Finding THE Jeans

Some people wait a life time, for a moment like this. I think Kelly Clarkson was singing about finding true love or something just as sentimental, but I know that some people wait a life time to find the perfect pair of jeans. My moment has come. 

As a human being on this planet, I’ve been wearing jeans for the majority of my life. That’s almost 23 years of various cuts and coloured denims, so I know a thing or two about picking out jeans. Sadly, I also know a thing or two about not being able to buy jeans from any stores on the high street due to my height. I’m 5’11; long torso long legs, and nowhere within my price range caters for that.

I recently wrote a lengthy diatribe about hating shopping for trousers/jeans in particular and how hard the high street have made it, but now - elated - I can safely say how happy I am to have found a style of jeans that I love and that fit me well. We all wear jeans - it’s a part of our culture. Bruce Springsteen’s artwork for Born In The USA is only half as brilliant as it is because of his jeans (and amazing ass…)

Anyway, back to the point in hand. This autumn, I bought a pair of jeans from Topshop because they were the only ones long enough in the whole of Southampton. Now, I’m realising how much I love them. Normally, because I wear jeans every single day (in work and at home) I wear through them pretty quickly, and although my Topshop jeans have faded, they’re still going mighty strong. 

So, ladies and gentlemen. Let me introduce to you the jeans that shall henceforth be known as the “Lex” jeans, otherwise known as The Jamie Jeans - Tall - Size 10, Length 36’’ in black. Obviously in black. Thank the lord for Toyshop’s instore Tall Range.

I’m sure to another generation this is going to sound weird, but I feel like finding THE pair of jeans that makes you feel both sexy and comfy, casual and smart, dressed for the part and feeling like yourself is a right of passage. There’s a time in your life when you grasp the jeans on their hanger in the store changing room, that’s always a little too hot for your liking, and you look up to the denim Gods and whisper “…thank you…” as the lights in the changing room dim, a halo of light appears above you and you can hear the faint echo of the hallelujah chorus. 

 I will live in Jamie Jeans from now on, until I venture into another style from Topshop who now have my jean-loyalty, but overall I’ve found my match made in denim heaven. They’re tight in all the right places with rips in the knees so I don’t ever look too overdressed; they’re a welcome drink in the sahara wasteland of jeans made my designers who only cater to 32” legs. Trust me, those extra four inches make a world of difference.

I know it may seem strange to write about the sheer love of an item of clothing, but when those jeans make you feel like Kelly Kapowski in all the right ways, there’s nothing I can do but shout about it. All the love for those jeans.

Here's the link for my Topshop jeans if you fancied a look-see at the jeans that have got me all excited.
Here's also a couple of pictures of me and some of my best friends from University - I am wearing the jeans from heaven in these pictures, but apparently no full length pictures of me exist in the world.

(I do not own Bruce Springsteen's Cover Art or this delightful picture of Kelly Kapowski, images were sourced here and here.) 

One for those Tall girls....

I was in a dance school when I was younger and in the videos I'm the kid in the back, who's a least a whole head height taller than everybody else. There's one number in particular when we're all five/six and dressed up in blue and red toy soldier outfits, tap-dancing to Following The Leader from Peter Pan. I'm at least a foot taller than every other little girl in the class.

Needless to say, I've always been the tall girl. Ive always been 'the tall friend' and that's okay. Sometimes it's very easy to feel like you're in the way when you're as tall as I am, because it feels like you're so large that you're Alice when she's ten feet tall. Honestly though, It's never really bothered me that much, but I can completely understand how some taller people do feel uncomfortable with it. Being tall forces you to be slightly more extrovert than you might want to be; there's no shying away when you're towering over everyone you meet and constantly being met with "Wow, you're all aren't you!" - like, thanks. That is brand new information. "You should be a dancer, you're so tall!" "You're like...model tall." And the old favourite that gets dragged out at every family event "Wow, you don't get any shorter do you! How tall are you now?"

Here I'm wearing flats and my three girls are wearing heels.

There are a million upsides to being tall, don't get me wrong. I can reach for things that others can't, I can put on more weight than shorter people can without it looking overtly obvious, I don't have to wear heels if I don't want to. Old ladies can ask me to reach their bran flakes from the top shelf and I can and it makes me feel good. You can always see at concerts, or movies... No one is ever going to borrow your shoes and forget to give them back, because they'll look like clown shoes on anyone else but you. You can get on that Indiana Jones loop-de-loop rollercoaster at Disney Land before any of your friends can... 

 

My first year of University...

 

Of course, there are also a million downsides; I know a few tall girls who have really bad posture because during their school lives they slouched to be more similar to their friends in height, sometimes people don't understand why you're willingly paying the extra £10 for extra leg room on a long haul flight (these are the same people who understand why you like aisle seats at the movies), there is so much more surface area to think about when it comes to shaving/waxing your legs - same goes with fake tanning. But my main bug-bear as we transition (slowly after all, I live in the UK) from Winter into Summer is buying (and wearing) clothes. 

 

Graduation Ball 2014 with two of my favourite girls.

 

Today, I went into three fairly big highstreet stores only to be told that they do not stock any jeans longer than a 34 leg, and when they do order their 34's in, they only order one or two pairs in because there simply isn't the demand. I felt like shouting, I'm here! I'm demanding! Ideally, I'd love a 38 leg, but a 36 could do the job nicely too. If my jeans are slightly too short in the winter, it's fine, because I'll just wear thick socks and tuck my jeans in. In the summer, I'm not really feeling thick socks and boots - I want my jeans to be long enough and I want to wear dollies, or plims, or Toms, or (heaven forbid) sandals.
Not just jeans either - Maxi dresses are not Maxi dresses. The Maxi Dresses that are designed are built for women between 5'5 and 5'9. When you're as tall as I am, those extra few inches count. Jumpsuits - same deal. I've got the longest torso of anyone I have ever known, so a jumpsuit/playsuit that fits you will definitely not fit me. Skirts, shorts, playsuits all become inappropriately short. I have not chosen super-short hoochie shorts to wear, I just have more leg than the average chick. This is not my fault.

Graduation Ball 2014

New Look used to stock a Tall range in their larger stores, but now they don't even do that; you have to order online, which I'm sure is great for some people but I don't have the time, money or patience for that. I want to go into a store on a Saturday, pick up a pair of jeans, try them on and then buy them. Whilst many girls don't have to try things on, I do because I'm tall and constantly between sizes (again not my fault) so any kind of buying online service is immediately redundant. 90% of the time, the first pair of jeans I pick up instore wont fit and I don't want the hassle of having to order ill-fitting jeans online and then go through the hassle of sending them back. I shouldn't have to. I should be able to shop for clothes with ease just like anybody else.

River Island simply just don't make jeans for tall people. 

 

Student Awards 2013

 

Topshop has a Tall range and I'm sure Levi's do long jeans too, and of course there's Long Tall Sally, but then we're venturing into a totally different budget zone. I don't have hundreds of pounds on jeans. I want to spend £20 on a pair of great fitting, long jeans but can I? Hell no.
Men, on the other hand, are expected to be tall so they can buy their jeans from wherever the hell they want to. CK Men's Jeans are awesome, ASOS are great for Men's jeans as are Levi's and I'm sure Primark and New Look's men's ranges are great too. 

 

Vegas in April 2013

I wish this was being sponsored and I could come up with a resolution for this problem I'm having, but it isn't and I don't have a solution. So, welp. I will continue searching for tall-clothes for tall-people. And I will continually ask myself "Is this dress too short for me?" when on other people it might fall below the knee. I know this is obviously such a first world problem, but needs must and all. 

 

Summer Ball 2012 - First Year at University