I’ve been questing for the last three years for a pair of jeans that don’t sag after I wear them for an hour. Every pair of jeans I’ve purchased had to be washed then thrown into the dryer to return them to an acceptable fit. And over time, they got shorter and shorter. A sales associate from Banana Republic once even spent an hour and a half passing me every single pair of jeans they had in the store. Nothing fit. Then, this fall, I heard about the new Gap jeans. I was so excited. I went, tried on a pair, loved how they fit, and brought them home. Three hours into wearing them, they had stretched out enough that they were literally sliding off of my body. Heart break.

I had had enough. I had nearly given up on my dream of a pair of jeans that fit (and stayed fitting). But I decided to try one last thing: San Diego’s Fashion Valley Mall. In addition to such impressive department stores like Saks, they also had several specialty jean stores. I tried True Religion — somehow the rips and buttons and pockets and jewels just weren’t quite me. I walked into Banana Republic — nothing but straight leg jeans (a style which looks awful on me). But right across the way, there it was: 7 for All Mankind Jeans.  I went in and explained to one of the sales associates what I was looking for and what problems I had with jeans in the past. She loaded me up with a variety of jeans in different sizes and sent me into the dressing room. A half hour later my quest had ended. I found the perfect pair of jeans…well, actually two perfect pairs of jeans, but my budget only permitted me a single pair.

Say hello to my lovely new jeans, Flynt.

Oh, we’re going to enjoy our lives together.