I've always hated buying jeans.
While I'm tall and slim - which makes most people assume I'd find jeans easy - I've always struggled. I have a very small waist but wider hips, and jeans just never seem to fit right.
I'm around 175cms last time I checked, which is about 5'7. I don't really wear heels as they make me feel like a giant, but I'm not that tall... so SURELY I can find jeans pretty easily, right?
Wrong.
Tight on the butt. Baggy on the waist. Too short... ALWAYS too damn short. It's like pants don't know how to sit on tall people, everything becomes 3/4 length. Sometimes this is a vibe, but in winter it most certainly is not.
Love fashion? On this episode of No Filter, Mia Freedman sits down with former magazine editor Justine Cullen to talk about the glamorous - and not so glamorous - parts of her life in the spotlight. Post continues below.
Recently Mamamia's editor Clare Stephens went on the hunt for the perfect jeans for short girls, and after many failed attempts she found a few perfect pairs. And I was jealous.
So I set out on my own mission to find the perfect tall girl jeans.
Being in lockdown meant online shopping was my only option (hello, The Iconic and free 60-day returns.)
I wanted to try a few different styles to see what would fit and look best. Here are the six pairs I tried, and my honest review.
Lee High Mom Jeans.
First up I tried the Lee High Mom Jeans. The style came in heaps of colours, and I liked the look of the fit - they seemed to taper a little at the ankle but not be too tight. On the model the style is 'slightly cropped' but you can only see a little ankle.
Well... when I tried them, that wasn't quite the case.
Friends, I should have known.
I really wanted to love these, they were one of my favourite styles and looking online, they were the ones I thought looked the most 'me'.
But the fit just wasn't right. They were heaps tighter in the leg than I thought. And SO. SHORT.
So short that when I bend over they ride up to be 3/4 pants and I feel like a jockey. Not cool.
Overall, if you weren't a taller person - these would be great. They had good stretch, were comfy and had lots of room in the bum while also being tight on the waist. But alas, the length just wasn't there.
Moving onto the next pair...
Cotton On Mom Jeans.
I have heard people raving about Cotton On jeans. They're cheap and always on trend. So I thought I'd give the Mom Jeans a go. On sale these were $38, a bloody bargain.
But does the fit live up to the price?
Look - I didn't hate these, but I didn't love them at the same time.
Firstly, the fabric felt thick - which I liked, but it also meant they weren't stretchy - at all. They were a good fit on my hips, but were too big on my waist. My constant struggle.
These were longer than the first ones I tried, but if you are looking to cover up for winter, they're still pretty short.
Overall I felt like the fit wasn't quite right, and tucked into tops they would gape in the wrong spots.
Thank you, next.
Levi's Rib Cage Straight Ankle.
I had high hopes for this Levi's pair. The model was wearing heels with them, which is always a good tall girl sign that they might look relatively normal on me with flat shoes.
The first thing I noticed when I tried them on was that they were A LOT tighter than the others I had tried.
They were pretty hard to do up, even though I ordered the same size in every brand. They also had buttons up the fly - which always seems a little fiddly to me.
I was expecting these to be wide legged and full length, but they were much more cropped than I thought.
Again, they aren't terrible but they just didn't feel quite right. I feel like they looked so much cooler on the model online, and just feel a bit eh on me.
Alas, we move on.
Abrand A '95 High Slim Jeans.
These were my second favourite pick when I was selecting jeans online - they're called the 'A '95 High Slim Jeans'. I loved the dark blue colour, and they seemed like a really nice tapered fit without being skinny.
However, when I tried them on... they were way to short and tight.
These were the tightest fit of all the brands I tried on. I know so many people who swear by these jeans, and I thought they'd be my new favourites, but I think I must have ordered the wrong style.
The ankles were a real problem again. It felt like I was wearing children's jeans because they were just too damn short.
*Sigh*
By this point, I was kinda bummed. I'd tried on four different pairs I thought would all be great, and none of them fit quite right - in photos they look ok, but for everyday wear they weren't what I wanted.
Rollas Classic Straight Jeans.
In desperate search of a longer fit, I ordered the Rollas Classic Straight Jean.
When I first tried them on, my first thoughts were that they were very tight on the the waist, hips and bum. There wasn't much room to budge.
A tight fit on both my wider hips and small waist is hard to come by. So I thought these might be ok.
The denim is very thick, so not stretchy at all. But the main positive about these is THE LENGTH. LOOK AT THAT LENGTH. No cold ankles in sight here.
After wearing these for a few minutes and attempting to sit down in them however, for my body they felt too short in the crotch area.
They were riding up, and I don't fancy constant wedgies throughout the day. I've had jeans like this before, and it's not fun.
These would be great if you wanted a longer, more relaxed leg but tight fit around the middle. For me though, they weren't quite right.
Riders By Lee, High Mom Jeans.
In my last bid to find a good pair of jeans that fit, I ordered these High Mom Jeans.
I bought a pair years ago in a lighter denim colour and they have always been comfortable, so I wanted to see if the style had changed, and if the black ones would be the same cut.
These were my favourite of them all. The fit is great - it's snug on the hips and waist but the denim is really light and stretchy, way more than any of the others. So they don't feel uncomfortable.
While they aren't full length by any means, I feel like the height of the 'crop' sat nicely on my ankle, and actually looked good. In the winter, I'll wear warm socks and boots with these to make sure my ankles don't get cold.
Overall, these were definitely the winners - and the only ones I didn't send back.
Do you have any recommendations for jeans for tall women? Share them below!
Feature image: Supplied.
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