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Gayle0000
02-19-2008, 11:49 AM
I must rant about the stretch in denim! I hated the stretch in denim when it was new, but over the years I've learned to accept it.

A couple years ago in a What Not to Wear episode, Stacy & Clinton talked about denim and said stretch is fine as long as the stretch/spandex percentage is 5% or less...and the rest cotton. I just banked that tidbit in my memory...but never really used that info.

My favorite jeans for many years are from Banana Republic. They are a great fit on me and I never really looked at the percentage because they are nice & fit well, and hold up over time.

I tried on a few pairs of jeans over the weekend (for work...low price point) and didn't look at the stretch percent until after I was mortified with the fit & shape. 15% spandex & poly-85% cotton. They looked & felt awful. I could tell that if I were to wash & dry any of these 1 time, they would be mis-shapen and probably fit/look even worse than they did in the dressing room.

I came home and looked at my BR jeans to see what the % is so I could just know the difference. My BR's have 2% spandex-98% cotton. TOTAL difference in the feel & shape.

My point...Stacy and Clinton were right about 5% or less spandex in stretch jeans. Any more than that, and you're asking for trouble when it comes to wearing them long-term and holding up over time.

Just my opinion.

ILYF
02-19-2008, 12:34 PM
I've also noticed that everything is stretch and you cannot find jeans that don't stretch. What if I want some freakin' boot cut jeans that don't stretch? Sorry, I'm out of luck! What is up...it seems like there are a bazillion jeans out there except for what I'm looking for! Same thing with everything, there are a million products except for what I'm wanting at the time!:rolleyes:

MRC0806
02-19-2008, 08:50 PM
Great point, and I totally agree. I like jeans with a tiny bit of stretch, but anything more is plain unflattering. And I hate when jeans shrink or become misshapen after washing - I won't even put mine in the dryer.

cutie123
02-20-2008, 08:58 AM
I'm the opposite-I loveee stretch lol. I have very skinny legs so if there's no stretch in my jeans, they don't fit me well (very baggy). I try not to dry my jeans but lay them out flat to air-dry so they won't lose their shape.