Up until last summer, it had been several years since I'd last bought a pair of jeans. There is definitely something to be said for having the perfect pair of jeans in your wardrobe, though - a good pair of jeans is comfortable, practical, stylish, versatile, and sexy, all at the same time. The hard part is finding the right pair, though. I wanted something fitted, but not too tight, that sat at my natural waist, in a classic dark wash.

After doing a lot of searching, I ended up settling on the Clash By Night style from Freddie's of Pinewood. Freddie's has an excellent reputation in the vintage community, and looking at the measurements for the jeans, I was really excited to see if these would be the jeans for me.

Oh, and if you're buying them from outside of Europe, while the shipping is significantly more expensive, they also subtract the VAT, which is something to keep in mind if you're worrying about the price.

For the most part, they're pretty much perfect. They're exactly the style that I wanted - they sit at my natural waist, are fitted (but not tight) though the hips, and are straight (or maybe ever so slightly tapered) through the leg. The pair I got is a classic dark wash, and they're 100% cotton. I'm generally very pleased with the fit - with the difference between my waist and my hips, I don't think there's a mainstream brand out there that would have fit me half as well, and even many of the repro brands assume most women have no more than a 10 inch difference between hips and waist.

There are a couple of issues that I've noticed, however. While the fit is generally very good, they do give you some serious FUPA. I usually offset that by cinching my belt and hooking the button over the top of the buckle, which helps to keep the front from pooching out so badly, but I feel like adding even 2% spandex to the fabric would have helped with that. The breaking in period is also no joke. The first night I got them, Brian and I went out for barbecue; stiff as they were, sitting in them wasn't much fun, much less eating a plate of pulled pork. After a couple of weeks of regular wear they've softened up a bit, but I think it's going to be at least a few more weeks before they're truly comfortable.

On a side note, I also ordered a pair of the cigarette pants when I ordered these jeans. I like the design on them, but they do not fit me at all. Too tight in the calves and hips, too loose in the thighs and waist. I was really disappointed by that, I'm going to give Pinup Girl a try, and maybe Lady K Loves (thanks for the recommendation, Porcelina) if they get their black pants back in stock.

Also, Maureen from Shaler Area, 1987 - your jacket is super awesome.

Jeans: Freddie's of Pinewood
Sweater: Thrifted
Cheerleading Jacket: Knee Deep Vintage
Boots: Zara