Skinny Jeans for Plus Hourglasses: The Last Word

I have been away from blogging. As it tends to happen, life got in the way. Went home to Cali for the holidays, got a job in Atlanta, lost the job in Atlanta, working freelance for the day job, waiting to hear on a big fashion (actually accessories) design break... Same thing, almost a year has passed. I am mostly on facebook keeping up the witty fashion repartee. If you read me, friend me on there. I am an easy acceptor unless you are a potential employer, past employer or ex-bf. But I hold ax murderers in higher regard than my exes, so no surprises there.
The time in gypsy mode has given me ample opportunity to test and try a jeans trend that was a "Thou Shall Not" commandment for those of us of the non-skinny variety.
The aptly monikered "skinny" jean (previously known as the stovepipe or cigarette).
The pursuit of a skinny jean that fits me has been to say the least, challenging.
The reason is the indiscriminate use of the word "curvy". Seriously.
Curvy is used by the straight size fashion press to describe skinny chicks with proportional boobs and hips ( i.e hourglasses) or any and everywhere in the plus size fashion/fatosphere, to describe each and everyone of us plus size chicks.
This is confusing.
So when a plus size retail outlet advertises as "for women with curves" or " designed to fit your curves" I automatically ass-u-me that not only will their clothes accommodate my size but will also be tailored for hourglass figures. As you read, when one ass-u-me-s, you make an ass out of yourself and your audience.
As in every business pursuit, plus size manufacturers try to tailor their clothes to fit the MAJORITY of their potential customers. The word majority is the hey here. I was reading some study and it seems that the vast majority of plus women are apple shaped.
So the skinny (or otherwise) jeans options offered by the majority of plus size outlets are so very much not a good fit for me. Usually my go-to brand is Right Fit Jeans Blue from Lane Bryant. The only plus ones specifically designed for hourglasses. But they don't make skinnies.
I tried Evans (from the UK) and the results were disastrous. Insane crotch (please consult with Project Rungay blog for meaning of the word), gaping waists, pants that would not go past my knees. All the telling symptoms of jeans designed for apple girls when I try to wear them. I am in the minority of minorities. Not only I am extreme hourglassy (to the point of making people wonder if I wear corsets for fun every now and then), I also have a pretty flat stomach, a 31 inch inseam and I do not wear high heels much. So pretty much mission impossible.
I had no luck whatsoever at Torrid either trying 25 pairs of jeans (no lie) without being able to find one that fit.
My salvation came in the shape of Ashley Stewart. This brand mostly targets the "urban" market (read African American and marginally, us Latinas). Which statistically constitute the majority of us, the plus hourglass minority.
Ashley Stewart skinny jeans in Petite fit me beautifully!
If you are taller and wear heels by all means, try the regular or tall inseam lengths.
As with all jeans, I have to go one size up on the darker washes (rule of thumb: the darker the rinse, the less give in the denim). But the waist gap is minimal, the leg fit is good, the insane crotch factor contained and the look VERY Sloane Ranger/ Patti Smith circa 1980. And the price is right at under 40 bucks a pair.
So my vote for plus size skinny jeans for the hourglass goes to Ashley Stewart.
You can find them at http://www.ashleystewart.com/ashleystewart/ and you can find a store close to you for them there too.