"Wear them, they will make you brave."~ Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
I have always been vocal on the topic of finding jeans that fit my size 26/28 body AND seeing more bodies that look like mine in campaigns and in the media.Jeans have been the devil for most of my life. I love them so much but finding a pair that fits has been like looking for a Holy Grail.
So when an opportunity to collaborate with 4 other size 26/28 style influencers/bloggers and show how the same pair of jeans looks on all of our bodies, I had to be a part of it.
Welcome to the Sisterhood of the Size 26/28 Traveling Pants!
We're all from from different areas (including Canada!), different backgrounds and different ethnicities. The main thing that binds us together in this sisterhood is that we are all a size 26/28.
We are (from left to right):
- Saucye West: Plus size model, #fatandfree creator, body positive advocate
- Jessica Kane: Owner of Society+, Editor-in-Chief of Skorch Magazine, style influencer behind the blog Life and Style of Jessica Kane
- Corissa Enneking: Blogger/influencer behind the blog Fat Girl Flow, Body Positive Advocate, Public Speaker and Entrepreneur
- Lisa Schoenberger: Blogger/influencer behind the blog MustangSallyTwo, accountant by day, sometimes model by night (and weekends!)
- And myself!
We decided to review a pair of the same jeans from Avenue and see how they fit all of us. We were each given a size 26 and a size 28 in the 1432 Skinny Jean in Medium Wash.
For the record, my measurements are 57-51-68 and I'm 5'7". I typically wear a size 28 regular in jeans. My calves measure 23" around the largest part so skinny jeans are always an issue for me.
Avenue is a brand that has been around since the 80's and they have always offered up to a size 32. I personally have been rocking with them since then and even worked for the company in the late 80's as a store employee.
For me, I have a belly and a small waist. I have rolls in my thighs so I tend to shy away from light colored jeans because they show EVERYTHING. So this was a major challenge for me. I'm still on this journey of loving all of me, including what I THINK are my flaws.
But then I thought about the four other women in this collab and how they were going to wear the jeans too. And it did make me feel brave, just like the character Bridget in the movie Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants said they would.
I also paired them with my new Audrey Hepburn tee from Torrid and my sequin sleeve bomber jacket from Ashley Nell Tipton's line at JC Penney last year. Something about sequins, Audrey and also wearing my favorite leopard print Puma sneakers made me feel brave enough to wear these jeans out in the world with my not-so-smooth thighs.
I have to say, I loved the fit on these jeans. I fit into the 26 average and everything fit well except for the waist. Since I have a smaller waist in comparison to my hips, I almost always have a gap in the back of my pants and have to wear a belt. These were no different.
Small tip for my smaller waist girls: I have found that if jeans have back elastic, they don't gap.
I wore them all day to really see how the recovery is because no one likes jeans that stretch out as you move and then don't bounce back. These have great recovery and provided me with support, which I loved.
I decided to wear these jeans on a day at the park. They recently built a new park across the street from my house and it has a track, hopscotch grid, tennis court and other cool things. I have been wanting to start walking the track for a while now but kept putting it off out of fear of people staring at me.
Sometimes I just love to walk so I usually don't intentionally wear workout clothing. I am usually in a tee and jeans like I was this day. So I thought to myself, why not do a lap while wearing these jeans? And I did and I made it!
That day I overcame some more of my fears like wearing light colored jeans and finally getting to the park to walk a lap. And guess what? No one stared at me. Sometimes I think we all get into our heads too much instead of just living.
So when I made it to the FINISH line, I was so happy and overjoyed. I felt proud of myself. And that's what being fearless is all about.
As we left the park, I saw a No Standing sign and thought to myself all of those times where people told me I was not worthy of being here or taking space and how I never gave up and stayed put. I can stand where I want, being me.
Just as I am allowed to have fashion accessible to me in my size RIGHT NOW and not 4 sizes from now. Thank you Avenue for always offering great fashion in my size and not giving up on that customer. It means so much to me and I am sure to so many more women out there like me.
Shop my look below:
1432 Skinny Jean in Medium Wash from Avenue
Audrey Hepburn Diamonds Crew Tee from Torrid
Puma Clyde Suits Sneakers at 6pm.com
Click below to see how my Sisterhood felt in their jeans:
Saucye West
Jessica Kane - Life and Style of Jessica Kane
Corissa Enneking - Fat Girl Flow
Lisa Schoenberger - MustangSallyTwo
*This post is in collaboration with Avenue but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains some affiliate links and I'll earn a small commission if you shop through them. This is one of the ways I can continue to bring you inspiring content. Thank you!
Those jeans look awesome on all of you! I agree that great jeans are hard to find - once you find a pair that is the right size, fit and style for you, buy multiple pairs!
ReplyDeleteOh, you WALK that track, girl! You walk that track like nobody's watching! The jeans look great - your smile looks even better!
ReplyDeleteBettye
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