Denim Is Suffering From The Blues

And the decline is being driven by women!

99% of the female population is wearing those stupid black stretch pants (aka LuluLemons) 24/7 instead of a basic pair of jeans! It’s amazing, stand in any Starbucks, walk on any campus, check out any mom in the school pick-up line and no one is wearing jeans anymore. Reasons abound…too tight, too low, too expensive, blah, blah.

With the growing trend in ‘casual’ being all about comfort, the jeans have been pushed to the back of the closet. The term athleisure-wear is an outgrowth of moms donning their yoga-wear everywhere, every day, all day! No wonder the teens covet everything from yoga-pants, leggings, sweatpants and athletic-wear.

College girls move into dorms leaving their denim collection at home to collect dust. I cannot count the times when I am helping an empty-nester take over closets that are stocked with dead denims!

According to the market research firm NPD; sales of jeans in the U.S. fell 6% last year, while sales of yoga pants and other active-wear climbed 7% to $33.6 billion.

Oh lordie, that’s a lotta ladies wearing black stretch pants.

With the growing trend in casual wear, denim has been struggling to find its place, retain customers and even to regain it’s title as a commodity business – something that’s purchased and replaced over and over. What other item of clothing can boast being around and on-trend for over 140 years? The only other time jeans were tossed to the bottom of the closet was in the 70’s when corduroy became all the rage. Let’s not even go down that road!

Over the past few years, manufacturers are taking notice, taking action, and trying to win the consumer back by infusing more stretch into the fabric to mimic the comfort of athleisure-wear. You are hard pressed to find a pair of jeans without lycra or spandex these days.

It seems that they have that ‘fix’ down by working with innovative textiles and now are actually working on the fit. Finally – duh – what a concept! There is recognition that all women are not ‘shaped’ equal and there is progress on the horizon!

Here’s the perfect example, a style that can hide the dreaded muffin top and embrace the curves.

The Loft high-waist curvy skinny jeans

It’s a curvy fit, a higher rise and the price point is $69 bucks! They may not be your office casual Friday-wear, but you can certainly rock these on the side of the soccer field (no doubt tucked into your Wellies for the mud season)!

Now I can hear you saying, but Doreen, these are skinnies, they have fading and even horizontal stripes right where we least need them! I know, but it took a long time to say, baby we’ve come a long way and our choices are multiplying.

For those who I have already converted to dark wash, here you go:

Check out the dark wash, curvy boot cut from Banana Republic for the more conservative approach.

Check out the Plus Size dark wash boot cut from NYDJ’s.
This dark wash jean features NYDJ’s exclusive Lift Tuck Technology®

Bottom line – show your body some respect. Wear the yoga pants at the yoga studio – nowhere else! We are all tired of seeing them!

Having trouble figuring out your measurements and what jeans stand a chance at becoming your new best friend? Let’s talk!

Sign up here for a complimentary 30-minute Boost Your Image Breakthrough Session. We’ll chat about your measurements, your style, your image, your budget, your shopping savvy and whatever else comes up! I look forward to ‘meeting’ you on the phone!

Doreen Dove empowers women to use style as a tool to take strategic control of their image. She is an image consultant, personal stylist and professional speaker. Her extensive background in all aspects of retail has uniquely qualified her to work with women of all ages and professions, coaching them to personal style success.
www.DoreenDove.com

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