When the folk at Levi's introduced me to the new Levi's Curve ID, which is a fitting system that measures women for jeans based on their body type, I was half-convinced that this was going to be just another piece of hype to get fashion-obsessed females to buy more jeans than we can already wear in a week. Was there a problem with the current way of measuring ourselves for jeans, or any other type of pants, for that matter, I thought to myself.
But curiousity got the better of me, and I did very much want to hear about it if someone said they can make my jeans fit - and look - better on me, so I made an appointment to go and see what the new Curve ID was all about.
Down at the store, Tod Gimbel and Lian Goh, respectively Senior Director of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Affairs Assistant for Levi's, met me to explain what they wanted to demonstrate.
To cut a long story short, the denim brand had come up with Curve ID after measuring 60,000 women across the globe. They determinied that almost 80 per cent of those studied fit into three broad categories of body types, namely, those with a slight build (read: almost stick-straight), those who have more even proportions (think hourglass figures), and finally, those who are curves galore (Jennifer Lopez, anyone?). With this in mind, Levi's then dreamed up of the Curve ID to help women find the perfect fit of jeans.
Tod put it to me this way: "You can have three women who are both waist size 27, but not all of them will fit the same pair of jeans." He helpfully pointed out a poster in the store that portrayed Curve ID's three female ambassadors, Lykke Li (slight curve), Pixie Geldof (demi curve) and Miss Nine (bold curve). He said that they all measured the same at the waist, but all three had different curve IDs.
So cue the three custom fits thought up by Levi's - Slight, Demi and Bold. If you fall into the 80 per cent majority (which most of us should), you are likely to find yourself a very good fit of jeans, whether you have a figure that is slighter and straighter, proportionate, or much, much curvier. Think no gaps at the back, and no funny bunching at the crotch.
Tod even said that the positioning of the back pockets for each different Curve ID have been analysed and tailored to fit just so, even though the end-result is that they look like they are positioned right smack on the butt - not too high, nor too low.
After having my Curve ID taken with an archaic-looking measuring system consisting of two pieces of measuring tape connected by two pieces of ribbon that made me feel I should have been measure for a corset instead, I was ushered into the dressing room with three pairs to try. No need to take off clothes for accurate measurement, as you only need to get the difference between your waist and hip to determine which curve ID fits you.
Inside the dressing room, I peeked at the tab which said "straight cut". Warning lights flashed in my head at that moment, because I've never been able to wear jeans with straight cuts.
Take it from me, I looked like a mummy (those dead, Egyptian types) from waist-down with a portion of my calves cut off whenever I attempted to fit myself into one of those. My first attempt to pull one of those on was a little funny in retrospect. Given a size 26 to try, I found out that they were a struggle to fit past my legs, and forget about zipping up even. (I realised that my diet hasn't worked after all).
Yes, take it from me, girls, don't try to look for smaller-sized jeans here. They are supposed to fit your body shape, not downsize your butt. Alright then, no instant slimming formula to be found here.
But when I did find the right size later (I wear size 28), I also discovered my "ah-hah" moment. The retail assistant still passed along a pair of straight cut jeans for me to put on, but this time, I did not look like a girl who had her legs hacked off. Finding them to be a good, comfortable fit was something akin to a revelation for me.
Now a lot more persuaded and getting very excited, but still wanting to be very, very sure, I tried on various permutations of straight and boot-cut jeans in both Slight and Demi. According to Lian, some women find that they may be a fit somewhere between Slight and Demi, with Demi being a more democratic fit as more women had proportionate curves, so it's a good idea to try both Curve IDs on to determine which feels the most comfortable if your measured waist-hip ratio happens to be an in-between. (For this, you can check with the Levi's staff, who will be able to tell you in more in-depth detail). For me, I just wanted to be doubly sure that I could achieve the skinny look, despite my slightly larger girth.
The magic, as they say, is in the measurement. After all, jeans were traditionally made for men, since the story goes that it was miners who wore jeans to mine for gold in California (and as an extra bit of trivia here: we have Levi's today thanks to Levi Strauss, the man who made jeans for these miners) and jeans have always been made to fit the male physique, not females who are obviously built differently from the guys.
The fit system which will be incorporated into the majority of Levi's® Women's denim collection, is available in sizes 22-34 (0-16 on a traditional women’s size scale) in a variety of styles and finishes, so there is not much need to fret that you won't be kitted out in the latest denim wear.
Jeans retail at all Levi's outlets for S$119.90 - S$229.90.
