My Denim Hack (and Collection)

 

Shopping for jeans has always been bittersweet for me. Sweet because: new jeans! Bitter because: the fitting room (and the price tags). It’s been a long time struggle until recently.

I magically found a pair of jeans that fit perfectly on sale at Intermix about three years ago. They were the J Brand 835 Mid Rise Capris (yes, capris, I have short little legs) in Misfit. The length hit me right above the ankle, which is perfect for wearing with ballet flats or heels or even sneakers. They weren’t too skinny through the legs, so they didn’t feel jegging-y or trendy, and the rise was just high enough that they weren’t sliding down whenever I bent over, but not so high to approach mom-jean territory. The wash was a medium dark, with just the right amount of stretch in the denim, and just the right amount of destruction on the knees. I wore those jeans until they fell apart.

At which point I began to panic. Because they were perfect, but soon they’d be unwearable.

But then I had a brilliant idea. I could just buy the same pair again!

Alas, no. The sale had ended, the jeans had sold out, and they were gone. But I did notice that J Brand had other washes and fabrics of the 835 Mid Rise Capris in stock. And on sale even. Which is when it hit me:

I could buy the same classic cut and size of jeans in various washes when they went on sale and never have to worry about trying on denim ever again. So I quickly signed up for J Brand emails, and whenever I got alerts about “Friends and Family” or “Extra 20% off” or “End of Season” sale events, I’d click through and quickly filter for my 835s and snag whatever’s in my size.

The different denim weights and washes sometimes feel slightly different, but every single pair so far has fit just as well as the original. Over the past few years, I’ve grown my denim wardrobe to include:

• Dark Vintage – A more structured, dark wash, perfect for the office
• Dropout – Soft, destroyed, light wash for summer weekends
• Malta – True blue, indigo sateen, super soft and thin
• Strobe – An unconventional gray that I wasn’t convinced about until I saw Kim Kardashian wear them
• and Misfit – of course, a re-up on the jeans that started it all when they came back in stock the following year

I purchased every one of these for less than $100, most at around $60-$80, which is pretty damn good for J Brand, but if you’re looking at a lower price point, you could probably manage the same trick at Gap, Express, or J Crew, all of which have great staple denim lines.

So yes, every pair of jeans in my closet is the exact same cut from the exact same brand, but it’s such a classic shape and so perfect for me that I don’t even care.

And since you asked, next on my wishlist: Nightbird – A perfectly faded black that’s the just right blend of casual and sophisticated.

• denim
• fashion
• hack
• j brand
• jeans