Oh, hey there! Can we talk denim for a second? One of the most common questions I get from friends and clients alike is:

What jeans do you recommend?

Valid question, but it always makes me laugh. If there were a pair of jeans that were perfect for everyone, this world would be a boring place. Simplified, yes, but so, so boring. So lemme let you in on a little secret - there is no magic formula / quick fix to find the perfect jean. The perfect jean for you exists...but you have to work for it.

In my studies and personal experience, here's how you find the perfect jean (for you):

1. Go. Try: You all know what a big advocate I am of online shopping. And with jeans, you will get there! But you can't start out that way. You must. go. to. the. store. Preferably a department store with lots of inventory like Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's, or a local boutique whose aesthetic and salespeople you vibe with.

2. Hone in on wash and rise: Make an educated guess about the type of jean you want, and try on a minimum of 5 brands' iteration of that jean. We can use me as an example. I love mid to high rise black denim. Great. I'll try one, two, three, four, and five. They all look the same but I bet the fit is wayyyy different for all. What size should I get? Check it...

3. Fitting room fit: If you're between sizes or are unsure of your size, grab both sizes of everything. This next part is important: when you try on denim, it should be a little tight. Especially with the way jeans work these days - skinny and fitted denim means lots of elastic. Don't misinterpret this - I am not telling you to size down. I'm telling you that denim stretches with age, and we need to mind the gap when we're trying on. So a little tight = good. If they're loose anywhere, size down.

4. Check store's return policy: Okay, so you've found the ones, rejoice! But, do not get locked into a pair of jeans. We're going to get more into this on step 4, but you need to make sure you can return your coveted pair, just in case. Denim is sneaky and tricky and we want to avoid potential disaster where we can. Return for store credit? Byeeeee. We want a store that will give you your money back if you change your mind.

5. Sleep on it, then try them on the next day: This piece of advice comes from years (and probably $1000, if we're being honest) of learning the hard way. When we try on a pair of jeans in the store (or right out of the box), and we love them, we get a little carried away. We get a little surge of dopamine that tells us that life is this good! We have jeans, a new lease on life, and we're done. Wrong! The light of day can tell us so many more things! So do yourself and me a favor and try on your jeans the next day juuuust to make sure. If there's any doubt in your mind, it probably means we need to start over.

Still feeling stumped? Let me help! I'm feeling generous today and I want to give.

Shoot me an email at allie@allisonkoehler.com and I'll diagnose your denim dilemma (and send you 2 pairs to try). No strings attached, for free. Cuz I love you and I love my job. Can't wait!

xoxo,

aok

top photo by my girl Julia Elizabeth.