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I’ve never been a jeans person.
For my entire life, I’ve admired jeans on other people and just accepted they weren’t for me.
You know those people who can just throw on jeans and a T-shirt and somehow look effortlessly cool? Well, I’ve never felt like that girl. Every time a new denim trend rolled around, be it skinny jeans, mom jeans, boyfriend jeans or bootcuts, I’d try them on, hoping this would be the lucky pair. And every time, I’d be standing in the change room feeling more disappointed and insanely insecure.
WATCH: Guess what? The millennial shoe we thought we’d never wear again is… back! Post continues below.
No matter the cut, jeans just never sit right on me. I’m 165cm tall with shorter legs and a longer torso, which means denim usually fits in one area and feels completely off everywhere else. They’re either too long in the leg, too tight through the hips or make my legs look even shorter than they are. Literally my worst nightmare.
Then last year, I had an odd urge to experiment again and bought a pair of the Maya Denim Jeans from Forever New on sale for $99. And I kid you not, for the first time in my entire life, I understood why people love wearing jeans.
Image: Supplied/Juna Xu.
To be clear: I did still have to get them hemmed. That was a given. But once I did, they fit beautifully everywhere else, which never EVER happens. They sit perfectly through the waist and hips, feel comfortable enough to wear all day and most importantly… do not make my legs look shorter!
They’re also made in the most beautiful dark denim wash that looks incredibly expensive. The colour is polished enough to dress up or wear casually, and the denim itself feels thick and premium.
I like dressing them up like this…
You can dress them up. Image: Supplied/Juna Xu.
Or just wearing them with a basic white T-shirt like this…
They go perfectly with a basic white T-shirt. Image: Supplied/Juna Xu.
Or I just throw on a coat and instantly look put together.
Image: Supplied/Juna Xu.
n fact, I genuinely think they look and feel better than a $600 pair of designer jeans I, for some strange reason, convinced myself would be worth the investment. Side note: I wore them once and gave them away.
Meanwhile, my Forever New pair has become one of the hardest-working pieces I own over the past year. I’ve worn them so many times now that the cost per wear has to be down to the negatives.
Image: Supplied/Juna Xu.
While the Maya style is no longer available, Forever New’s current denim collection includes very similar cuts I’m currently eyeing, including the Audrey Wide Leg Jean for $99.99.
Image: Forever New.
I also love the look of the Kelly Wide Leg Jeans, although they’re slightly more expensive at $149.99.
Image: Forever New.
Or the Nicki Mid Rise Straight Jean $99.99) is a pair you could also style up or down.
Image: Forever New.
They also offer a petite range, which is very good news if you’re shorter, or usually budgeting for hemming before you’ve even reached the checkout.
For more helpful style advice and shopping recommendations, subscribe to the weekly Nothing to Wear Substack, listen to the Nothing to Wear podcast or watch Nothing to Wear on YouTube.
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Feature image: Supplied/Juna Xu.
