Not Your Mother’s Jeans

So I guess since it’s unofficially Fall around here, all we’re going to be discussing is denim now. Just kidding, but when we keep finding jeans that we’re super into sometimes it just be like that! It is the key denim time of year anyway, so we’ll just assume y’all are looking for your own denim as well. If you don’t remember what other denim we’ve talked about recently, check out the perfect tall flare jeans here, and the best cigarette style jeans here, as well as some killer skinny jeans with the perfect knee rip placement and length. 

We also would love to know what type of jeans you’re shopping for, if you’re in the market. Are you into specific washes? Do you like distressing or rips? Is it a certain style you haven’t found yet? We were just discussing with our cousin last week, a lot of jeans call themselves high rise and then depending on torso length, don’t even make it up to our belly buttons. In our opinion, that’s what would make it constitute a high rise. Certain companies are more helpful and talk about the rise inseam as well as the actual inseam. Knowing those distances will definitely help you pick out the right version for yourself.

Another issue we’ve faced is the knee placement. Maybe you don’t even realize that the knee placement is off because it’s in the correct spot for you. But a lot of companies end up having “knee rips” well above where our actual knees hit. Aesthetically this is displeasing. More importantly, it makes wearing the jeans uncomfortable anytime you’re sitting down or bending your knee.

One of the things that’s gotten better is having any pant length be acceptable. Obviously this doesn’t work on every jean style. Considering skinny jeans still reign supreme for a lot of women, it definitely works on those. Especially with boot season’s imminent arrival, like ankle boots that sneak up the legs to above the ankle, we’ve been able to accept certain pairs of jeans that we might have called floodwater length in other circumstances.

American Eagle hasn’t been a brand we’ve discussed a ton, but we’ve been wearing their denim on and off for many years since high school. We’ve heard from a lot of different people that the common misconception is that their denim is for high schoolers, like the rest of their store. I think the argument can be made that a lot of their items aren’t really teenage specific and our Mom definitely was confident in us shopping there because it wasn’t inappropriate or boundary-pushing like a lot of other teen marketed stores. Don’t get me wrong, they didn’t have “tall” denim mini skirt options so those definitely were suspect!

If you haven’t looked at American Eagle in many years, it might be time to look again! They are one of the few retailers who claim to have inclusive sizing and for the most part, mean it! I still think they could add one more additional inseam length for non-skinny jeans, but their sizing also extends up to 24 long! Talk about options for all of us. 

So one of the jean types we’ve both been interested but wary of trying has been Mom jeans. We have perused through vintage shops many times and come close to finding vintage Levis or the like. But for one reason or another, we just couldn’t pull the trigger and commit. It’s always interesting trying on “vintage” denim to see and feel the difference in stiffness as well. It makes it difficult to gauge whether they’re too tight or if they just need to be worn in. As women who have worn-out the butts of many pairs of jeans (ie split pockets), we’re understandably cautious to not buy more that we’d ruin easily.

All this to say, that I ordered several options of the American Eagle Mom jeans to try on. When they arrived, I was very excited to put the first pair on. They are the original Mom jean style and I ordered all of the pairs in size 12XL. Be aware they have long and extra-long as inseam options. Also for sizing options just a reminder that I waffle between 10/12. I was glad I ordered the 12’s because I think it’s a better look to skim the thigh for Mom jeans to fit correctly. 

I also tried the stretch Mom jeans and didn’t look close enough at the picture to realize they have an elastic section at the waistband. As someone who doesn’t like to wear belts, I thought it made the jeans look a bit juvenile or cheap and so I sent those back. I could definitely tell the difference in the stiffness of the stretch versus the original Mom jeans. I preferred the look of the Mom jeans as well but possibly could have tried a size 10XL in the stretch option to get the same look. Also worth mentioning was a several-inch inseam difference between the two washes I tried in the stretch jeans. A little quality control issue worth noticing.

Overall, I’m glad I took a chance on trying a new shape of denim, and I’d definitely come back and order other options again from American Eagle. They really seem to want to make well-fitting denim for all shapes and sizes and we’re all about supporting them with our business!

Outfit Details – Mom/Stretch Mom Below