Say goodbye to the muffin top; waistlines are officially on the rise.
If the sight of flesh bulging cupcake-like over the waistband of low-rise jeans makes you flinch, relief has arrived.
“I think by fall of 2008, higher waistlines will be a big part of the assortment in denim,” said Jeff Rudes, co-founder of J. Brand denim. However, he said, the company has been cautious about rolling out extreme high-rise styles in certain parts of the country. Not everyone, it seems, is ready to wear their jeans waist-high.
“It’s a beautiful flattering jean which they wore back in the ’70s and ’80s,” Rudes said referring to the 10-inch rise of brands such as Jordache and Sassoon which hit a high note in the ’80s, but he said, “It will take time to transition a customer.”
J. Brand introduced “The Doll,” a high-rise, bell-bottom style that has already been spotted around Hollywood on Cameron Diaz and Katie Holmes.
Penny Scheetz, owner of Boogaloos in Decatur, Ga., agreed that only the more fashion-forward individuals have jumped on the true high-rise styles. Most shoppers, she said, fearful of veering too far into Steve Urkel or mom jean territory, have stuck with the midrise looks that fall somewhere in between.
The rise of a midrise jean is about 8 to 8.5 inches compared with the lowest of low-rises at about 6.5 inches, said Scheetz. With midrise, “You don’t get muffin top or the rolls that a lot of women get with the lower rise,” she said. “Midrise is great for any body in high school through motherhood.”
Surely, some midrise styles have been around for a while such as the Seven for All Mankind “Boycut” jeans. The stretch denim style has a rise about one inch higher than other jeans by the company. Scheetz said she can’t keep the style in stock, but as of six months ago, when manufacturers began offering so many other alternatives to low-rise, the choices seem endless.
Though many of the styles take the higher-rise, wide-leg approach, there are also skinny and boot-cut jeans with higher waists in the mix. And they come in washes from dark to light, as well as colors.
Scheetz predicts waistlines will only keep creeping upward.
“As the year goes on,” she said, “women are going to buy the higher waistlines.”
Then, we can all eat our cupcakes, without fear of looking like one.