By Lorna, Source: Denim Blog

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This weeks review is a little different to the normal ones as I’m mixing a mini review with a styling post. The reason for this is because I was planning on reviewing these jeans properly, but upon receiving them, I’m too short for them to fit me correctly, so I didn’t think it would be a very accurate review.
As these are a type of cropped jean, they are designed to fit ladies with taller legs. The way they fit me full length is tight down to the knees, but once they hit the knees they become really baggy and loose in the calves and stop at my ankles, which is why I wanted to do a styling post as well, to show how sometimes you can make jeans that are not suited to your shape, work like they are.

Thick black and white stripes are so popular at the moment, they are a trend that every denim brand is jumping on and creating. It reminds me a lot of one of the outfits that Beetle Juice wore in the movie, but without the blazer to match. I really love the print on these, it’s very flattering, especially on the butt as it’s slightly curved so it works with your butt to make it look rounded rather than straight down. That’s my favourite part about these jeans! The stripes down the front actually tilt inwards to the knee as well, so they aren’t completely vertical. They sort of go with the shape of your legs.

The material of these is a lot like a really thick twill and it’s coated, so they are quite shiny. The black is not very dark, it’s faded quite a lot and the white is very pearly, so they aren’t the average black and white striped jean. The sheen they have makes them very different. I found them to be more like a trouser than a jean actually, with the way they fit. They aren’t like denim at all and I can’t compare them very well to another 7 For All Mankind jean, they don’t fit like any of the others I have tried like the Gwenevere or The Skinny etc, they have a different fit. These are also quite tight in the waist for 7 For All Mankind, but I put that down to being a more trouser fit. I did take a 26 in these which is my Gummy denim sizing, so you might want to keep that in mind for comparison.
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You can see just above my boots that the jeans start to get loose at the knees and a bit wrinkly/baggy. I was really hoping they would be tight all the way down like a Gummy legging of theirs, but they really are a slim cropped jean. They are skinny, but not super skinny and the calf area is cut quite loose. They get baggy when they hit just above my knee because I have shorter thighs than the figure these are designed for. If I had longer legs, my thighs would be longer and the jeans would sit in the right place, so if you are shorter and have shorter legs, these will be quite loose from just above the knee downwards.

Now for the styling, I chose to wear boots with these so that it covers the looseness. I think this was the best option and I kept everything black and white, to keep with the theme. I only added a pop of red with my bag and lipstick to liven things up a little. Pinstripes have always been popular, but the idea of really thick stripes is something that I think is really bold and daring. You don’t always have to choose black and white to go with the look, you could definitely pair these with a bright and bold sweater or shirt and coloured pumps, I think the styling is almost endless. Due to the fact these are the basic shades of black and white, both of which go with almost anything, you are in luck with the styling. I would just recommend keeping other prints to a minimum so they don’t clash. I wouldn’t say my outfit here is my favourite one, but I think based on the fact they don’t fit me, it works well for the look.

So if you are taller and have long legs or if you are shorter and love wearing boots, I would say these are really nice. I love the stripe pattern all over and the way it contours the body, the back pockets are as flattering as their usual 7 For All Mankind jeans and they are coated so you get two trends in one! But if you are shorter and looking for a full length jean, I wouldn’t suggest opting for these ones as they are a unique fit for longer legs unfortunately. Buy these jeans online at 7 For All Mankind for £225.
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