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I'm not as skinny as I once was, and I'm willing to wager that most who read these words can say the same.
I've not ballooned out of control, mind you -- it's just that I have, at the age of 49, a bit of a spare tire.
As such, I bounce back and forth between size 34 and size 35 jeans. After low-carbing it a couple of years back, I'd taken off enough pounds that I could wear 34's again, and as such, most of my jeans are that size.
I have a couple of pairs of 35's, but they've seen their better days. And with my middle having expanded just a smidge, I decided I'd purchase a couple of new pairs in that size.
Little did I know that Levi's, a brand I've been loyal to since adolescence (mine, not theirs), has all but stopped making jeans with a 35-inch waist. They make them in sizes 29, 31, and 33, but after that, anyone looking for an odd-sized waist is odd man out.
I'm sure there's some kind of corporate wisdom behind this decision, but I'm hanged if I can figure it out.
So, though I've worn their jeans all my life and I'd prefer to remain loyal to the brand if they would have me, if Levi Strauss & Co. is going to turn their corporate back on me and my spare tire, I'm going to have to be prepared to move on with my life.
So I checked the Wrangler and Lee web sites, only to learn that they, too, have washed their hands of serving the needs of men with 35-inch waists. Thirty-fours and 36's are welcome, but we 35-inchers are dead to them.
Of course, there are other options out there. Mail-order companies like Land's End sell their own brand of jeans, but I've tried them and found that they just didn't last very long (specifically, the back pockets wore through long before they should have).
Flo has suggested I take a flyer on Diesel or Lucky jeans, but I refuse to pay that much for jeans.
So it looks like we'll be visiting a Gap soon. I've no experience with their jeans (though I have owned a Gap jeans jacket), but a visit to their website reveals that they do stock jeans with a 35-inch waist. They cost more than I usually pay for Levi's, but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and pay that premium.
There are admittedly millions of people who suffer far greater indignities than not being able to find jeans in their size, of course, but it's an odd experience to be on the outside looking in, sartorially speaking.
Posted by brett at 04:05 PM | TrackBack