Why I Love My Jeans

By Sheryl Kraft

Sitting on my table, untouched, is the September issue of Vogue magazine. It’s been there for so long I’m convinced there has to be something growing under it.

I used to look forward to reading Vogue. No longer. For one, this issue is so heavy it’s impossible to pick up. (It weighs a whopping 4 pounds 10 ounces).

And for another, I no longer need Vogue magazine to tell me what to wear. I used to think I did. The truth of the matter is, though, I never dressed in the fashions spread all over the pages of Vogue. For one thing, I couldn’t afford them. And for another, they didn’t suit my (rather mundane) lifestyle.

That doesn’t mean I don’t love fashion – I always have and I still do. I love putting outfits together and expressing my creativity through my clothing. But keeping up with fashion seems tougher and more unrealistic lately. I mean, who EVER thought culottes would stage a comeback? I never liked them – although when I was younger and more of a fashion slave, I did wear them. But the difference between then and now is that now, in my so-called midlife, I’m not wearing something just because the fashion mavens tell me to.

(Slap me if you ever see me in public in a pair of culottes.)

Fashion is tough to pursue; it’s always changing, making what was trendy last year obsolete this year. And I’m tired of collecting clothing that once looked good and now looks outdated. I yearn to simplify not only my life, but also my wardrobe (and my closet), you know what I mean?

Well, that is, except for my jeans. Maybe that’s why I love my jeans. They quietly sit in my closet, year after year, season after season, surviving the annual closet-purge.

• They’re timeless
• They always look great
• You can dress them up
• You can dress them down

There are so many styles!

Skinny jeans

Bootcut jeans

Cropped jeans

Flare jeans (Yes! They’re back! Oh, wait. That’s a nod toward the fashion mavens.)

Trouser jeans

Jean shorts

Wide leg jeans

Boyfriend jeans

I could go on and on. But seriously, I do love my jeans. In the world of changing fashion, they’re just about the only thing I can count on to stay steady and loyal.

You might guess that I have a lot of jeans. And you’d be right. And because I have a lot of favorites brands, it’s hard to pin it down to just one, although I must admit that the lift-tuck technology offered by NYDJ jeans is super-appealing to me right about now (whose butt can’t use a lift and whose tummy can’t use a tuck at this point? Really. Face it, by now all the exercise in the world isn’t gonna do it.)

The NYDJ brand (aka the “Original Slimming Fit” brand) also makes skirts, slimming dresses, jackets, sweaters, corduroy pants and more – all without size-discrimination. NYDJ jeans, pants and more are available in straight sizes, petite sizes, plus sizes or long sizes.

The fabric is soft. No one will ever guess that your flat tummy look is being bolstered by the hidden panels. And the rise is just right in a Goldilocks sort of way: not too high and not too low.

Oh, and did I mention the pocket placement? I’ll never forget a tip I got from a saleswoman once: buy jeans with higher back pockets to make your rear look “lifted.” Guess where NYDJ’s pockets are?

It all adds up to flattering.

They call it “premium slimming denim”…I call it a fabulous and jean-worthy idea.

Sheryl Kraft is a freelance journalist, essayist and writer of non-fiction based in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Her writing covers all areas, with a concentration in health, wellness and fitness. With the exception of quantum physics, just about everything interests her; in fact, one of the greatest things Sheryl finds about writing is the opportunity it gives her to delve into subjects and discover something new.

Sheryl’s work has appeared in Prevention, Woman’s Day, Everyday Health, Grandparents.com, Family Circle magazine, Boomeon, Westchester (NY) Magazine, WebMD, Senior Planet, Brain Child, MoreTimeToTravel, JAMA, AARP, Weight Watchers, Bottom Line/Health, Bottom Line/Women’s Health, Caring Today and assorted Connecticut regional publications. Please visit http://www.sherylkraft.com/ and Sheryl’s blog, http://mysocalledmidlife.net/, where this post originally appeared.