesn’t mean every single pair they make will work. It doesn’t mean you stop trying anything new. And it definitely doesn’t mean you buy something just because their name is sewn into the waistband.

It means you’ve gathered useful information about yourself as a shopper.

I now know that when I’m flipping through a rack at Marshalls, TJ Maxx or Nordstrom Rack and spot that KUT label, I’m pulling the jeans out for a closer look.

I’m checking the cut.

I’m checking the rise.

I’m checking the inseam.

I’m checking the price.

And then I’m getting my butt into the dressing room.

Because KUT has earned the try-on.

And after the number of jeans I’ve put on this month?

That’s about as strong an endorsement as I can give.

A Couple of Denim Relationships Are Currently on a Break

LOFT

This one surprises me because I’ve been a LOFT denim fan.

I have owned pairs that worked really well for me, but lately? I’m just not as convinced.

I’ve tried several recent pairs from the Rivete line and keep walking away feeling…meh. Not to mention their Curvy line cannot be purchased in store (unless it was returned from an online order). And I’m not blind online ordering jeans. Ever.

Nothing is necessarily wrong with them. I’m just not getting that immediate “YES, these are the jeans” reaction anymore.

And I’m trying very hard to stop buying clothes that require convincing.

So LOFT denim and I are taking a little break.

NYDJ

Same story.

I have a few tried-and-true NYDJ pairs that I genuinely like, and those aren’t going anywhere.

But I’m not particularly excited about adding more right now.

That’s another lesson: you don’t owe a brand permanent loyalty because you loved something they made 3 years ago.

Keep the good pairs. Wear them. Love them.

And remain open to the possibility that your next favorite might come from somewhere else.

And One Denim Relationship Is OVER

Good American.

Specifically, the Always Fits jean.

Or, as I have personally renamed it:

Always Makes You Feel Awful As the Day Progresses.

I wanted to love the concept. A jean designed to stretch across multiple sizes and accommodate your body’s normal fluctuations? In theory, brilliant.

On my body?

Absolutely not.

First of all, getting them on was an EVENT.

You know how you put on Spanx? The shimmying. The jumping. The pulling. The strategic rearranging of body parts.

That.

Except these are jeans.

And once I finally got them on, they were megaaaaa high-rise on my short torso. All that extra “just in case” stretch and fabric that was supposed to accommodate my body had to go somewhere—and on me, it went straight to the midsection.

The belly pooch was POOCHING.

But here’s where they really lost me.

As the day went on, the jeans would literally start sliding down.

So now the jeans I had practically performed cardio to get INTO that morning were slowly migrating south, and I was spending the rest of the day hiking them back up by the belt loops.

Excuse me?!

We fought for our lives getting you onto my body six hours ago and now you’re trying to LEAVE?!

No.

That’s not “Always Fits.”

That’s Always Needs Adjusting.

And that’s exactly the kind of thing you can’t learn from standing in a fitting room for three minutes. A jean can technically fit. It can even look good when you first put it on.

But how does it feel after you’ve sat down? Walked around? Eaten lunch? Lived an actual human life?

For me, these failed the real-world test.

The Suite List verdict: Always Fits? Always fighting with them. Never again.

The Real Lesson From Trying on a Gazillion Jeans

I started this whole exercise thinking I’d find new brands.

Instead, I learned more about my own body.

I know my rise.

I know my inseam.

I know that being 5’2″ does not mean I need petite jeans.

I know which silhouettes make me feel good.

And I’m getting much better at recognizing when something isn’t working without immediately wondering what’s wrong with me.

Sometimes it’s just the damn pants.

The best jeans aren’t necessarily the newest pair, the most expensive pair or the pair TikTok has collectively decided everyone needs.

They’re the pair you forget you’re wearing.

The pair that makes your waist, butt and legs look good without requiring constant adjusting.

The pair you instinctively reach for when you’re getting dressed.

The pair that makes you look in the mirror and think, Yep. There she is.

Trust that.

Your body probably already told you what works.

You just have to stop letting the trends talk over it.