You don’t need to be a stylist to know that the perfect pair of jeans is a Wardrobe Treasure. Jeans have mastered the art of styling contradiction with seemingly effortless ease, from glamorous night out ... painting the town RED ... to the everyday mundane. Jeans have pride of place in any modern girl’s wardrobe, they are the perfect way to express fashion personality from Polished Chic to Bohemian Flair; denim is multitalented.

Finding your perfect fit is almost like setting out on a fashion quest ... to answer the age old question does my bum look good in these?

Assessing each of the below elements individually and collectively will make your jean quest effortless, well easier anyway! And bring a tape measure along; you will never look at jeans in the same way.

SHAPE

Jean styling and fashion changes seasonally but a Dark Denim | Mid Rise | Slight Boot Cut | 5 Pocket Jean is somewhat timeless in the ever changing fashion landscape, and is the most flattering jeans shape to most figure types.

FABRIC

Medium weight denim with small amount of stretch no more than 2%, ensures a fabrication that moulds to the wearer whilst not neutralising the figure sculpting properties of denim.

WASH

The denim washing process adds colour, softness and texture to denim. The darker the denim colour, the more sliming the overall effect will be.

FRONT RISE

This is the measure from the junction of the under seam to the top of the front waistband.

A Mid Rise is the most flattering to most body shapes. This will sit below the belly button but high enough to feel comfortable. Look for a measurement of 20 to 23cm for size 10 -12 and add or subtract one centimetre for each subsequent size up or down.

BACK RISE

This is the measure from the junction of the under seam to the top of the back waistband.

Please check that you can sit down easily without showing any cleavage, not being able to sit in your new jeans can be very limiting. Promising to wear a long top is not an option! Look for a measurement of 31 to 34cm for size 10 -12 and add or subtract one centimetre for each subsequent size up or down.

KNEE DEFINITION

This is a very little known secret! A little shaping at the knee will give your legs shape and again has an overall slimming effect.

LEG OPENING

This measurement can change the overall silhouette of the jean. A very wide leg opening can be very forgiving however if you are petite leave this style to your taller friends. Skinny jeans are the current fashion must-have, however “skinnies” do emphasise the curve of your hip, take comfort the right top will offset this. However a slight boot cut will balance your hip waist to bust ratio sliming and elongating your silhouette. Look for a leg opening between 40- 48cm in total.

POCKETS

Pockets are a science onto themselves especially the back pockets. Look for pockets that are larger in size, positioned too low and your bum will look long and sagging too high and the overall effect will be lost. The back pocket should be centred, too far away from the centre back seam and it will make your bum look flat and wide. Too close to the centre back seam and this will emphasise the curve of your hip. For the final sculpturing uplift the back pocket should be angled slightly inward. 

Perfect fitting jeans images by Birdsnest - many thanks!