The Specialists: Girth control
While many denim companies have hopped on the belly-busting bandwagon, a few labels specialize solely in the fine art of shaping.
Miraclebody jeans are brought to us from the folks behind the slimming Miraclesuit swimwear and tout the same "look ten pounds lighter" promise. Boasting a high spandex count mixed with cotton, the fabric lifts your derriere, slims thighs and helps flatten the tummy. An all-important contoured waistband pitched a bit higher in the back eliminates that annoying gap, and the rise on all of these jeans is at a reasonable, and easy-wearing, ten inches. (Considered a mid-rise, it'll hit just below the navel to retain a fashionable line but won't veer into "mom jeans" territory.) Our favorite detail is the stitched-down front pocket bags that lie flat for a smooth line.
Not Your Daughter's Jeans took the shaping denim world by storm a few years back. Now also known by the hip acronym NYDJ, they've added designs just as sexy-cool as anything the under-30 crowd wears. Their lift/tuck technology makes you look a size smaller via stretch denim, a hidden criss-cross tummy panel, rear-lifting fabrication and that all-important mid-rise. There's a full array of sizes and inseams, so Average, Petite and Plus-size ladies can all benefit from the booty beautification.
Shape FX offers a wardrobe filling array of body-sculpting garments, and their jeans line doesn't skimp on choices. Everything from trend-right wide-leg pairs to everyday bootcuts and capris to super-skinny jeggings are offered with Shape FX's built-in power mesh that flattens the tummy and adds an alluring push-up effect to your rear view.
The Classics: Shape shifters
For all the buzz that surrounds designer jeans, there's something undeniably appealing about tried-and-true, Americana denim.
We'll start with that jeans icon, Levis. Their new Curve ID line addresses the fact that not all women are built exactly the same. Four designations – slight, demi, bold and supreme – cover most figure types, and the corresponding jeans are made specifically to flatter each shape, from straight to super curvaceous. Waistbands are contoured so there's no back gap, rises are adjusted and a lot of thought goes into the placement of back pockets to enhance or minimize your silhouette. Levis' Perfectly Slimming collection features hidden tummy panels and a sculpting stretch denim for superior hold, and their Perfect Waist, Perfectly Shaping and Slender Bootcut lines are also equally good at beautifying your bottom half.
Lee Jeans are another purveyor of down-to-earth denim, offering their Slender Secret for our slimming needs. The line combines 98% "ultra stretch" cotton denim with 2% 9-ounce weight spandex for a fabric that holds its shape. Like extra middle whittle? Lee's Platinum Label jeans feature a hold-tight tummy panel. Rough-hewn denim house Wrangler melds country-style with city-sleek in their Aura collection. On the Proportioned Fit, side seams are cut closer to the front of the leg for a lean look, and a reverse yoke lifts the rear. The Aura Instantly Slimming version flatters your figure with a tummy panel.
The Plus-Size Experts: Diva denim
Many denim labels offer body shaping designs in Plus sizes, but some companies specialize in dressing this range, creating jeans that both fit and flatter.
Lane Bryant knows something that should be obvious – just like all women larger ladies come in different shapes and sizes. They offer their Right Fit designs to reflect this diversity. Choose from Straight, Moderately Curvy or Curvy for jeans that flatter your particular contours. You'll avoid pants that ride down the back of your waist, gape open at the pockets, show too much when you bend over or need a serious belt cinching at the waist. When you want to target your mid-section, try their Tighter Tummy Technology bootcut jean.
For budget-friendly shaping denim built just for the Plus-sized, check out the JMS (Just My Size) Modern Fit Tummy Control jeans. The trendier rise ends two inches below the natural waist and can be more flattering to your overall silhouette than a higher rise. Petite Plus-Size women will find a clean-lined, nicely slenderizing and very affordable pair of jeans in the Basic Editions Slimming bootcut.
For those with a bountiful booty, we recommend the expert fits at Baby Phat and Apple Bottoms. They offer non-Plus sizes as well, but both lines are adept at making the most of an hourglass figure and give Plus-size patrons some unabashedly trendy and sexy choices. Made with a generous stretch component, the jeans are cut to comfortably fit larger hips and rear, but then nip in at the waist to eliminate that annoying back gap. The term "strut your stuff" was practically invented for the blingier pairs on offer.
The Designers: Fancy pants
High-end denim houses used to think the world's women were all a collective size two. And that we all wanted a super-short, six-inch rise to show off perfectly flat washboard abs. Um. No. Thankfully the maestros behind some of the most exciting and fierce fashion of our time have added "shaping" to their repertoire. Now we can flaunt premium fabrications and of-the-moment cuts and embellishments while getting some true figure flattery in the bargain.
Famed designer Calvin Klein was one of the first to offer a melding of fit and fashion and he keeps it up in his X line. With varying cotton and stretch poly blends, this denim holds you in and retains its shape day into evening. Twisted side seams visually slenderize legs, while ingeniously stitched back seams do wonders for the derriere. Of course the waistband is contoured to avoid any hint of back gap. Even the knees are articulated for a better fit.
Joe's Jeans brings us The Honey jean and explains it all with the designation "booty fit". J Brand gets even more effusive with their Bombshell Curvy line, constructed with roomier hip and thigh areas and a contoured waistband. If you like a super-skinny silhouette, try their Power Stretch denim for 9.5-ounces of pure flattery. We particularly recommend their 818 Mid-Rise Slim Boot Leg in the Classic wash – J Brand calls this their "every woman" jean. Uber-hip denim house Paige Premium offers the 9-inch rise Hidden Hills jean, with a hip-balancing boot cut and a two-button wide waistband for an extra smooth line. The even higher coverage and 12-ounce heavy-weight fabric of their Rising Glen pair promises chic shapewear in the form of a rather elegant jean.
The Bargains: Trimming prices
Since denim is not just a designer's darling, but also a truly casual fabric and an everyday staple, let's check out some body-taming pairs that won't set you back three figures.
Macy's offers a line of lower-priced, but still totally trendy, denim with their Style & Co. Tummy Control jeans. Plenty of stretch is woven through, higher rises prevent "muffin top" and a specially designed front panel helps slenderize your stomach. You'll find these in super faded to black rinses and very skinny silhouettes to flared-from-the-knee bootcuts. Metrostyle kicks it up a notch with vibrant colors – their Metro Slimmer Skinny comes in pastel pink and garnet as well as the expected hues. Middle management is the specialty of the super-comfy Shape Benefits Tummy Control Bootcut from Chadwicks. A lightweight power-mesh panel means you don't have to struggle with an extra shaping garment underneath your jeans.
QVC's Denim & Co. also features one of those genius shaping panels in their How Fitting jeans, and it's made with 92% nylon and 8% spandex for a powerful, yet totally wearable, hold. Another everyday choice is from JC Penney's St. John's Bay line. The Secretly Slender jean comes in inseams and sizes that cover the spectrum from Misses, Talls, Petites and Plus sizes. Kmart touts their Basic Editions Slimming Bootcut as a bargain in camouflaging stretch denim. Levi's even makes a lower-priced line just found at Walmart – the Signature Totally Slimming jean offers major figure flattery at a minor price.
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