Jeans, jeans and more jeans (featuring my favourite socks)

 This evening, after Journalism School, I went on a maternally-sanctioned hunt for a pair of jeans. This proved to be a bit of a mission, as usual, despite the fact I only went to two shops, Gap and Uniqlo (I'm going to have to start charging them for advertising), before I'd had enough and wanted to go home. I tried on lots and lots of jeans, and took pictures of the ones I quite liked. Embark with me upon a voyage of denim discovery!

First up, Gap:

I had to guesstimate my size, as it's been so long since I last tried jeans on. A 30/30 made me look a bit like a (slightly conservative) rapper. I went for 28/30, but they were still a bit roomy at the back of the waistband (usually a problem for me, admittedly), although less so with the skinny jeans.

1: 1969 Skinny (£29.50)

1: 1969 Skinny jeans, in a nice dark-washed denim.

I like the quality of jeans in Gap, which is the reason it was my first stop. These were comfy, not too tight anywhere and a useful shade of denim (although it didn't come out too well in the picture). My problem here is that I'm still not sure about skinny jeans. I may be growing to love my (mostly thermal) leggings (although I tend to wear them under trousers as well, these days...), but skinny jeans? My own boyfriend has told me I can look 'stumpy' from a distance, so clearly I need to be careful. I am also genetically blessed with cyclist's thighs. 7/10

2: 1969 Always Skinny £39.50

2: 1969 Always Skinny, washed denim

Again with the skinny jeans thing! They do fit well around the hips (too well...?) and are pretty comfy. Again, I like the colour. A lighter denim, so less easy to dress up, but will go with more of my casual clothes. 7/10

3: Long and lean Stretch (39.95)

3: Long and lean Stretch jeans, dark blue denim

These felt much more me, I must admit. Looking at the pictures, though, I'm not sure if they're as flattering... Comfortable, with a bit of a flare, but (as mentioned above) a little loose around the waist. Not sure a 26 would fit, though. I do like these, but in retrospect I don't think I liked them the most. 6/10

4: Curvy Stretch (£45) 

4: Curvy Stretch jeans, in black denim

Black is calling me again! So easy to wear, and it matches almost all my clothes! I liked the denim, and preferred the cut to the Long and leans, but they're that little bit more expensive, and they were the worst offenders on the loose-waist front. I didn't see any smaller sizes. 7/10

 Next up, Uniqlo:

(Uniqlo only does skinny jeans, or some variation thereon, as it turns out. However, they do in-between sizes, which is useful, as judging by the jeans I tried on there I am a 27/30. Sadly, their jeans come in a standard 33 length, although they do do same-day alterations)

 Maybe it's just the way I'm standing in these pictures, but wow, hips.

Also Uniqlo wins on the changing-room front.

5: Perfect Shape Straightleg Jeans (£29.95)

5: Perfect Shape Straightleg Jeans, stretchy light denim

Apart from the slightly excessive length, I rather liked these! I liked the denim colour, they were comfortable and the denim was nice and soft. On the downside, just look at my hips! Would I attain a complex wandering around wearing these? Quite light fabric, too (I resisted the thermal jeans)... They looked more skinny than straight leg. 7/10

6: Women Knit Leggings Trousers (£24.99)

6: Women Knit Leggings Trousers, stretchy jegging-type things

Aside from the fact that the name sounds like a quaint but dull headline, these were a bit of a cheat. I was  hankering after leggings again after just an hour and a half of jean shopping - they're so much easier to buy! These were the comfiest thing ever, I should add. Not really jeans, though... 6/10


There you have it! I would have been happy to own any of these, to be honest (I'm down to one regularly-worn pair of jeans these days), but I marked harshly for reviewing's sake! I may have to go jeans shopping again (I didn't actually buy any, just did a bit of industrial espionage), but not until the weekend.

I did spot a very nice coat in Uniqlo:

Coat-ilicious!

Down from £99.99 to £49.99. I was very tempted to just buy it then and there, but I didn't want to wipe out my funds. I do want a new coat, but I suspect it's going to have to wait until after Christmas (but I tried on the small, in case anyone extremely generous is reading this...). Seriously, though, coat shopping is so much easier than jeans shopping! You can just try one on out on the shop floor and you only have to worry about taking pictures surreptitiously. 

That's it for now, as it is late.

Goodnight, and may you dream of jeans!