How to Find Jeans That Fit: What We Learned Trying 10 Pairs in the Same Size | Styled, Off Script Ep. 11

Finding jeans that fit can feel more complicated than it should.

You grab your usual size. One pair won’t button. Another gaps at the waist. A third fits through the legs but feels completely wrong through the hips. Suddenly, a shopping trip has turned into a referendum on your body.

But what if the better question isn’t “Why don’t these jeans fit me?”

What if it’s: “What is this jean doing that doesn’t work for me?”

In Episode 11 of Styled, Off Script, we decided to put that question to the test.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/153pBA5u0LWIelJLML2pmc?si=4ehtXCxsQh-RY6vlag8Ujg

The Experiment: 10 Jeans, One Size

Carly, Dia’s Senior Manager of Styling, knows a lot about fit. She works directly with our stylists and spends plenty of time thinking about how clothing works on real bodies.

That doesn’t mean shopping for her own jeans is easy.

Carly had told us more than once that finding denim she loved was a struggle. She also had another goal: after years of relying on skinny jeans, she wanted to experiment with a different silhouette.

Challenge accepted.

We sent Carly 10 pairs of jeans across seven brands, all labeled the same size, spanning skinny, straight, relaxed, bootcut and wide-leg styles.

Then we made a scorecard.

Each pair was evaluated on:

• Waist
• Hips and seat
• Thighs
• Leg fit
• Length
• Rise
• Comfort
• Feel and function
• Personal style
• And the question that ultimately matters: Would I actually keep these?

The results made one thing very clear.

A clothing size can tell you where to start.

It cannot tell you whether a jean was built for your proportions, preferences or life.

What Does It Actually Mean for Jeans to Fit?

“Do these fit?” sounds like one question.

It’s actually a lot of questions happening at once.

Does the waistband sit where you want it to? Is there enough room through the hips? Too much room through the seat? Does the rise hit comfortably? Is the inseam right for the shoes you actually wear? Can you sit down? Does the denim move with you? Do you like the wash?

And even after all of that:

Do you feel like yourself in them?

That last question became one of the most important parts of Carly’s experiment.

A jean can technically fit and still not be your jean.

Rise, Inseam, Stretch & More: The Details That Change Everything

One of Carly’s biggest revelations had nothing to do with the number on the tag.

It was inseam.

“I’m learning through this process how picky I am about an inseam. Who knew that?”

Turns out, very picky.

And she’s hardly alone. Small differences in the construction of a jean can completely change how it feels.

Rise

Rise describes how high a pair of jeans sits on your torso. High-rise, mid-rise and low-rise may sound straightforward, but the actual measurement can vary between brands.

The rise that feels great on one person may hit an uncomfortable spot on someone else.

Inseam

The inseam measures the inside length of the leg.

It affects where your jeans hit your shoe, whether a cropped style feels intentionally cropped or simply too short, and whether a full-length jean works with the footwear already in your closet.

One of our favorite tips from the episode? Once you know the rise and inseam measurements you tend to prefer, keep them handy when you shop.

Fabrication

Not all denim feels the same.

Some jeans are rigid and structured. Others have significant stretch. Some feel soft immediately; others need time to break in.

Carly discovered that she liked softness and movement, but still wanted enough structure to feel secure.

Proportion

Bodies have proportions.

So do jeans.

A waistband can work while the hips don’t. The legs can be perfect while the waist feels too tight. Sizing up or down won’t necessarily solve that because sometimes the issue isn’t size at all.

It’s the cut.

Skinny Jeans: When Your Comfort Zone Stops Feeling Like You

Carly entered the experiment as a longtime skinny-jean wearer.

Naturally, we sent her a few.

The surprise?

None became her favorite.

Some had the stretch she liked. Some felt comfortable. But between inseams, proportions and Carly simply feeling ready for something different, none earned the enthusiastic YES she expected.

That alone was useful information.

Sometimes your go-to stops being your go-to before you’ve consciously realized it.

How We’re Styling Skinny Jeans for Fall

Instead of recreating the skinny-jean outfits of another era, play with proportion.

Try:

Skinny jean + oversized blazer + simple tee + sleek boot

The narrow denim becomes the anchor for a little more volume on top.

Straight Jeans: The Unexpected Sweet Spot

Moving slightly away from skinny denim brought Carly to straight-leg styles.

And things got interesting.

The 1822 Denim slim-straight pair was soft, comfortable and much closer to what she was looking for. The silhouette gave her something new without feeling like a complete departure from the jeans she already knew.

One pair scored extremely well but still landed in MAYBE territory because the wash and inseam weren’t quite right.

And that’s an important distinction.

Sometimes “no” doesn’t mean “I hate these jeans.”

Sometimes it means:

I want exactly this—but in a darker wash.

Or:

I want exactly this—but two inches longer.

That’s useful information.

How We’re Styling Straight Jeans for Fall

Straight jean + button-down + loafer + structured bag

Simple, polished and easy to layer as temperatures change.

Bootcut Jeans: The 100/100 Pair

And then there was the bootcut.

Carly’s 1822 Denim demi-bootcut pair earned a perfect score.

The rise worked. The proportions worked. The structure felt secure without becoming uncomfortable. The cropped kick at the hem gave her enough of a new silhouette to feel fresh while still connecting back to the fitted jeans she already felt comfortable wearing.

It was the rare moment when fit, comfort and personal style all lined up.

How We’re Styling Bootcut Jeans for Fall

Carly already had the outfit in mind:

Bootcut jean + soft oversized sweater + ankle boot + favorite jewelry

A cropped kick-flare also gives the shoe a little more room to participate—which we’re always in favor of.

Wide-Leg Jeans: The Biggest Surprise

Before the experiment, Carly wasn’t expecting wide-leg jeans to make it into her closet.

Then she tried the June + Vie Heather Wide Leg Jean.

The rise worked. The inseam worked. The denim had structure without sacrificing comfort.

Most importantly, Carly could immediately see herself wearing them.

That matters.

There is a difference between looking in the mirror and thinking, “These fit,” and immediately starting to build outfits in your head.

The second reaction tells you something belongs in your wardrobe.

Not every wide-leg pair got the same response. Another pair was comfortable and perfectly good denim—but simply didn’t feel like Carly.

And that’s okay.

Personal style gets a vote too.

How We’re Styling Wide-Leg Jeans for Fall

Wide-leg jean + fitted knit + leather jacket + pointed flat or boot

Or follow Carly’s lead with an oversized sweater, a front tuck and ankle boots.

The point isn’t finding a rule for how wide-leg jeans should be worn.

It’s finding the version that feels like you.

So, How Do You Find Jeans That Actually Fit?

After 10 pairs, Carly had much better language for what she wanted.

She knew she cared more about inseam than she’d realized.

She knew she wanted softness and stretch without losing structure.

She knew excess volume through the seat and legs wasn’t for her.

She knew she liked a higher rise.

She discovered a straight silhouette she wanted to explore more.

And she put a wide-leg jean in her closet that she never expected to keep.

That’s the real value of trying things on.

Every NO narrows the search.

Instead of leaving the fitting room thinking, “Jeans don’t work for my body,” you can leave knowing:

That rise wasn’t right.

I need a longer inseam.

I liked that fabric but not that silhouette.

I’d try this again in another size.

I want this exact fit in a darker wash.

That’s progress.

Try the Denim Experiment at Home

Inspired by Carly’s try-on, we’re launching The Great Jeans Try-On Box, a denim-focused Themed Box alongside Episode 11.

You don’t have to like everything.

That’s kind of the point.

Listen to Episode 11 of Styled, Off Script

In Episode 11, Marge and Liz are joined by Carly, Dia’s Senior Manager of Styling, to unpack the full experiment: 10 pairs of jeans, multiple brands, several silhouettes and a lot of opinions.

They talk about why sizing varies, how rise and inseam change fit, why technical fit and personal style aren’t the same thing, the jeans Carly expected to love but didn’t—and the styles she never expected to keep.

Because the next time a pair of jeans doesn’t work, maybe the answer isn’t to question your body.

Maybe you just try another pair.

Got a style dilemma?

We’re taking real SOS submissions for future episodes.

Whether you’re:

• packing for a trip
• stuck in a style rut
• navigating a wardrobe change
• or just not sure what to wear

Submit your own SOS request and we may feature it on the show!

Episode 11 Transcript

Want the whole conversation?
Read the full Episode 11 transcript below, or listen to Styled, Off Script wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript has been lightly edited for readability and clarity.

Click for Full Episode 11 Transcript.

Marge We are live after a brief hiatus with episode 11 of Styled, Off Script. I’m Marge, and I’m joined by my co-host, Liz. 
Liz Hello. 
Marge And Maloree could be on her way, potentially. We’ll see. And we’re joined by a guest. We finally have Carly on the podcast. Hi, Carly. 
Carly Hi. Happy to be here. 
Marge Oh my gosh, your ears must have been ringing. I don’t know how many episodes, if not all of them, we’ve mentioned Carly at some point, but specifically the topic of this episode we’ve mentioned several times. And so we are thrilled to finally have you on the podcast. 
Carly Me too. Thanks for having me. 
Marge Yeah, of course. 
Liz This feels very long overdue. And, like, I don’t know, I’m sorry if I’ve put the pressure on, but I’m very— 
Carly Ha ha. 
Liz —very excited that you’re here. 
Marge Hopefully this is, like, the most low-pressure, like, work-related-esque. Like, that’s sort of the whole point of this, is, like, how do we—how do we create fun work for us that is, like, low stakes but still really fun and exciting and impactful? So— 
Carly I mean, it started with a fun box full of denim to have a fun fashion show at home. So, great start. Great start. 
Marge The dream. 
Liz We were off to a good start. Awesome. Awesome. 
Marge The dream. Awesome. 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge So before we get into that fun box of denim, Carly, do you want to introduce yourself a little bit, share a little bit about your sort of journey to Dia & Co., what you do at Dia & Co., and about your style and—and where your style takes you? 
Carly Sure, sure. So I started at Dia & Co. when—I always have to think about my son’s age. He was an infant, and he is about to turn nine. So I think it’s been at least— 
Marge Wow. 
Liz Oh my goodness. 
Carly —at least eight years. I started— 
Marge Whoa. 
Carly —as a part-time stylist, which was perfect as a new mom, and loved it immediately. And then a few months in, a leadership role opened up, and I have been kind of growing for years and learning from the best here. My current title is Senior Manager of Dia Styling and Customer Operations. So I work directly with all of our stylists. I connect with the customer service team regularly. I connect with our ops team regularly. So I kind of get to have my hand in all kinds of places, which is really fun and keeps it interesting, for sure. So yeah, I love it. I have two kids, and they certainly keep me busy. We’re involved in many sports. Some would say too many. It’s a lot of sports. It’s a busy schedule. 
Marge I was gonna say, it’s a lot of sports, but it’s awesome. 
Carly It is a busy schedule. 
Liz Baseball mom. 
Carly Baseball mom. 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly We’re currently flag football mom. We’re currently dance mom. We’re cheer mom. We’re all the things. 
Liz I was going to say cheer mom. 
Carly Yeah, which—that’s coming up soon. You’re right. Yep. 
Marge There’s basketball mom too, I feel like I’ve seen. Okay. 
Carly Basketball mom. Yes. So my style kind of revolves a lot around that, honestly, because— 
Liz Okay. 
Carly —it’s, you know, as much as I love, like, my cuter clothes, I’m not gonna wear those to the baseball diamond all day, especially when I’m sweating. I know. So— 
Marge What? Yeah. Yeah. 
Carly —you know, but you—you need—I—I need both. You need the athletic, comfortable, you still feel cute when you’re at, you know, the basketball game. And then I need the fun, cute, like—I mean, hopefully good denim, right? And some great tops and cute dresses for when I’m going out with my friends or dinner out. I would say I kind of tend to gravitate more towards a little bit of a boho vibe, a little bit of a, like, classic— 
Marge Hmm. 
Carly —I love, like, solids that are just, like, timeless. I love a layering moment. I have a lot of blazers. I feel like I don’t wear them enough. Yeah, I don’t know. I—I think you kind of go through different—as a mom, you kind of can lose your style a little bit. So I’m sort of figuring it out again as I, you know—as life evolves, I guess. 
Liz I think that, Carly, like, when I think of Carly’s style, I think of you as, like, the full Spice Girls group, depending on what you’re doing— 
Carly Oh my gosh, yes. 
Liz —and who—what you’re—who you’re spending time with and what you’re up to. Like, you are a different Spice Girl every time I see you. Like, you’re Sporty Spice at the game. You’re Ginger Spice when you’re, like, hanging out with your friends, like, having a girls’ night. I see you dressed up as Posh Spice when you go to a wedding. Like, you just—I’m so impressed by it, the difference, the variety that you are able to bring to the table. I love it. Well— 
Carly That is the best way it’s ever been described. I love that. 
Liz There you go. 
Marge That was awesome. 
Carly I love that for me. 
Liz Ha ha. 
Marge I also just have to mention, because she’s currently not here, but the fact that Maloree said earlier this week—and I am gonna bring this on the pod—that she only knows of the Spice Girls because— 
Liz Okay. 
Marge —of, like— 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge —pop culture because, quote, she was “a little too young for them.” 
Carly Yeah. Oh my gosh. 
Liz Oh my God. She— 
Marge That— 
Liz —that broke me. 
Marge Yeah, we say this with love. It’s okay. But it was like, okay, yep, sure. Yeah, yeah. 
Carly That’s hilarious. Yeah, punch to the gut. 
Marge It was maybe—perhaps because we were talking about our team Halloween costume prep. Was that Monday? Maybe it was, like, last week. We had a lot of really— 
Liz Yes. Yes. 
Marge —crazy ideas, so stay tuned for that. 
Liz Yes. We’ll—we’ll—we’ll narrow it down, and we’ll get back to you. 
Marge I’ve had some very odd suggested Instagram ads and Amazon ads since that conversation, based on what we’ve searched. So— 
Carly That’s great. 
Marge Yeah. Should be interesting. Should be— 
Liz Amazing. I’ll—I’ll take credit for that. Yeah. 
Marge —interesting. Carly, I’d love to know a little bit about—you talked about sort of your style evolving. Is there an era of Carly or, like, an outfit of Carly that you really, really look back on and love, and you’re like, I wanna find ways to bring this back into the fold? Or—or maybe an era that you were like, I’m staying as far away from that trend as possible. 
Carly Well, I—I, you know, the baggy jeans, I feel like I tried at one point, and they just look silly on me. They’re so cute on so many people, but they’re just not for me. And I want to. I try again and again. It—I just feel silly. I feel like not myself, I should say. But they look fantastic on the right people, and it’s just the cutest. But that is one I stay away from. Well, I don’t stay away. I try it on constantly, but I—I don’t ever buy. So I guess I stay away in that sense. I would say my, like—I have, like, a go-to piece that I’ve just always had. It—it’s—it’s changed over the years because, like, obviously, they wear out eventually. But I am a jean-jacket girl through and through and have been forever. 
Liz Yeah. 
Carly I— 
Marge Yep. 
Carly —love a jean jacket. And the one I wear all the time right now is, like, that oversized, kind of boyfriend feel. I dress it up— 
Marge Yep. Wore mine this morning. 
Carly —dress it down. I just love it so much. And I’ll—I—I have forever. I’ve always been a jean-jacket gal. 
Liz We all know how I feel about— 
Marge I think it’s something that everybody— 
Liz —a jean jacket. Can’t go wrong. 
Carly Yeah, yeah. I know I have f—I know I’m with my—my peers here. 
Marge Yep. I—I think it’s something that everybody needs in their closet, and maybe not just one. 
Carly Yeah. Yeah, I have, like, five. 
Marge Yeah. Yeah. 
Carly But I have one that’s, like, the one I grab every time, you know? The go-to. Never does me wrong. 
Marge The go-to. Yep, absolutely. Yeah, I threw mine— 
Liz Carly, you also—sorry, you also have a fantastic T-shirt collection. I—I just feel like— 
Marge Yeah. 
Liz —you have the right T-shirt for every occasion. And I’ve been lucky— 
Carly So funny. 
Liz —enough to be—be the recipient of a T-shirt or two from you as well. And I just feel like you—your T-shirt game is really strong. 
Carly That’s hilarious. I just had someone else tell me that too. I am a sucker for, like, a fun printed shirt. I—I just got one recently that I’m sure you’ve all seen on TikTok or whatever, but it has, like, a golden retriever drinking a Starbucks iced coffee. It’s just, like, how— 
Liz That’s—that’s—that’s great. 
Carly —can you—and she’s, like, got sunglasses on, I think. And it’s just, like, how can you not get that shirt? It’s so cute. And then, again— 
Liz How can you not? 
Carly —tuck it in, wear it with the jean jacket. Done. Sold. 
Marge Yep. Yep. I love that. Yeah, I wore mine this morning over a light sweater and black pants, and I felt so put together but probably felt like I was wearing, like, sweatpants or PJs. It was awesome. Big fan. Okay. 
Liz So jealous. 
Carly Make me another comfort. 
Marge Yeah, absolutely. And it is, like, a piece that you can go—like, great for a more casual wedding, like, late at night over a dress, or you can—you can do a million things with. 
Liz Yeah. 
Carly Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 
Liz Yeah. 
Marge Well, as we’re on the topic of wearing with jeans, we were set out on an adventure or, like, maybe posed with a—a problem question months ago. I think it was—it could have actually been almost a year ago when we were all together, where Carly said, “I hate shopping for jeans. I don’t own a pair of jeans I like. I refuse to wear them if I don’t have to.” Something to the effect of, “I just can’t find the right jeans.” And I think Liz and I both said, challenge accepted. When can we send Carly jeans? 
Carly Mm. 
Marge And we sort of, like, back-burnered it and said, yeah, we’ll wait for f—we’ll wait for fall. We’ll wait—we’ll wait for fall. That’s actually quite difficult to say. So while it is officially fall, we decided to send Carly a box of 10 different styles of jeans with the goal for her to try everything on. I made a scorecard to rank and rate all of the jeans that she tries on based on a bunch of different categories and fields, which we’ll talk about sort of as we go through, with the goal of Carly finding the perfect pair of jeans for Carly. And without sharing too much, like, because we want to kind of go through the process and talk— 
Carly Mm. 
Marge —through the—the different styles, but maybe, like, to get us started before sharing too much, Carly, did you find a pair of jeans out of the 10 that you love? 
Carly Absolutely. And had so— 
Marge Yes. She still got it. 
Carly —much fun trying them on. Had a little fashion show at home. 
Liz I think there was also, like, one additional challenge that was not a requirement but was sort of a—if you’re really up for a challenge and you want to really push yourselves as my stylists, I’d love to break out of skinny jeans because Carly— 
Carly But yes, yes. 
Liz —what Carly’s, like, comfort is the skinny jean. You look fantastic in a skinny jean, and we did send you a few pairs of skinny jeans, right? 
Carly You did. 
Marge Yeah. 
Liz But if— 
Carly You did. 
Liz —possible, Carly wanted to find a new silhouette to add to her rotation. Okay. 
Carly Absolutely. I—it’s my comfort style, and I—I love when other people wear these cute boyfriend or bootcut or whatever and, like, switch up the look, including the denim. And I wanna be one of those people. So you guys helped me. 
Liz Challenge accepted. 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge Amazing. So let’s talk about the try-on process, maybe to, like, get us into it. I sent, like, a pretty robust scorecard and said, if this is helpful— 
Carly Hmm. 
Marge —like, rank—I think it was, like, the—there are certain things that’s, like, waist, booty, hips, thighs, leg fit, length, rise, comfort, across all of the jeans, to really, like, better understand exactly where they fit. I think it was, like, part of the section called “Fit Check,” of, like, how they fit in those different sections. Because I think what’s difficult in shopping for jeans, or what usually stands in the way of, “I need to try on jeans,” is that very rarely does one pair of jeans—and I think that’s the struggle—is, like, very rarely does one pair of jeans check all of those boxes, the first pair you grab at the store. Like, it’s usually, okay, well, I’m gonna make an exception here because of, you know, whatever reason. But in most cases, it’s like, well, the waist was too tight, and the legs fit great, and the rise was okay. But, like, if it doesn’t fit in this one section, that’s not gonna work. And then we also wanted to know your feel and function. So, were you able to sit comfortably with it? Were you able to move around? You are a very active person who does far more, like, peopling than certainly than I do. And you want to be able to, like, move around and do whatever you need to do with the kids and—and your family and friends and, like, be out and about, but still be comfortable in them. Does the waistband stay where it’s supposed to be? How does the denim actually feel? And then, more importantly, like, does it—like, do you like how they look? Do you like how they feel, like, you? Do you want to style them? Like, it would be useless to send you 10 pairs of jeans and have you be like, I don’t really want any of these. So I think we’re sort of rating all of these 10 pairs of jeans across the same three categories: fit, feel and function, and style. And it resulted in some very interesting results. Maybe we should start with the tried and true that we thought were going to be, like— 
Liz Mm-hmm. 
Marge —the ones, or, like, the one that you’re most comfortable with was the—the skinny jean to begin with. We did want to step sort of out of—out of your comfort zone, but let’s start with your review of the skinny jeans. And maybe, are there any that you—anything new that you learned about trying them on that you liked, or things you don’t like specifically for you? 
Carly You know, I was surprised that I—I didn’t fall in love with any of the skinny jeans sent. Some of them had a great, like, comfortable—the right amount of stretch, felt really good. I—I just—I—I maybe I’m just ready to move on, and that was why. But— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —none of them were, like, perfect by any means. I had—I—I realized, I learned that, like, inseam, it’s—there’s, like, a really awkward spot that I don’t care for. So I learned that. 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly And, you know, I think most of mine are, like, pretty long, and sometimes I’ll roll them up or something. But yeah, definitely playing around with the inseam was, you know, you gotta try it on with the shoe and, like, the full look. And—and it just—none of them, none of them were just right. But yeah, I was a little surprised to not gravitate towards any of those. I guess my—my mind’s made up. I’m ready for new styles. 
Marge That’s great. I—I think— 
Liz I love that. 
Marge —I think one thing is that we talk about the fit of jeans because I’m sure, like, I know I struggle to find the right jeans. It’s sort of a common—a common thing. Like, there are a lot of different places where jeans have to fit, or, like, you want them to fit well. And rise— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Marge —and inseam and length and waist, it’s a lot. There’s, like, a lot of parts and pieces. So, for those that are sort of beginning a new jean journey, we can go through some of the terms there. But inseam is the length from the end of the cuff at the bottom of the jeans to where the jeans meet in the middle of the legs. The rise is from the, like, that spot up to the top band of the waist. So how high they come up to you on your waist or your hips is the rise. And then the inseam is from sort of where they—where the legs split in the middle down to the—the end. I used to get those flip-flopped, so— 
Liz Ha ha. 
Marge —I’m more so— 
Carly Ha ha. 
Marge —saying this out loud in case there’s anybody like me who’s like, wait, what? And then, obviously, the waist is—is, like, how it fits on your waist. And depending on the rise and how tall they are up—like, how high they come up on your rise, like high-rise, low-rise— 
Marge Yikes. 
Marge —mid-rise, everybody’s body is different. And so, depending on— 
Carly Mm. 
Marge —how you like your jeans, depends on—on the rise may be different. So I think it’s interesting, sort of as more styles and—and sizes and things sort of come out, it’s really—I think I felt for years that, well, if these are the jeans that are trendy and this brand and this type is, like, the trendy brand—brand—and I don’t fit into that, then that’s on me. Where it’s like, no, girl. Like, just wasn’t the right rise or inseam or length. Like, it’s not that it didn’t fit. You just didn’t have the right—the right combinations. It’s not just the number on this—on the tag. There’s a million other things, and every brand is different. We sent you the same size across all of— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Marge —these brands. Maybe that’s something else to talk about. Did you find—we did send you the exact same size across, I think it was five or six different brands. No, actually seven different brands. 
Liz The skinny jeans specifically, I think we sent you—I was—I was gonna ask a similar question. So in the skinny jeans specifically, I think we sent you three different brands, and I’m wondering— 
Marge Yes. 
Liz —like, what did you find in terms of size and fit? Like, I under—like, to Marge’s point, the inseam and the rise was maybe different. The wash was different in each of them. But, like, did you find consistency in size, or was there vast difference? And, like, did you learn anything from that? 
Carly Yeah, yeah. So I’ll speak to the skinny jeans specifically. But yeah, so there were three different brands, all the same size. And I will say that ELOQUII, in particular, super impressed with, like, the quality and the comfortable feel of their denim. I wanted to love it, and I wanted it to work. But it did run a—a tad big on me. 
Liz Hmm. 
Carly So I—I, you know, I—if I were in store, I would have absolutely tried another size down because it felt incredible. Really, really soft and comfortable. What else did I try? I tried a Slink jean— 
Liz Yeah. 
Carly —that fit okay. It was a little bit—so part of my challenges are, I carry a little, like, my weight in, like, my belly area, and then I don’t have a butt, and my hips are a little bit more narrow. So it’s tricky because I—it can get baggy in that area, but then, like, my waist, because I have to go up for my waist or whatever. So that’s a huge part of, like, my challenge. And so I will say the—the Slink jean didn’t work great for me because I felt like I needed to have—be a little hippier. So maybe— 
Liz Mm. 
Carly —our, like, more bottom-heavy customers would love a Slink jean. Really cute, like, wash. It was kind of—it had a little distressing to it. That part was super cute, and the inseam was, like, perfect on me. But yeah, just the waist was just right, and then the—the hips felt a little bit baggy for me. 
Marge And remind me, you like a higher rise, right? Yep. Okay. 
Carly Love a high-rise. Yes. I am—I have had two C-sections, so all the C-section— 
Liz Yeah. 
Carly —moms will be able to totally relate. But we love a high-rise. It kind of makes you feel more comfortable and protected and hides anything you didn’t—you know, maybe a little C-section pooch, if you will. So—which—I—go ahead. 
Liz Just gonna say, like, in terms of, you know, going to a store that has multiple brands or working with Dia & Co. that can send you multiple brands, I think the idea of, like, starting with a silhouette that you are already comfortable with—so for you, skinny jeans—and trying on a bunch of different brands to begin to understand, like, what you appre—what works or what doesn’t work for you about those brands is, like, a really good place to start in your denim shopping journey. ‘Cause, like, I—I don’t know. I’m very excited to find out where you ended up and what you loved, but I’m sort of guessing that the brands that, like, you grav—that, like, you gravitated to—so ELOQUII, you really liked the quality— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Liz I think you tried on a pair of Meri Skye skinny jeans as well, or 1822 Denim. And another—like, just understanding what works for you and what doesn’t work for you as you then move outside of the skinny silhouette, I would think that those are the brands that are gonna continue to work for you as you move forward. So, like, maybe, you know, if Slink doesn’t fit your body shape, that’s okay. And luckily, there’s lots of other denim brands out there. 
Carly Yeah, yeah, exactly. I did not speak to the Meri Skye. Those were really comfortable, and I did like them. I—I probably even should have put a maybe for keeping when I was filling this out because I did love the dark wash. They were super comfortable. They had just the right amount of stretch. I just, again, I was just checked out of the skinny-jean style. But they—they were really nice. They felt— 
Liz That’s great. 
Carly —good. 
Marge And perhaps you— 
Liz Awesome. 
Marge —found another style you love. 
Carly There we go. There we go. That was the goal. 
Marge Awesome. Awesome. Okay, so I’m gonna move—let’s see—to a—let’s start, like, skinny and then—and then sort of, like, work our way out. So let’s move to, like, the straight-leg jeans. We sent you two pairs of straight-leg jeans and then, like, maybe more of a relaxed pair. One was from 1822 Denim, one was from Avenue, and then a little bit of a wild card were the relaxed snake-print from ELOQUII that I sort of—I, like, couldn’t necessarily see Carly wearing, but I was like, well, she’s already trying on nine pairs of jeans. It would be— 
Carly Ha ha ha ha. 
Liz Send her a tenth. 
Marge —and, like, you never know. I think sometimes, like— 
Carly You never know. 
Marge —like, that’s kind of the beauty of—of this, is, like, having somebody else pick something out. And when you’re already trying stuff on, like, trying something on that feels a little bit, like, wild and different. Like, you’re like, I may not want this in the jean, but maybe I want this in just, like, a solid denim. Or maybe I want to actually incorporate this sort of style and texture of the jean in something else in my wardrobe. And maybe I decide I don’t want it at all. You just send it on back and say, see you later. Like, it’s not that—it’s not that serious. But I’m curious to hear sort of what your—what your thoughts and feelings are about the straight, which is, like, a little bit wider. And, Liz, correct me if I’m wrong. You’re sort of the, like, denim expert, but straight-leg is where it’s really just, like, straight down from, like, hips to—hips to leg. 
Liz Yeah. I mean, I think that there’s—it’s a—what do you call it? It’s—it’s a spectrum. There’s definitely a spectrum of straight-leg jeans. And the— 
Marge Yeah, sure. Yeah. 
Carly Yeah. 
Liz —1822 straight-leg that we sent you have more of a slim-straight silhouette. But yes, theoretically, it’s basically the same-size leg opening from hip to ankle. This is not quite that, but that is straight. 
Marge I think— 
Carly I really liked the straight cut. It look—I felt good in it. I, again, my hips are sort of narrow. I felt like it—I felt like it was, like, really complementary to my shape. So—and—and I tried the 1822 Better Butter. Oh my gosh, they are— 
Liz Mm. 
Marge Ooh. 
Carly —so soft and feel incredible. So, fell in love with those very quickly. And they were—they were the right inseam for me too, which was great. So I’m—I’m realizing inseam is a big part of my problem. I think I’m sort of, like, in between a tall girl and a short girl. So it’s a little—it can get a little awkward. And then I tried the Avenue straight-leg. Go ahead. 
Marge And I feel like inseam—inseam doesn’t s—doesn’t seem—it—it makes a huge difference, finding the right inseam. But I feel like it’s not something that is, like, very often easy to find when you’re shopping— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Marge —for really— 
Liz Mm. 
Marge —any pair of pants. But it does make a huge difference. And, like, somebody’s high-rise or mid-rise or low-rise is very—like, one brand’s 14 is different than another brand’s 14. The same goes with definitions for, like, high-rise, whereas inseam, when it’s actually, like, measured and—and says what it is, is like, okay, I think these are gonna fit me. So that’s—that’s— 
Liz Yeah. 
Marge —great. 
Liz I—I’m someone who— 
Carly Yeah, it— 
Liz —who keeps a sewing tape measure in their—one of their pouches. We talked about pouches in another episode. And one of my pouches does have a small sewing measuring tape because, if I’m out shopping, I’m someone who likes to measure the rise. Because, to Marge’s point, mid-rise here is not the same as mid-rise there. And—and as someone who is also a high-rise denim girl, I’m not a 13-inch high-rise denim girl because— 
Carly Sure, right. 
Liz —I’m petite, and my—my torso is not very—not very long. So before I, like—I—trying on jeans is exhausting. I mean, Carly, the idea— 
Marge Yeah. 
Liz —that you tried on 10 pairs of jeans in one sitting, like, I hope you had a cocktail afterwards. But— 
Marge Wild. 
Carly Ha ha. 
Liz —so before I try it on, I want to know how high that rise actually is and make some decisions that way. 
Carly That’s brilliant, to bring that along with you. Once you—once you know your perfect spot, you can just measure before trying them all on. That’s great. Perfect. 
Marge I don’t have a sewing tape measure, but I have multiple construction tape measures all over my house. 
Carly Ha ha ha ha ha. 
Liz There you go. That’s just bulkier—bulkier, but the same. 
Carly Just click it on your belt. 
Marge Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thanks—thanks, Dad, for—for passing those on. But yeah, I—I think, like, being able to measure how it’s gonna fit on you makes a world of difference. Sometimes, like, I—I was listening to another podcast, and it was men—these—it’s, like, a sibling podcast, and it was, like, two brothers and—and a sister. And—and they were talking about, like, stand-up—like, what jeans are their partners or their sister wearing? Like, is it stand-up jeans or sit-down jeans? 
Liz Ha ha. 
Marge And—and, like, they sort of had, like, a brothers’ aside about, like, the difference. And, like, they were sort of—one knew more than the other, and it was sort of this, like, wait, what? I didn’t realize that that was—that was a—a thing. And I—I think there are people that have, like, their stand-up jeans and their sit-down jeans. But if I can’t sit down in it and be comfortable, like— 
Liz Got it. 
Marge —what am I doing? But I also don’t have a booty either. So jeans that give me a little bit of a booty, I’m like, ooh, okay, I’ll take—I’ll take these. 
Carly Yeah. Yeah. 
Marge Those are typically the ones that aren’t as comfortable when I sit down. 
Liz The other thing I was gonna say about inseam—and I think that this is, like, again, this is coming from a petite person who’s had to deal with this their whole life, but I don’t think it only applies to petite people—is, like, even for denim, your tailor is your best friend. And— 
Marge Truly. 
Liz —if you find denim that you love, that fits in all the other places and is the style that you want, but the inseam isn’t quite right—and, Carly, I think, like, as someone who sort of could be, like, wear tall length, could wear regular length—like, the inseam is so easily adjustable. And to work with a tailor who will use the original hem—that’s the key phrase, right?—to alter your denim, it’s a $15 tailor fee that is, like, absolutely— 
Marge Worth it. 
Liz —worth the investment. Just make sure you wash your jeans first because they shrink. 
Carly Good tip. I have taken some—go ahead, Marge. 
Marge Yes. I will say, in—in the very, very early days of Dia & Co., when finding plus-size jeans was extremely difficult, Nadia, who was also a petite—a petite woman, she would always—like, it’s a tagline that lives in my head rent-free, is, “Worth— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Marge —tailoring if they fit otherwise.” 
Liz Yeah. 
Marge And it— 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge —was, like, used in so many styling notes back in the day. But it’s— 
Liz Absolutely. 
Marge —totally true and is worth it, especially for jeans that get—like, they are the, like, workhorse. But free the horses— 
Liz Hmm. 
Marge —they shouldn’t have to work if they don’t want to. But, like, they are the, like—like, the go-to. And sometimes they’re a little bit more expensive. But then when you think how many times—like, price per wear and how many times you’re gonna wear them, and how—how many things you can do with them, getting them tailored to fit perfectly is—is worth it. 
Carly I took a really great pair of Abercrombie jeans that I just loved, and I wore a few times, and then I stopped grabbing for them. And it’s like, you—you invest this money, and they’re, like, nice. Like, what am I doing? But I stopped grabbing for them because they were just baggy in my—in my thigh area. So I actually did take them to the tailor to get to work, like, tightening on my thighs. And I—I love—I—I grab them now. So it’s worth it. You just gotta take it in. Take—take— 
Liz That’s awesome. Yep. 
Carly —where it’s not working. 
Marge Yep. I love that. Okay, so overall, the fit of straight jeans was surprising or exciting, or is it something that you’ll—you’ll try in the future? 
Carly Yeah, exciting. I think that’s a really good style for my—my body shape. I felt really good in it. Yeah, I—I think that’s a good one to—I’ll continue to hunt for, for sure. 
Marge Awesome. And the relaxed was a little bit too relaxed across the board. Is that something that’s still—is sort of a meh, later on? Or—or maybe not something that you would try again? 
Carly Yeah. So, again, had so much fun—had so much fun trying them on and playing dress-up in them and— 
Marge Yeah. Yeah. 
Carly —pretending I would actually wear them. But they’re so cute. But no, it’s just not—it’s just not my style. Doesn’t feel like me. But they—they were really, really cute, and, like, I—I totally get why people would gravitate towards that. It’s comfortable, and, like, some of them were really lightweight, more so than I would—would think, you know, and breathable, kind of, if you will. So I totally get why people would go that route. But yeah, just didn’t—didn’t feel like me. Although, I will say, you guys mentioned the ELOQUII snakeskin ones that were fun. And—and you were like, why not? Like, truly, it’s something I tell the stylists too. Like, throw that really fun piece in the box because you just truly never know. I pictured myself, like, wearing those with a cute little black tee to, like, the concert I have coming up. 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly If they would have—if they would have fit just right, I mean, that one fun piece that—for that one specific event, I mean, and then hopefully you wear them again for other events too. But, like, it’s so fun to pick that new outfit for whatever the event is. And it’s always that, like, fun wow piece that kind of inspires it. Like, those were perfect for that. So if they would have fit, I would have—I would have totally rocked them to the concert. They’re just a little bit big. 
Marge I love that fun wow piece. It is—that’s, like— 
Liz Wow. 
Carly Mm. 
Marge —the magic secret sauce. And— 
Liz Yeah. 
Marge —it is just—we actually had a guest a couple episodes ago, Tamara, and we sent her a box. And then I happened to find a few other things in our inventory that I was like, wait a minute. I know who these would be perfect for. And—and I, like, sent her an email, and I was like, hey, girl. Any chance you’d want to, like, try a couple more pieces? Like, no pressure. Let me know. I’ll send them out. And she sent me a DM, like, right after she got it. And she was like, these are so fun. It’s totally something that, like, I wouldn’t have ever grabbed myself, and yet I can’t wait to style them. And— 
Liz That’s the best. 
Marge —that was just, like, awesome. I was like, yes. 
Carly That’s what it is. The wow piece. That’s so good. 
Marge Yep. Especially for, like, concerts— 
Liz Love it. 
Marge —and stuff. Like, I think this act of, like, dress-up and play is becoming way more common. There was this huge res—like, I don’t know if it’s, like, a resurgence, but, like, we saw it with the Barbie movie. We saw it with a Harry Styles concert, the Eras Tour. I saw it when I went to Cowboy Carter. I was just at a concert a couple weeks ago. Like, the act of, like, dressing up to participate in—in things—even, like, I went to—I went to a football game on Sunday. Everyone was dressed up, obviously. Like, that feels, like, more common for people to dress up. I was at a basketball game on Wednesday—go Liberty—and everybody was dressed up. And, like, style and fashion was front and center at this sports game and at these concerts. And so I think there is clearly a want for, like, fun and play, and sometimes that, like, excuse to dress up a little bit differently than you normally do— 
Liz Absolutely. 
Marge —that is really, really exciting about those type of events and bringing your—your style along with you. 
Liz We’re recording this on September 25th, which is, you know, now Dolly Day. And I’m wearing my Dolly Parton T-shirt, but I was hunting. Mind you, I’m, like, barely—basically not leaving my house today. But I was, like, hunting— 
Carly Huh. 
Liz —through my closet this morning and thinking, like, do I have a sequined skirt I can pair this with, just to, like, do something fun and exciting? Like, I just— 
Carly Just to zhuzh it up. 
Liz —think that, like, yes, having fun and having those special pieces is such a fun part of—I don’t know how th—I—I love this time in fashion that we’re living in. We’re not taking ourselves too seriously. 
Marge Absolutely not. I love it. I love it. Okay, so Carly, you can sort of choose the route that we go here. We can either move to the wide-leg denim or the bootcut. If we’re going—I don’t wanna, like, lead the—the witness to—to reveal the—the— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Marge —final choice or, like, your—your top picks, but I think you actually had maybe one of each here that was kind of surprising. 
Carly Absolutely. 
Marge So let’s—let’s move to the bootcut, and then we’ll wrap up with wide-leg. But how was your experience trying on bootcut denim, which is a little bit wider? It’s, like, slim through the leg, a little bit wider at the ankle, correct? 
Liz Yes. 
Marge Yeah, okay. For boots. 
Carly Yep, yep, you got it. It was good. It was good. Right, ready for your boots. I think there were maybe two bootcuts in here. One—or maybe just one, actually. But were— 
Liz Two, I think. I believe two. 
Carly —there two? Okay. 
Marge Yep, there’s a pair of black and then a dark wash. 
Liz A cropped pair. 
Marge Yes. 
Carly Okay, so I will say, I was a skinny-jean girl. I have tried bootcut and liked it in the past. This was a style I have—I have tried before. So instantly knew I would like it when I pulled it out. I did not know I would gravitate towards the brand 1822 Denim, but one of my favorites was the—was the bootcut 1822 black denim jean. It was—it just—it had the right amount of— 
Liz The demi—they’re a demi bootcut, which we love. 
Marge Ooh. 
Carly We love. We love a cropped moment. Show off the good shoes. It had the—it was the right rise for me. It had the right amount of, like, structure, holding you in without being uncomfortable. I tested it out. I was sitting. I was standing. I was moving around. And really, really comfortable, and just honestly just, like, a really good fit. So yeah, that—that brand was great, 1822 Denim. It was not something I would have, like, seen in the store and gone for, I don’t think, but really, really comfortable. And then— 
Liz So something that I’ll say about a demi bootcut in particular, and why I think it might work so well for you, is because it’s— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Liz —sort of a hybrid between a skinny jean and a bootcut jean. Whereas, like, a tip—a traditional— 
Carly Interesting. 
Liz —bootcut jean in the hips and waist fit more like a straight-leg pair of jeans with a slight flare at the bottom, demi bootcuts fit more like a skinny jean through the hips and thighs and then have that kick-out flare at the bottom. And typically—and, like— 
Carly That makes so much sense. 
Liz —the pair we—we sent, they were cropped as well. But I wonder if that was part of it too. 
Carly That makes so much sense. Yes. I—it was really—it—it’s, again, it’s always the hips and thighs that kind of is a make-or-break for me, and th—they were perfect. So that makes sense. I loved— 
Marge And these have, like, if I am looking at the right photos, these have, like, a raw hem at the bottom too. 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Marge This feels very, like, Practical Magic, sort of, like—like, fall witchy, like, perfect for this time of year. Can do so much with— 
Carly Mm. 
Marge —in styling. I think black denim gets overlooked a lot. It’s something that I don’t have in my closet currently, but I will be adding a pair of these to my next box. 
Carly I highly recommend these. 
Marge I was also very pleasantly surprised by 1822 Denim. It was a brand that I had never heard of until I got a pair of, I think, like, a wide-leg or bootcut back, I don’t know, maybe a year ago, and they became my favorite jeans. I love how lightweight they are, but yet how denim they are. And— 
Carly Mm-hmm. Exactly. 
Marge —black jeans, I feel like, fade real—like, the—the coloring fades, or it, like, looks, like, more like acid wash, or you find a lot of, like, distressed black denim. But finding, like, a nice, like, crisp pair, like the—like, I’m actually very excited about you finding this pair because it is just a great style for this time of year, especially with boots or fun sneakers. You could even take the—like, if you’re still in very warmer weather right now, which was us last weekend here in New York— 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Marge —like, you could very easily wear—wear these with sandals and—and have it look nice. 
Carly Yeah, I think that’s a huge selling point for me being in Indiana because— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —l—like you said, it’s, like, it’s warm yesterday, it’s really cold today, and it’s gonna be like that— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —for a little bit. So it’s perfect. I can wear them with booties and—and the next day, if it’s warmer, I can still wear them and throw on my favorite sandals. So— 
Marge Perfect, perfect. Okay, so we’re gonna—you’re gonna plan on keeping those. Do you have any suggestions on how you would style those, or how you see styling them? 
Carly I—well, because I’m very fall-inspired right now, I’m a—I—I’m ready for it to be cooler. I would wear it with—I mean, probably just an oversized sweater that I—I like to tuck those in the front and do a bootie. And I—I’ve been very, very into just, like, a soft, solid sweater. I think that they’re— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —timeless. And you can add some fun jewelry if you want to spice it up. I’m also a headband girly. I have a lot of fun patterned headbands or patterned scarves that I can kind of spice it up with. But just—just a classic, solid, soft, and then your—your favorite boots. That’s where I’m going. Can’t go wrong. 
Liz Yep. I love a— 
Marge Can’t go wrong. I love that. 
Liz —a kick flare because you get to show off your shoes. And as girls— 
Carly Mm. 
Marge Yeah. 
Liz —who love shoes, you really can’t go wrong. They look great with a checkerboard Vans. They look great with a loafer. 
Carly Mm-hmm. 
Liz I just think you’ll have just a lot of opportunity to have fun with those jeans. I’m so glad they worked for you. 
Carly Yeah, and of course the jean jacket. I mean, black denim and a jean jacket. Done. Done and done. 
Liz Perfect. 
Marge Absolutely. Perfect. Perfect. Yep. I love it. Awesome. Okay, so we’re gonna move on to the final category. We should have done this, like, a—I don’t know, maybe, like, Abby Lee Miller ranking these on a pyramid, or, like, Dancing with the Stars. 
Carly Yeah. 
Liz Oh my God, next time. 
Marge Okay, well, give— 
Carly That’s hilarious. 
Marge —us feedback. Let us know which reality TV show you want us to—to do this over. 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge I—I will admit, I have never paid attention to Dancing with the Stars. Not that I’m watching now, but seeing it all over my Instagram is— 
Liz Yeah. 
Marge —joyful. 
Carly It is fun. It’s a fun show. 
Marge Very fun. Okay, so the final category was wide-leg denim, which is a category I have learned to love over the last two years. So I’m super excited to hear about your experience trying on your own wide-leg new denim and what your thoughts and feelings—any winners? Any losers? 
Carly Yeah, I—so this—talk about a piece you were shocked to love. I did not expect a wide-leg jean to make it into my closet. 
Marge Ooh. 
Carly But I really loved the June + Vie Heather wide-leg jean. And again, this was black denim. Apparently that’s my—that’s my wheelhouse. 
Liz Yeah. 
Carly But I loved them. They, again, really, really, like, the perfect amount of structure and—but still comfortable. Perfect inseam for me, where I can—I’ve got a little bit of wiggle room where I, like, wear it with boots or kind of a flatter shoe. I loved the rise on them. I mean, they were perfect. I’ve tried on a few June + Vie pieces. This was my first denim, I think. But it’s a—it’s a really—it’s—it’s high quality, and I—I really like that—that brand and definitely will try on some other jeans. It was great. 
Marge Good news: they also come in dark-wash denim. 
Carly Don’t tell me that. I’m gonna fill my cart right now. 
Liz Ha ha ha. 
Marge I think I was trying to send you the denim, and I—like, the—the blue, and I think we’re out of them at the moment. But I—I think what’s—what’s great here is—is finding something from brands that you wouldn’t necessarily have, like, looked for previously. And then if you’re like, I really love this brand, now I’m gonna go and look at other things that they have. It’s, like, a great way for brand discovery and to find other things that, like, I know that these fit this way from this brand with this sort of style. I now know that if they have other styles like it in that same sort of fit, it’s probably gonna be cut about the same. There are other notorious larger brands that change their fit and cut constantly. They know who they are, and they know what they’ve done. 
Carly Ha ha ha. 
Marge But I think, for the most part, when it comes to denim, they try to stick pretty—pretty true to—to how things fit across sort of certain—certain styles. And—and that’s great that you found the wide-leg from June + Vie. How was the length on those as you were thinking about styling them? 
Carly Yeah, really good. I—I played around in them with some of my booties I have in my closet. And you know how you can, like—there’s, like, a—that tricky kind of awkward spot where, like, if you wear it with a—any type of heel, it, like, becomes kind of a weird inseam, or, you know, it’s meant to be with a flat or whatever. But this was, like, perfectly in between. So I feel—I feel really good about that. I am also learning through this process how picky I am about an inseam. Like, what? Who knew that? But apparently, I am very particular about where it falls on me. But these were perfect. It was—it was—you could wear it with a flat, you could wear it with a bootie, which is exactly what I need. So— 
Marge Love that. Ruthie on the—the Liz side co-signs the importance of an inseam. 
Carly Hey, Ruthie. 
Marge It is—it is true. Like, I think gone are the days where—I don’t know. I was never the person that could just, like, go grab a pair of jeans from any store and have them fit me. Like, that just, like, wasn’t a life I—I understood. And— 
Carly Yeah. No, same. 
Marge —maybe part of growing up and world evolving and—and you seeing the world a different way is realizing that’s not a common experience for really anybody. So, okay, that’s a good learning. But also that, like, you have to try—like, trying things on and, like, having an opinion on how they fit and how they fit on you makes all the difference. And, like, how you’re gonna style them and what you’re gonna do with them, I think, is—is important. And you want—you want to be comfortable and— 
Carly For sure. 
Marge —and be able to wear them. 
Carly And I can relate so much to what you said. I—I remember, like, growing up, shopping with friends who are just—everybody’s shaped very different. Obviously, we all have our own shapes. And they would just be like, well, you know, just—just buy it. You know, why do you have to try it on? And it’s like, no, I don’t—I don’t live in a world where I don’t have to try this on. I— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —have to try everything on first. And ’cause it’s just, like, we’re at a boutique or at Macy’s, and they’re all gonna fit really, really different. So—so yeah, I—that’s the beauty of—the beauty of this lovely box you sent me. I had 10 fun pairs to try on, and it was—it was great. And it was really fun to see the difference of brands and things like that, which is, like, the beauty of—of The Style Box. You get to try fun things at home. So— 
Liz And that you can pair them, I think, like, with the booties that are in your closet, or, like, swap out different shoes to see, like, to check to make sure the inseam works for, you know, different things. I think that that is, like, such a benefit in the comfort of your own home. 
Carly Absolutely. You better believe I was playing with all my stuff. I even, like, held my bag up to one of my outfits to see if—to see if it was a complete— 
Liz She’s checking herself out. 
Carly —look, okay? 
Marge That’s smart. It’s true. The shoes make—the shoes make such a big difference. And when you’re out shopping somewhere, A—like, to go into a fitting—you couldn’t pay me money to go into— 
Liz Uh-huh. 
Marge —a fitting room. 
Carly Right. 
Marge I think I have, like, working-retail PTSD from fitting rooms. But, like, you don’t have the shoes. Often, you’re just wearing whatever shoes you have. And so it’s hard, especially with jeans, to understand— 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge —like, if I have a pair of jeans, I typically want to wear them with more than just one pair of shoes. I have a lot of different out—like, outfit plans. So being able to try them on at home and—and figure out what shoes they go with and—and how you can—how you can really, like, get the most out of them is—is important. 
Liz Mm-hmm. 
Carly Sure. 
Marge You tried on one other pair of wide-leg that had a very different feel than—than the ones that—that you loved most. Can you talk about the difference between the two and what really set them apart? 
Carly Yeah, so the Violet High Rise is the—the—I don’t know how you say that brand. Liz, how do you say that brand? Joie? Okay. Okay, that kind of makes me want them now. That’s so fun. 
Liz Joie. Joie. 
Marge Ooh, like joie de vivre. I know. 
Carly I loved them. So this goes back to what I was saying earlier about that kind of relaxed, like, wide, huge fit, huge leg, barrel-leg, whatever. That— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —cute, cute trend that looks so good on so many people. But it is just not—it just makes me feel silly. They were incredibly comfortable, and really, really liked them, but again, just—just not my style. The main difference here, I would say, why the other wide-leg worked for me is, again, it came down to fitting perfectly in my hips area, which I have such a hard time with. And then it got wide from, like, the thigh down. Like, it—it—and it was, like, a gradual wide, if that makes sense. 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly Rather than, like, the other pair was just, like, just baggy in every way possible, which, again, is— 
Liz Yeah. 
Carly —is some people’s favorite look and so cute on some. But—so that was the main difference, I think, is, like, it started out really fitted up top and—and just felt really secure. And then the cute wide-leg at the bottom was, like, fun. This is a different style to—to take on. So— 
Marge I think I saw this in a movie. 
Carly I love them. 
Marge I think I saw this in a movie, but also I see it every time I go outside here in New York, is the tiny little black top, really, really, really big light-wash denim baggy jeans, and tiny little shoe. And it’s, like, everywhere— 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge —under the age of 30 in—in New York— 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge —City. And my friends are bartenders, and they’re like, yep, every Friday, Saturday night, it’s a sea of tiny black top, really big jeans, tiny little shoe. And it looks—like, every— 
Carly Yep. 
Marge —person I see looks so cool. And I—I— 
Carly So cute. 
Marge —put on baggy jeans and a big baggy top, and I’m like, yeah, good. I—I feel— 
Liz Ha ha ha. 
Marge —I feel good. But it is—it is, like, trying to find—I have other options that are, like, a little bit tighter in—in the booty and in the hips, and—and if that’s what you want, then the—the ones that you found are—are really great. I’m looking at—we may not share this on the—the blog that goes with this post, but Carly took a bunch of photos of her in all of these jeans to share with our stylists because a lot of what we do when we talk about different products or styles or—or try them on ourselves, we always want to share that information with our team too so that they have all the great information across how things fit, and—and they have the best information on different body types and styles across all of our products. So it’s always really helpful to do try-ons like this and—and just sort of share the information across the board. So, awesome. 
Carly Those are another great example of, like, a fun, kind of costume, really specific-event moment. ‘Cause, like, I—I— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —did—I did actually— 
Liz Mm-hmm. 
Carly —love them and feel fun in them. I just—it’s— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —not gonna be, like, my everyday go-to. So— 
Marge Yeah. 
Liz Yeah. 
Carly —maybe there’s a future event where those—those exist for me with, like, a fun band tee or something, you know? Again, a concert or whatever it is. 
Marge Totally. 
Carly They’re really, really cute. 
Marge I also really love the sandals you’re wearing. These, like, fun little leopard sandals are very cool. 
Carly Those are my slippers. Those are my house slippers. They are the best. 
Marge I love it. 
Liz Real life. Real life. 
Carly I wish I could wear them outside and not be weird. 
Marge I’ve never heard of those. 
Carly Oh my gosh, they’re incredible. They’re—I—I think they’re from Amazon, but they’re, like—they have a little platform, so it’s, like, cushioned. And— 
Marge Ooh. 
Carly —and then I like that my little toes are out so that it’s not too hot. Ugh, love them. Highly recommend. 
Marge Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Okay, Carly. So, 10 pairs of jeans. You tried them all on. There— 
Carly Mm. 
Marge —are—I think there was one that was an absolute love. 
Carly Mm. 
Marge And that was the bootcut, demi-bootcut jean from 1822 in the black. And then there are a couple of likes here. 
Carly Yep, loved them. 
Marge Out of 10, I mean, to have—there— 
Liz She had two loves. Carly had two loves. 
Marge —was a love. There were four likes. One, two, three, four—five likes. Five likes. 
Carly I think the love—the one love was, like, a hundred percent, Liz. I think the other ones s—technically scored— 
Liz I see. Okay. Sorry. 
Carly —slight—slightly below, but they w—they—I loved many. 
Liz Sorry. Got it. 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge Okay, so actually six out of 10—not that, like, we’re sort of championing my styling skills—but six out of 10 of your jeans were a like— 
Carly I think you nailed it. 
Marge —or a love. 
Carly I think you nailed it. You did really— 
Liz Amazing. 
Carly —really well. These were some really great options and pushed me out of my comfort zone in just the right way. And, I mean, I just had so much fun trying them all on. So you did great. 
Marge Thank you so much. I only— 
Liz Woo-hoo! Good job. 
Marge —take the credit of picking the options. You did all the styling and all the—the—the trying them on. 
Carly Ha ha. 
Marge Awesome. 
Liz The hard work. 
Marge Any—any, like, other takeaways from finding jeans? Or you’ve obviously, like, also been a stylist for—for a while. Like, any other tips of the trade or suggestions when folks are styling things that—or trying on jeans that’s good to sort of share? 
Carly You know, just after this experience, I would just say, just try on different styles and—and maybe different brands you never—you don’t typically gravitate towards because you just never know what you’re gonna like. And—and again, even if it’s not, like, your everyday pair, maybe you find a fun—a fun one that you’re like, ooh, I gotta find a reason to get these and wear these. But just, yeah, try on different stuff. You never know. I—I am very—I can be stuck in my ways, so I’m—I’m proud of myself for—for dabbling— 
Liz Proud of you, Carly. 
Carly —here in— 
Marge Yeah. 
Carly —different styles. And I’m very pleasantly surprised. So it makes me want to go shopping more and go through my drawer and clean out some of these jeans I don’t touch, and honestly, retry them on. Maybe—maybe what’s in my drawer, you know, give them another go, and they might be perfect. Who knows? But yeah. 
Marge I will also shout out the, like, the friendship that we all have and, like, the supportive nature of us, like, on our team is unlike many—like, friend—I don’t know. It—it’s— 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge —it’s, like, a safe space to try new things and know that, like, I wouldn’t send you anything that I thought would be, like, totally ridiculous, but also this, like, no, like, just try it on. Like, it’s not that serious. Like, it’s very easy to get in our heads. I often am in my head over all sorts of things. And it’s wonderful to have, like, a group of coworkers, but friends, who are—have either been there or know what it feels like and gets it, but also can, like, talk you off the ledge in the moment. That’s just, like, just put it on, and you’ll be fine. Or, like, just maybe try it with this or try it with that, and, like, helps take some of that pressure off in a really great way that I’m just really proud and grateful of. Because I know it helps me when I’m getting dressed for things that I’m like, ooh, okay, how would Liz style this? Or, like—like, I saw Carly wear— 
Carly I love that. 
Marge —this really cute outfit. Like, the shoes you had on earlier, like, different, like, styles. Like, I—I sort of take inspiration from all of you. And it’s—you all, like, kind of live in my head as, like, the little goddesses from Hercules, you know? Like, do this, do— 
Carly I love that. 
Marge —that. And—and it’s—I—I think that, like, the power of, like, female friendship and—and having, like, really supportive folks in your corner when you’re trying stuff on, when you’re feeling sort of vulnerable, when you can get in your head about trying things on, like, I—I hope—I hope our listeners have that. 
Carly That’s— 
Liz Love that. 
Carly —so nice. And as soon as you asked me, do you want to pick these out yourself for the sample box, or do you want me to? I was immediately like, no-brainer. Like, how fun to have my friends picking these out. And I highly recommend that. Have a buddy. Have a buddy— 
Marge Yeah. Yeah. 
Carly —system. Whether it’s your friends go with you and pick some things out, or your Dia & Co. stylist, or whoever it is. But it was really fun to have someone else say, hey, I think these would be great for you to try. So thanks, Marge. 
Marge Truly. And it is, like, even—even at Dia & Co., like, quote, strangers style—like, we genuinely care about what we’re choosing for you. Like, it is intentional. We may not hit it right all the time because sometimes we’ve literally never met. But, like, being able to, like, get folks to try—like, trying something on from somebody else is—is—the fact that anybody signs up is sort of a, like, very vulnerable, wonderful feeling. And when you get it right, it’s just a really magical—I know when I find things that somebody else has sent me or somebody else has chosen, like—like, sometimes it becomes, like, the favorite thing in my closet that I would have never worn before. And it’s interesting to see the version of you that your, like, friends see. And, like, it—it’s—it’s a wonderful thing. So, highly recommend. 
Carly Yeah. 
Marge And if you don’t have that, feel free to—to come to Dia & Co. We’ve got you. 
Liz Mm-hmm. 
Marge Okay, we are going to skip over the SOS. However, we are still accepting SOS. If you have a style emergency, if you are looking for denim, we will be dropping a denim-exclusive box with this episode. You’ll get to try on a couple different pairs of—of jeans, different washes, different fits, really get a chance to, like, form your own opinion on—on what jeans you really like best for you, or—or at least, like, have a little fun trying them on, in addition to some other denim-inspired or chambray other pieces that we have in that are wonderful. Maybe a denim jacket or two. We have a cute denim dress that I just saw. I think we actually have a couple really fun denim-chambray dresses. I saw a cute denim polka-dot shirt that I need to get my hands on. So we’ll do sort of a denim-themed box. Ooh, yeah. 
Carly Love. The puff-sleeve one. The puff-sleeve denim shirt is so cute, and it’s got little jewels on it. 
Liz So cute. 
Carly It’s adorable. Oh my gosh, I need that with my black jeans. Ugh. Okay, that’s happening. 
Marge Oh my God, yes, please. Yes, please. So we’ll be dropping that. Yes. Exactly. Exactly. So— 
Liz Yes. 
Marge —if you’re looking to try that out, we—we’ll drop the denim box at the same time as this episode. And let’s close this out with rapid-fire questions. So let’s see, what is the most important fit detail you ignored before? 
Carly Is this to me? 
Marge Yeah, sorry. Hi, Carly. Rapid-fire close. Well— 
Liz Ha ha ha. 
Marge —we can all, like, answer out, I guess. Is there a fit detail that you’ve ignored before that you want to pay attention to in the future? 
Carly I realized when I was filling out your thing that I don’t really pay attention to how my booty looks. So that’s gotta be top of list going forward. That’s important. 
Marge Yeah. Very important. 
Liz Absolutely. 
Marge Yep. I think the—the rise for me is—is something that is—is the most important. Awesome. Liz, how about you? For you, what’s the most important fit detail? 
Liz Mm, I think rise, probably. Yeah. 
Marge Awesome. Let’s see. The next time jeans don’t fit me, I’m going to—fill in the blank. 
Liz Look for another pair. 
Carly Look for a different— 
Marge Love that. 
Carly —brand, yeah. Or adjust the sizing. It’s just a number. Who cares? 
Marge Or, like, take a walk. Come back the next day. Like— 
Carly Take a walk. 
Marge —I—I think, like, that’s also, like, worth mentioning here, and then—and then we’ll wrap up. Like, our bodies change constantly. One minute things fit, the next minute they don’t. It is very common, like, for bodies to change constantly, and the way things fit is just not always conducive to that. But a fun fact I learned at Dia & Co. years ago was the sizing for clothing is—was created based on the food and agriculture guidelines in the early 1900s. So— 
Carly Hmm. 
Marge —maybe we don’t hold ourselves to arbitrary numbers that don’t know—like, it—it’s just—it isn’t that serious. Find clothes that fit you, that you love. 
Carly Yeah, it’s not on you. Just try something else. 
Marge Absolutely. There are more options out there, and we’re happy to help you find them. Awesome. Okay. This has been really fun. Love that you were up for trying all these denim jeans, Carly. Thank you. Feel free to challenge Liz or I or Maloree to a—a try-on. I’m sure we’ll—I kind of like the scorecard formula, so maybe we’ll do that again. 
Liz Thanks, Carly. 
Liz Yeah, let’s do something different— 
Carly Yeah, it was really fun. 
Liz —next time. 
Carly It was really fun. Thank you. 
Marge We’ll do that again. Let us know in the comments if there’s a certain style or certain things you’d like us to try. We could definitely do that for a future episode. Thank you for listening to SOS. Thank you, Carly. Thank you, Liz. 
Liz See you next time. 
Marge And we’ll see you guys next time. Bye. 
Carly Thank you, guys. See you next time.

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