One Brand’s Size 12 is Another’s Size 16

Since Miss Corona has left me with a huge helping of free time mixed with anxiety and self-doubt about not being able to reach my goals and become a fashion journalist, I decided to enroll in Parsons x Teen Vogue’s Fashion Industry Essentials class to help keep me motivated and spark my creativity.

I’m currently on the Fashion Production module. One of my assignments is try on similar pieces of clothing from different brands to better understand how clothing is made up to “1/2” tolerance and how some brands don’t adhere to standard sizes and make their sizes smaller than they actually are.

To fully understand this concept, I decided to take on the ultimate challenge for us thick girls, trying on jeans.

I went to Macy’s and found three pairs of size 12, straight legged jeans from Levi’s, Lucky Brand and Oat.

The first pair of jeans I tried on was Levi’s 724 High-Rise Straight.

They initially felt stiff and scratchy. The tag inside the jeans stated that they are made of 79% cotton, 19% polyester and only 2% elastane. The cotton and polyester blend is probably why the jeans felt so scratchy.

The Levi’s were more narrow in the thigh, and hip area and didn’t do much with lifting my butt.

These jeans would be perfect if they didn’t make my butt look flat

The second and most comfortable pair I tried on was Lucky’s Sweet Straight.

The jeans had a wider hip and thigh inseam than the Levi’s .

They are also made of 96% cotton, 1% elastane and 3% other fibres, which is probably why the glided on to my body so easily, and I didn’t have to do the little jump and stomach suck in when I tried on the Levi’s.

Lucky Brand’s Sweet Straight Jeans made of almost 100% cotton

The last pair of jeans I tried on was from Oat NY. According to their tag, they promised to be slimming and flattering.

My legs did look a little bit skinner, but I couldn’t button the jeans.

Ugh I need to get my waist snatched

However, if you have an Instagram baddie body type (a big butt, shapely thighs and a small waist) then these jeans would be perfect for you.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the tag stating what the jeans were made out of, but the material felt comfortable and of pretty good quality.

My experience shopping for jeans has not only taught me that brands have their own sizing and cut standards, but also the type of material an item is made from can greatly affect how it will fit you.