So, I mentioned yesterday that my year-old black straight-legs had bitten the dust, but I hadn’t gone into much detail and I thought it would be helpful to any others starting out with their own pair of jeans to list here the two reasons I think they had died so quickly.
Now I’ve made six pairs of things I would call “jeans”, and these black straight-legs were only my second attempt so I did make a few rookie mistakes which are now glaringly obvious to me now, but at the time I just didn’t see… so while I am definitely no expert, it is true that we are all learning with each new garment so if this aids anyone at all, then fabulous…
First mistake; the fabric I chose just wasn’t suitable for the pattern. I know, sounds glaringly obvious now doesn’t it? But at the time I had firmly decided I wanted black denim jeans, so as soon as I found some black denim that had a small amount of stretch in it I just bought it. However, I didn’t put nearly enough thought into it really; and my fabric really was both too thick and not stretchy enough for what is a very close-fitting jeans pattern. Result, the jeans fitted like a stiff, tight glove, which was fine as long as I was standing and walking about, or sitting demurely upright in a chair. Luckily, 90% of my day is spent in one of these ways. If however, I wanted to curl up on the couch in the evening, which is also a part of my day, the jeans were pretty uncomfortable!
Second mistake; I used a dress zip, instead of a jeans zip.
(at left, a dress zip in jeans, bad idea; at right; a jeans zip, now we’re talking!)
Another glaringly obvious mistake now, right? But a person setting out to make their first pair of jeans might, like me, just blithely buy and insert a dress zip like usual. Be warned; all will be fine for a year or so, then the combination of that thick, strong, non-stretchy fabric and a weak little zip, means that during one of those curling-up-on-the-couch times, something is gonna give. In the case of these jeans it was the zip…
Lesson learned!
However, while I was a bit sad, I now have my new black flares to comfort me… and I did get an enormous amount of wear out of the black straight-legs jeans. I went back to check through my own photos to see how many pictures I took… it turned out only seven! However, you have to believe me, these jeans were worn a tonne during last winter… I guess I just don’t take my own photo nearly as often as I thought! 100% of the time I wore them with my biker boots, and it is interesting to me to see that in all of these photos bar one (and upon reflection, all the other times I wore them too) I tended to either mostly match the black, or to stick with a predominantly neutral palette. I’m not a believer that black “goes with everything”. In fact, I view black to be as much of a prima donna colour as white is, and needs to be treated accordingly with respect.
I'm for the scarf blouse and I quite like the all black with gloves.
I think they all look great. My favourite is the one sitting on the tree with the cream beanie and the one with the animal print top.
I like the bottom left picture!
I think they all look great, my favorite would probably be the first one.
It's hard to choose, but I think the autumn leaves would be my favourite.
Thank you! I'm about to embark on my first pair of jeans and now know I'm on the right track. A jeans zipper has been purchased and my denim has stretch. Please feel free to post any tips about mock flat felled seams or top stitching 🙂 Thanks!
My fav is the bottom right. And I agree with you that black is not a colour that "goes with everything". It's a hard (and harsh) colour to wear in my opinion.
The all black outfit with black gloves and biker boots. Love this look!
Bottom right!
I think they're all great, but I think my soft spot is reserved for the all black one. Not going to lie, though. My favorite part of all the outfits are those fantastic black boots. A little shoe jealousy over here!
And you should totally make yourself another pair of black skinnies because you look fantastic in them!
If these fantastic items were in my closet, I'd be wearing the outfit with the coral top, but I do LOVE the all black!
Bottom left, hands down. I love the animal print top with the jeans, scarf and beanie (cloche?). Thanks for the jeans tips.
Oooh, that's really good advise on the zip difference. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't said something. Thx for sharing!
My fave outfit with your black pants? Middle left with your riding jacket (or sweater?). You look tough!
Love the bottom right.
I love Andrew Buckler's Jeans! He is a great designer. Check out his profile here http://www.theodoraandcallum.com/blog/cat/creative-factory/post/my-faves-andrew-buckler/
I love these jeans posts. I have my pattern but I think I will try it out on some duck cloth first to make adjustments. I am a little picky on the fit of my jeans….hate that muffin top look. I personally love black jeans, they are so versatile and with black boots make my legs look longer which is important when you are petite. I like the pictures with the beanies, not sure why!
Making no pic as to favorite outfit, but I will assure you that matching fabric to pattern is a real talent. Even the very experienced make mistakes.
Mmm. This is a really hard choice. I think I'll go with the bottom left.
Glad you enjoyed my accent vlog. It was fun.
Oh, the jeans learning-curve! I used fabric from an old, worn-out duvet for the pocketing on some of my early pairs. Of course, the fact that the duvet was retired because it kept ripping should've been a clue that its lifespan as a pocket would be limited. Needless to say, those pockets are now strictly decorative. I also had some issues with zips, with not stitching close enough to the end of the tooth row after I shortened them. Oops!
My fave outfit is the middle row left. Big surprise. I love those boots! 😉
bottom right!
It just looks so effortless chic, and comfortable…
(love these boots!)
I like nike shoes.So I hope we can share the fun of nike hyperfuse!
True religion jeans is my favourite.So I want to share true religion uk with you!welcome to true religion uk.