{Day 19} Finding The Right Jeans: 13 Do’s and Don’ts!

Jeans have come a long way baby! Jeans worn by women in their 40s, 50s and 60s can make us look young and hip. It’s all about finding the right jeans.

Of course, there’s do’s and don’ts that go along with wearing jeans and because I know you ladies love these lists, let’s get started!

The Don’ts of wearing jeans: (nothing ages you like these!)

  • Don’t wear jeans with an elastic waistband.
  • Don’t wear high-rise jeans(these come up all the way up to your waist) or the opposite, super low rise jeans. Low rise jeans expose love handles!
  • Don’t wear faded or washed out jeans.
  • No ripped jeans!
  • Don’t wear jeans that cut into your stomach area. Muffin tops are not flattering.
  • Don’t overdo the embellishments on jeans. (It’s best to avoid embellishments all together.)
  • I don’t think I have to say this but women over 40 should never show their stomach, even if it looks good.

The Do’s of wearing jeans:

  • Do wear darker styles. They’re slimming and look dressier.
  • Do have several styles. Boot cut are the most flattering.
  • The straight leg style is more flattering than skinny jeans on women over 40 unless your body is equally straight and skinny. Either way, both can look good with a tunic or longer top.
  • Wide leg jeans can look good if worn with a heel. Make sure they’re long enough, usually one-eighth to one-quarter inch from the floor.
  • Choose the smaller size if you’re unsure. Jeans usually stretch out a bit.
  • Do check the rear area. Some jeans can make your rear area look too big! (Or in my case just bigger!)

I usually buy my jeans at TJMaxx but the more expensive the jeans the better they are supposed to fit. I’m thinking I might invest in a more expensive pair at some point.

Target and Banana Republic both have jeans that would look great on women over 40.

Do you wear jeans? What’s your favorite brand? I’d love to know!

I love hearing from you and I’m so glad you’re enjoying my 31 day series. I love to chat on facebook, you can follow me on facebook here, I also love to add things to my pinterest boards and if you’d like to follow some of my pictures throughout the day, you can follow me on Instagram.

**If you’ve missed any of my posts in this series or want to start from the beginning you can go here!

Beauty For the Heart~~Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
Linking to: Monday Mingle

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  1. I am slender and athletic so, in theory, low- or mid-rise jeans should look and feel good on me. However, I am long waisted and low- or mid-rise jeans do not work well for me. If the rise is too short, the jeans or often uncomfortable in the crotch. Additionally, I cannot keep my shirts tucked in and the torso to leg proportions look unflattering. So, please don’t negate “high-rise” jeans for every single person….some body types are not flattered by mid-rise jeans, even if the person is slender and fit.

      1. My MIL is a rich, elegant and sophisticated woman who wears jeans and is 84. It’s about how you do it, not when.

  2. AGREE with Samara! Ralph Lauren’s London is a great fit. Denimology, Rag & Bone as well as AG are very flattering.

  3. LOVE YOUR SITE!!!

    HOWEVER, if you are plus 40 as I am and you can still rock distressed ripped jeans with a cute polished blazer. GO FOR IT! LIFE IS TO SHORT!!!

    =)

  4. I’m 41 and wear high waisted, distressed, and super skinny jeans. I think it depends on your body type, lifestyle and personality. Elastic waist, well duh, but stretchy high rise and mid rise can be very slimming. Especially for that muffin top. Joe’s jeans are a premium brand that is slightly cheaper and make great jeans. Also check out Blank denim.

  5. What dept. at Wal-Mart? It seems mine only has Juniors and Women’s. What happened to people who are not teens and not in plus sizes?

  6. I like Miss Me and Sangreal jeans. They are lower cut and they look great! Also why would you say no faded or holy jeans? I love the distressed look! I’m 48. I work out hard and have a washboard stomach. I see nothing wrong showing the midriff. It can be done tastefully. Not everything looks right on every body style of course but I feel your don’t do list is a little “strict”

  7. I like trouser type jeans – believe they are Lee brand – not sure if they look good on me but im comfortable in them. Their no gap waist ones are great too. I’m short, curvy & big from hips down so nothing ever fits in waist/back. I hate strectch as it just seems to stick to my nice healthy calves & thighs!! But its in everything!! Length is a problem too! Short fits just right until washed but med is too long even with several washings. So off to a tailor I go for hemming, etc. Heard Coldwater Creek or Chicos have great jeans in different lengths but I’m not willing to pay that price yet so haven’t tried yet. Going to look into the Levi’s from Wal-Mart. Love this series!!

  8. I adore jeans! For your readers on a budget, I have found Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. Women’s Curvy Bootcut Jeans. You can purchase these at Walmart for $19.99 & they are fabulous! I’ve had mine for a few months now & I love that the dark wash hasn’t faded (wash in cold water, inside out) & I love how they fit my short frame & curvy figure. Very flattering for those of us on a small budget.
    ~ 40 in 25 more days!

  9. I LIVE in jeans in the fall and winter. Seriously, I wear them most days. And getting jeans that fit me well is hard. I’m fortunate that I’m extremely long-waisted, but I am also extremely short-legged. It seems that most jeans are made for women with long legs! And I have plantar fasciitis, so wearing heels is out of the question for me on most days. Jeans are the only item of clothing in which I will sometimes get a junior size rather than a misses’ size–I’ve learned that I can’t be picky about brand or size when it comes to jeans; I just have to try them on until I find some that fit!

    I will say that overall clothes shopping is rather annoying to me. I’m not very big, but honestly I probably shouldn’t wear the size that I wear. “Vanity sizing” might be good for our egos, but for the most part it’s just nuts. I think it would probably be good for most of us if our clothes were sized like men’s clothing.

  10. “Don’t wear jeans that cut into your stomach area. Muffin tops are not flattering.”

    This is true… unfortunately, this is a problem for me with almost ALL jeans. Where waistbands sit is basically my widest part, and almost all jeans are cut to narrow at the waistband. And, if I buy them to fit me at the waistband, then I absolutely swim in them elsewhere.

    Even when I do find a pair that fit semi-well, I end up with them feeling like they’re about to fall off when I’m standing up, but then they cut into my gut painfully when I sit down (and gap in the back at the same time… which I just don’t understand).

  11. I am in the process of losing baby weight (like a dummy, I gained almost 70lbs with my 1year old)…I normally settle into a 16(sometimes 14) at my normal weight and have better luck finding jeans that fit me in those sizes. I’m 5’11” and very curvy through the butt, hips, and thighs and smaller on top. I find tons of pants for tall and thin or short and plus size, but rarely for tall and plus size/curvy. I’m currently just back into a size 18, but some cuts I still have to buy bigger :(. Does anybody have any suggestions for jeans/pants that may work for me? Any ladies with similar shapes or sizes that care to share their secrets? As a single Mom I rarely (okay never) have a chance to just spend a day shopping and trying things on. I’d appreciate any help 🙂

  12. I like Gap curvy fit jeans. I love heels w jeans but I cant ever find them long enough. Maybe I just need to shop earlier in the season!

  13. Believe it or not Victoria’s Secret has great jeans in their catalog! I am a straighter build with thin legs so I have a hard time finding things that aren’t too loose. They come in a variety of rises, mid rise works great for me, and they aren’t super expensive! I just hit Hipster boot cut w/ flap back pockets and Midi Skinny jeans. I love them both! I may have to hem the Hipsters tho. Thanks Cyndi!!

  14. I have had good luck with multiple styles (boot cut, “skinny” cut) of jeans from the Limited. They often have sales, so they are pretty affordable. And nice, dark washes. Perfect fit for me!

  15. I used to love Lee jeans “Slender Secrets”; I went to get a new pair last week (at Kohls), and all the thighs were so tight! I don’t know if they’ve changed their cut, or I’ve changed my cut!
    I can’t wait to read the other comments and find some suggestions for new ones to try….wearing my yoga pants every day is not a great option!

  16. I love True Religion and AG jeans, but can’t afford to buy them now. I lost 18 lbs. over the last year, so now Target’s Skinny Jeans fit me great! I also went back to a classic jean recently…Levi’s. The fit is perfect for me. I do like the junior sizing better. It just works best for my body. I like the superlow 524 bootcut. 🙂

  17. Oh, I love jeans, too! I have them in several lengths and all dark wash! I have a pair I paid good money for – CAbi jeans – and I LOVE them. They were worth a little extra because they seriously slim me. Everyone kept asking if I’d lost weight {which I hadn’t} and I think they size them a bit differently because I can’t normally fit into a size 6! But, those jeans fit me! They are dressy and flattering and comfortable. I agree with all your jean do’s and don’ts !

    Becky B.
    http://www.organizingmadefun.com
    Organizing Made Fun

  18. Target fit #4—Curvy Fit. Its perfect for me and my curves! I bought 2 pair 2 years ago, wore one and put the other aside till this year. The first pair is still fairly dark and is holding up well, considering that I usually only wash them once a week and wear several days each time. I hardly wore jeans before these since I couldn’t get anything to fit right. I get compliments all the time and the price is definitely right–under $30.

  19. I love Ann Taylor Loft jeans. This year I got the skinny jeans, but they have them in “curvy” so they fit really well, (for us curvy people) and have enough stretch in them that they are SO comfortable. They are very slimming. I stay with the darker colors. They are a bit pricey, so wait for a sale. They run really good sales on a regular basis!

    Cyndi, I wish we lived closer so we could do coffee!! (wearing our cute jeans of course!)

  20. I was just looking at an Eddie Bauer email the other day and saw their “slightly curvy” line of jeans. (Usually shop there for the hubs but not for me.) After reading the reviews online I decided to go try them yesterday. LOVE them!!! They are great for my “curvier-than-I used-to-be” body. I like that they don’t seem to stretch too much (which I don’t like), but just enough to feel very comfortable! The regular rise was also perfect for my 5’9″ body so I didn’t have to buy a tall and have them hemmed! Score!

  21. I live in jeans! I am currently loving the Levis 512 “Perfectly Slimming” bootcuts and the trouser jeans from Coldwater Creek (you can really dress these up). I’d love to find a pair of the straighter/slimmer look ones, but I’m pear-shaped and haven’t found any I like yet 🙁 Maybe I’ll just have to skip that trend!

  22. I get Calvin Klein from TJMaxx or like stores. And I do what Cassie suggested- even calling sisters-in-law in another city with the code on the tag to get another pair that FINALLY fit! 🙂

  23. When you find a pair of jeans that fit perfectly and look good, buy at least two pair!! (because when you wait a year and hope they go on sale, you will be out of luck…)