In the Dark About Which Jeans Suit You Best? That Might Be a Good Thing!

I enjoy ordering clothes online, but notice that I tend to order more dresses and tops than pants. I think it’s because I have better luck with things I’m not expecting to expertly hug and enhance my curvy hips, belly and booty.

I’d been hearing good things about Old Navy’s jeans, but never tried them, so when they had a big sale, I ordered a bunch to compare.

I prefer high-waisted pants – everything stays where I want it to and they’re less likely to roll at the waist when I sit down. Old Navy’s high-waisted jeans have Secret-Slim pockets that “hold you in, while an interior elastic waistband helps shape and smooth,” which sounded wonderful.

Many of the styles offered were cropped, but I wanted full length. I’m 5’5” and speculated that if I ordered long inseams, the cropped pants would be full-length on me. Spoiler alert: I was right!

I put my five favorite styles in my cart, then added them again in the next size, in case they ran small. A week later, I had ten pairs of jeans in my bedroom waiting to be tried on.

I was eager to see what they were like, but the thought of trying on so many pairs of pants suddenly felt daunting. I had a hard time getting to sleep a few nights later and was too restless to stay in bed, but didn’t want to turn on a light, so I decided I’d try the jeans on in the dark. It seemed a little crazy – and brilliant – which is a winning combo at my house.

There was just enough light to make out shapes, but not enough to take in details. I unpacked the pants and immediately noticed the variety of textures and weights. Some fabrics were stiffer than others, some lighter, softer, or stretchier… It was fascinating!

As I tried on each pair, I felt how they slid up my body, how they reacted to my curves, and whether they caressed them and easily slid into place, or stiffly ooched along and fell flat on arrival. I made two piles – a yes and a no – and decided to revisit them in the morning.

I woke up and was excited to inspect my results: 4 yeses, 6 nos. I was surprised to see different sizes in each pile and also that a couple pairs labeled the same style didn’t look alike.

I’ve heard a lot about size disparity in fashion and know that details are sometimes lost in fast fashion, but had never seen it so clearly in one setting. It was a little disheartening.

I tried on the yeses and was finally able to see if they looked as good as they felt. Once I made sure nothing looked wonky, I found myself wanting to get back to that place I’d been the night before, feeling whether or not the pants suited me. I closed my eyes and let my body guide the final round of decisions.

There were two winners: a dark wash and a camo (a first for me!), both skinny Rockstar jeans that felt fantastic on my body, held me in all the right places, and still let me move freely.

It’s been a while since my little adventure, but the winners are still among my favorites. I’ve also incorporated a moment or two of closing my eyes and feeling how an item suits my body before making the final decision about bringing it home.

Some of my crazy ideas really are pretty good ones!