Hunt for the Perfect …..

The Paskamer or Dressing Room was full of people trying out a number of tops and bottoms that I had to patiently wait for my turn. By last Thursday, the Post-Christmas sale had gained momentum with holidaymakers inching their way into familiar stores and department stores for the best deals and bargains.

I finally got into the empty stall to try IT on. I slipped IT into my legs and was surprised how softly it brushed against my skin. As I zipped IT up, I was more shocked that IT fitted at the right places and angles – especially the problematic hip area. Even more delightful is how IT stayed put on my derriere, unlike others that jut out at the back or ride dangerously low over my hips, as if worn by some rowdy teenager. I felt relieved and delirious. With only one try, I found IT! Eureka! I hit the jackpot!

This jeans discovery has put to rest a long, arduous, neck-breaking search for MY pair of perfect jeans.

I never actually really like wearing jeans. Yes, this is strange coming from a former self-professed un-girlie girl but it is ironically true. The first pair of jeans I ever bought (or make that my mom bought for me) was before I was due to fly off to the States for my studies. And owing to the frosty, sub-zero weather where I studied, I complied and cherished the warm, seemingly heavily wrought jeans. However, by senior year in college I found chinos – brown and beige ones – and love them immensely. And of course, there were the corduroy pants or cords. I wore these alternatives to death even during arctic winter.

Ever since I came back to Malaysia, I was more than willing to chuck away the jeans. With Malaysia’s humid condition, I find jeans quite hot, not to mention stuffy, to wear and prefer those cool chinos or skirts (yes, I finally weaseled my way into putting on a skirt).

Now that I am back in temperate climate, I have yielded to the call of the elements and willingly agreed to give jeans another try. It will be warm, yes. But will it be cozy?

My reservation in wearing a pair of jeans is also due in part to the overwhelming headache in finding the right one that fits me perfectly. Not just okay or barely-there fit. I hate having to hop from one shop to another just to try on these denim creatures. It’s more unnerving having to look for them in this cold weather.

Another hindrance to these rare-finds concerns the manner in which a pair of jeans is now fashioned. Indeed, the jeans have evolved since my collegiate time that you would probably need a thick leaflet to list and sort through the variety of styles currently available in the market.

Low-rise, short-waisted, high-rise, long-waisted, medium-rise, boot cut, regular cut, boy cut, slim cut, straight cut, tailored, flared, side seams, pockets, no-pockets, dark washed, semi-dark washed, light-washed, stone-washed, sand-blasted, indigo-blue, light-blue, stretch, non-stretch and the list goes on and on. Moreover, there is the question of whether you should go for the branded ones for the so-called stamp of guarantee in both quality and comfort.

My olden days of wearing jeans were inundated, so to speak, with an extra denim fabric jutting out at the back of my buttocks, which I begrudgingly solved by wearing a belt. You know what I’m talking about – it looks as if you are a circus clown with an oversized girth for a pair of pants, save for the relatively good fit over your two legs. And of course, there was the uncomfortable thick denim fabric clinging to my legs. For sure, I didn’t like the ‘heaviness’ of it all.

But now, thanks to the advent of science, which in its own right, revived a creative fervor in the fashion industry. A gamut of inventions greatly benefits the average consumers by way of availing them to more comfortable, breathable fabrics and materials.

Exacto mundo – that was precisely my thought when I wore the soft cotton jeans inside the dressing stall. I love how it does not scald my legs, pardon my exaggeration.

A further incentive to buying these ‘fitted’ jeans was the discount at which it was being sold that made it practically a steal! I was beaming at the cashier as I completed the transaction. It was sheer bliss! Now I am happy to report that I can amble along Delft’s cobblestone roads without a care for a bone-chilling draft.

For more information on finding the perfect jeans, please go here, and here, and perhaps, here. Happy hunting! And always let your legs do the talking – to buy or not to buy, that is!