5 Things to Ask Yourself When Shopping for the Perfect Pair of White Jeans

Late summer evenings have to be one of my favorite things! It's just breezy and cool enough to make jeans and a soft sweater feel like the best thing ever. White jeans are such a great wardrobe staple in general, but especially for now, as we're transitioning from summer to fall. They elevate any look, and make that late summer tan look incredible.

I don't know about you, but I find good jeans to be very difficult (and often depressing!) to look for! White or lighter-colored jeans especially so! So many fit great in one area but nowhere else, are extremely unflattering, look as cheap as they are, or cost too much! Finding a good pair can be difficult, overwhelming, and nearly impossible! After spending hours looking for a good pair, it's sometimes hard to tell what even looks good anymore... I sometimes find myself wondering, 'do these actually look good, or do they just seem like it becuase they're better than the last 5 or so really unflattering ones I just had on"?

I've compiled a list of 5 questions I ask before heading to the cash register (or putting in the 'keep pile' from an online order), that will hopefully help you in your quest for finding a good pair of jeans!

"Are these..."

Affordable? Yes, there are some really great jean brands out there in the $100-$200 price range that get a lot of attention and praise, but they just aren't practical for those of us on a budget. Luckily, you don't need to settle for either shelling out that much money or having cheap-looking or unflattering jeans! I truly believe that if you look hard enough, and shop smart, you can have quality and the price you want. I rarely consider buying any normal article of clothing (blouse, jeans, sweater, ect., not something like a coat or formal gown) if it's over $50, and even then, I consider $35-$50 more of a splurge or an investment in something I know I'll be wearing a lot. Before you fall in love with a pair and go to try them on, make sure they aren't more than you walked in willing to spend. There are tons of great jean brands with options around $30-$40, and if you're shopping smart, you can score better brands (that usually sell for more) for that price, via sales and coupon codes.
Flattering? Knowing your body type and what works for it is extremely helpful. If you're not sure, here is a great guide for what style jeans work best for different body types. In general tough, look for jeans that have minimal details (especially on the back pockets), fit well all over, and are made of a thicker real jean material (light jeans are notorious for broadcasting to the world every little bit of cellulite you might have, and this helps so much!) Which brings me to my next point.
Thick Enough? Aside from helping make your legs look smoother, having thick enough jeans helps prevent anything from showing through. No one wants to show their undies or anything else down there, or be worried about that. While I wouldn't recommend wearing bright or dark colored underwear under any white/pastel jeans, no matter how thick they are, it definitely helps. A thicker material also helps make white jeans look higher-quality.
The Perfect Length? This ties in with point number two, flattering. In my book, nothing is more flattering than perfectly fitted jeans, which includes length. While the cuffed jean look can be nice sometimes, you don't want to be forced to wear it all the time because your pants our too long. This used to be a real problem for me until I discovered that so many brands offer different inseam lengths; there's no need to wear jeans that are too long or too short! Having the right length really does make your outfit look that much more polished.
Not Going to Bag or Sag? Even if you're going for a looser 'boyfriend' look, you still don't want loose jeans to get even bigger. This one can be a tougher one to find out from just one try-on, but there are three things you can do that will help you tell. 1) Make sure they have some stretch. Usually the tags will say if they are made of material with stretch. 2) Squat. This may sound strange, but doing a couple of squats in the jeans can help you tell if the they are going to loosen a good bit as you wear them, or hold their shape pretty well. 3) Read reviews. I am becoming more and more a fan of reviews, and now try to write them myself. It's so helpful to hear thoughts from others who have already purchased, used the product, and know its pros and cons. If you're shopping in store, most now have free wi-fi which means you can easily pull that info up, even right in the fitting room, if you're considering a pair of jeans.

The jeans I'm wearing are from JCrew Factory and I'm pretty happy with them! They're comfortable and get a solid 'yes' for all of the questions. I like to shop at JCrew Factory because they carry a lot of wardrobe 'staples', tend to have fairy good quality clothes, and have great deals & sales. They also offer 3 different inseam lengths for their jeans. I'm 5'4" and their 26" fit me perfectly. While the original value price for these is $85.00, I don't think I've ever seen them listed as that, they always have a cheaper 'Our Price' below, which you can often bring down even lower by mentioning you're a teacher or student (if purchasing in-store) and/or using their great coupons. I ended up paying only $34 for these, which for a good pair of white jeans, sounded pretty reasonable for me!

JordanLaurelle

{Outfit Details Below}