I am about to embark on my first ever serious shop for 1 single pair of jeans! I can honestly say I dont have a pair of jeans that fit me properly, they are either slightly too short, too tight in the leg or on the hips or just not very flattering. I am a size 12 and 5"7.

Does anyone else have this problem buying jeans that look good and fit well? It is probably my most feared task and I have struggled for years with ill fitting denim but I feel the time has come to invest in a pair (that, and I have a sort of date on Sunday :) )

I am really looking for a smart-ish style to wear with heels or strappy sandles, perhaps a pair that dont make my big bum look like a big bum ;) Could anyone reccomend a high-street shop or chain that they have bought great jeans from or somewhere that has a large selection to fit all sizes & shapes?

Thank you!

I find that M&S high waisted ones flatter all figures. ;)

Next do a good selection , i always buy their 'boot-cut' style . They also do some nice 'blingy' ones for a night out .
You need to try a few different styles . Have a look in the catalogue if there is nothing in the shop you like .

I 2nd Next, also Dorothy Perkins is good, and New Look

Do you know, I hadnt even considered M&S or Next! Will have to have a look today, looks like I'm going to be out there for a while! Its not how I would like to be spending such a lovely saturday afternoon, but cant turn up looking like a sack of spuds on sunday :)
Thanks for the replies!

Although not having bought Jeans for a little while, I would 2nd M&S. I have just come back from a shopping trip & was going to buy some jeans, then decided against it...for now..lol

I have bought so many pairs and they end up just lying in the wardrobe ( these include Next , M&S , Jasper Conran etc , )  however I have found Maine jeans from Debenhams are comfy and look good ( GOOD PRICE TOO! ) , they have different cuts and leg lengths to suit most sizes. Also John Rocha are nice however whenever I find a nice pair that suits he seems to discontinue the line and I have to start my search all over again!

What's your budget ?. I've had all sorts of jeans at all sorts of prices. My favourites are Karen Millen which are beautifully made, but for everyday pottering around I buy Next.

I have huge trouble as i was told the other day i have a 'hollow' back which means they never seem to fit around the waist..I thought i found some in GAP the other day and got them, they were too tight intially but soon relaxed, to only find that they soon get too big :-O

I can honestly say that the only pairs i have found fit without the need for a belt have been some Diesel fits and also Lucky jeans from the US. Abercrombie also fit reasonably well. UK made and branded jeans i don't have a hope in heck for them to fit..
Its a tall order but i'm happy to spend a lot of money on jeans as i live in them and they last for years.

I don't know if they still do the range but when I was a bit slimmer I loved Gap's long and lean jeans.  they are bootcut but not too much and made my legs look amazing.  My current favs are New look Hula for grubbing about and Julian Mcdonald ones from Debenhams for dressing up.  I often shop in TK maxx for cheap designer jeans, have picked up diesel and seven jeans for £25 bargain.  I suppose it depends how old you are too whether you want something 'classic' or a more current style.  happy shopping!

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_007010270247_-1?breadcrumb=Home~Designers~Women~Jeans
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=673951002

Im quite short so find M&S best for myself and very comfortable.
I cant stand the low waste ones....i keep wanting to pull them up.

if your budget can stretch, try NYDJ.. they are fab, and fit  really well, remember to buy a smaller size though,

I buy Next Jeans for my girls - I would love a pair of NYDJ for me but the cost horrifies me and I've not managed to find anywhere that I can try them on (I know one place that has them but its a fair distance)

Most of my jeans come from Next and I love them! I also find Jasper Conran from Debenhams fit really nicely.

This was really interesting cos I too hate buying Jeans, I hover between a 10 and a 12, I'm 5ft 3in, I need a 12 for the arse and a 10 for the waist but I have full thighs, I hate those Jeans with the dinky short zips. Years ago I got a pair of Levi button fly for girls and they were magic. I'd love to find them again.

> Levi button fly for girls and they were magic. I'd love to find them again

I have always hated buying jeans as they never fit. Then I remembered that years ago I had a pair of Levis that were a great fit, high waisted, narrow in legs, wore them till they fell apart. So my niece told me to look on Ebay. Success, I've paid as little as 99p up to £4.50. and now have numerous pairs that cost less in total than one new pair. Yes they have been preowned and worn but love a bargin and they're great jeans.

> diesel and seven jeans

To find yr size you must of been very lucky, but yues i have seen Seven jeans in there, which as you know are more like £250 a pair from Harvey Nicks.

I love my jeans.........
At the moment my favourites are Next, I got a lighter blue more summery pair anad love them, they are reminiscent of the old levis.

Per una fit me quite well too, but M&S clothes are always dodgy fits for me unless they are per una.

Karen

Yes it's the Per Una jeans that I buy - with high waist. :)

> Next do a good selection

Love their boyfriend fit jeans....

Another fan of M&S Per Una jeans. I did love Next until I tried Per Una and now don't bother looking anywhere else.

My favourite pair of baggy, hippy, wide legged jeans I have are from Fat Face.
My absolute favourite, smarter jeans are from Abercrombie and Fitch.

Next!!! I love Next jeans and Bench jeans, the only flattering jeans I've ever had. Bench are expensive in shops though so I wait until they are on sale online.
My favourite pair of jeans are my Bench Maria jeans, I love them so much I tried to buy a second pair a few months ago but woe is me, they don't make them anymore :(
I feel like a right sad case now.

I love love love River Island jeans, I honeslty wouldnt buy a pair from anywhere else. They have a cut and a colour for every shape and size. The think i like most about them is that they're not elasticated, i hate that you can only wear the elasticated ones once before they lose their shape and you have to wash them. They do all lenghts too. I'm 5 foot 8 so i usually opt for the longer length but ive also have a couple or pairs of the regulars which i wear with flat pumps so the ends dont get all scuffed. I know how frustrating it is trying to find the prefect jeans so now i know that River I ones are the ones for me i dont buy from anywhere else. I think theyre pretty reasonably priced too usually between £35 and £40.

Good Luck!!!

I have been shopping as well, my comfortable jeans are Simply be skinny legs. My fantastic stylish are Jaegar and my middles are Debenhams Betty Barclays.

I also have jeans by M&S but the legs are a bit wide. The best are the Jaegers but they are £165 a pair (or £65) in the retail outlet at Whiteley.

Make that betty Jackson - no idea where Barclay came from!!!

oh gosh this thread has made me think I havn't had a decent comfortable pair of jeans for years. Did buy an expenxive pair 6months ago ( £100.00 I think thats expensive) but have decided yes the legs and bum look great but as I carry nearly all my size16/18 round my middle am not happ with what flops over and feel like a lollypop ! Have bought m and s afew times which I know others find good but everytime they are great in the shop then after a couple of wearings are so stretchy that I dont need to undo them to take them off and then I cant take them back grrr.
Whistler which peruna do you buy and do they stretch ?
Why is it that a garment which we all love so much is so hard to find a good pair .
Shall have to try river island and next again but usually find they are too low rise for me. Would love to try a pair of those nydj  but probably not the right time with oh out of work lol

They have elasticated waist at the sides but in 14L. Bootcut.
They have stayed the same shape for years, but my skinnies are stretchy so i expect they will "seat" in time. I might try River island but I feel a bit old going in there they are so young!!!!

Thanks i know what you mean  about River Island etc I feel like a dinosaur !

got to say my favorite jeans are levi 609,so comfy,i love diesel and firetrap as well,but i buy them all from an auction site as cant afford shop prices
jo

Thanks i know what you mean  about River Island etc I feel like a dinosaur !

This made me chuckle!

I always try and take my mum into River Island as she's always trying to steal my jeans (She is 57 and an M&S girl through and through).

She won't go in unless i'm there but she always comes away with something! I dont know why she can't bite the bullet and just go in on her own!

Yep your Mum sounds just like me will be biting the bullet soon ps its all those size 8 running around that does it !

Well, thank you all for your advice and suggestions! I am now back from my jeans shop with 1 pair of jeans :)

My findings have shown me that I am not the same size in any of the 13 shops that I tried :-o Some flatter me by allowing a size 12 to swamp me and others...well, I'm not a 16! Am I?? ;)

I finally settled on a dark pair from Next, although they dont meet the exact critiera, they fit! And for £45 I may go back this week and have a go at getting a pair to wear with heels (look at me getting all adventurous)

Im personally not fussed on brands or designer products, but after trying a pair of Seven jeans, I need them in my life! I just cant justify paying that kind of price for them right now.

I found all of the jeans in Dorothy Perkins to be quite 'cheap' looking, and quite a bad fit. Also I think it must have been pay day for everyone in my size, as they only seemed to have size 6 & size 18 short out.

Republic had a really huge selection, but not the style I was looking for at all. In fact they only seemed to have 'boyfriend' fit and I wanted 'I'd like to bag myself a boyfriend' fit ;)

I couldnt actually find the jeans section in my M&S? The place was packed and my patience was very low at this point so I gave up pretty swiftly!

I cant believe it is so hard to find a pair that fit, flatter and are easy on the purse. For such a staple item of clothing, you'd have thought that at least one store would be able to cater!

Going to have a look on ebay now for some seven jeans!!

Vikki

I have soooo many pairs of jeans, all in a quest to get 'the perfect pair'.  It annoys me that in order to get a nicely fitting pair from the bum down, you have to get awful low waisted ones.

Anyway, this site has been recommended in a few different magazines and newspapers.  It's not too expensive compared to some places :-D  You can pick from a list of basic styles, and provide your own measurements to personalise them.  So my plan is to order a basic style and put in a higher rise measurement. 

http://www.makeyourownjeans.com/

Maybe it's worth a go?