Size 18, big thighs, fat tum - help me find some decent jeans!

[Devonshire]

god i make myself sound like a real looker don't i?

i don't want to spend too much, £35-ish or less.

i am tall and prefer dark denim to make myself look thinner. and i guess bootleg is most flattering to balance my shape? can't be doing with low-rise either, my tummy pools over the top.

any ideas please?

To be honest, I'd be avoiding jeans and going for a more flattering fabric and shape, like high waisted, wide legged trousers.

Try French Connection.

I don't think jeans look good on this shape either, sorry. I think linen wide legged trousers look nice.

I really, really, really disagree - wide legged trousers aren't flattering unless you are skinny beneath the wide, iykwim. They just make you look wide all over. If you have big thighs you need something that comes in to skim at the knee and then eases out again, to balance the heaviness of the upper leg.

How about Dorothy Perkins? Quite a good, flattering range and not overpriced. Good 'long leg' range too, since you are tall

I am currently wearing these and I am a similar shape and size to you. they are very long though, even on me and I am 5'10". However if you can get over the yucky diamonte, they are fab, smart and comfy jeans.

I am a size 16-18 and buy my jeans from Monsoon.

m&s per una ones are quite good, very stretchy.

Maybe I am wrong. I am thinking of a couple of friends I have who are very curvy, and they both look great in wider legged trousers. Neither of them wear jeans - I think denim is a very unforgiving fabric especially across the stomach.

I think drapey jersery also looks good in trousers on large thighs and stomachs.

I think the fat tum is the issue in your jeans hunt. If you are tall or long legged, jeans are ok as long as they aren't too tight, imo, especially around the thighs. You're right about the colour - the ones with a paler stripe down the front are good, as long as it's a subtle stripe, and doesn't look like you went mad with bleach and a paintbrush.

I bought some of the mega cheap M&S ones [ethically unsound, I know, probably made in a sweat shop by kittens etc but I am very poor but fat and going out trouserless is going to cause pile-ups and heart attacks so forgive me]

Anyhoo, I would give them a go. You need to wear the right top with them - something bum length and empire line-y, I reckon.

I speak as someone who is a Very Odd Shape, so I know what it is to have to hunt for clothes that fit in all the right places.

hmmm, lots of food for thought...

i love the idea of linen trousers but i am a sahm (dcs 3 and 4) with a big mad dog and furry kitten who both climb all over me. i am not mad keen on ironing and can imagine the lovely trousers looking a bit baggy knee-d and bag-lady-ish afer a few wash and wears.

i just can't get my head around life without jeans but then i am stuck in the time pre-kids when i was a tall willowy young size 12 with no tummy at all and a small waist..

thanks for all your good advice, i will certainly broaden my search next time i go shopping.

i am a size 20 and live in jeans, so am a little upset over the remark that they are not a good look on an 18! i havent got bundles of cash and get alot of jeans from dorothy perkins, new look, debenhams, basically i will try anything on because things always look different on the hanger.

i live in jeans too, i don't seem to have "good" clothes anymore, just casual or scruffy! dark jeans are as smart as i seem to get!

ps don't be offended, different shapes can be the same size but have totally different body types. i'm sure you look great!

I'm significantly bigger than you and IMHO any clothes that fit well (ie not too tight) will look OK but I haven't worn jeans in about 20 years not becuase of my size (was MUCH thinner then) but because I find them really uncomfortable. Sorry not much help.

red herring at debenhams, dorothy perkins,new look and next

ok, am just going to throw this out there:

MATALAN

eek!!

I bought my best pair (most slimming) jeans from there, dark denim, 'Easy' label and I love them - they were only £15 - they sound scanky but they're really nice and I feel great in them.

Bought a black pair from Matalan aswell a few weeks ago that I really like - also cheap as chips.

I don't normally buy cheapo stuff cos being a larger lady (size 18) I think more expensive stuff looks nicer on me but have made an exception for Matalan jeans.

there's nowt wrong with matalan!

i would go to DP and look for dark denium, and look for the ones with 2% elastane to give a bit of stretch,,, and bootleg

different shops will fit you differently. i am thin of leg, no hip/bottom but fat tum and short waisted, i found debenhams good, dorothy perkins hopeless. i'd rather wear elasticated waist polyester stapress than antying from per una.

Lizandlulu, sorry if my comment upset you, it is just my opinion and obviously not all size 18 women are the same shape. Personally I think there are a lot of other clothes more flattering to a womanly shape.

Next do a high-waist pair(bootleg)...... holds it all in!

comfortable too.

can't seem to make a link work but if you put "high rise jeans" into the search box on the Next site you'll get them.