The Holy Grail of Jeans

A little background: I have an impossible time finding jeans I like that actually fit. I don't know whether I have a weird butt-to-waist ratio or what, but it takes me hours of shopping to find jeans that fit. If jeans fit in the rear, there is almost always a basketball-sized gap at the back of the waist and that just doesn't work for me.

I bought a pair of Paper, Demin & Cloth jeans a couple of years ago that I LOVED. They were a little pricey at $88, but they fit like a glove and were made of miracle denim that doesn't stretch out no matter how many times you wear them between washes. I had them altered to the perfect length and wore them non-stop. Then Marti ripped a big hole in the thigh. I didn't stop wearing them, of course, but I was a little more limited in where I could wear them.

I bought the jeans at The Buckle, and the only reason I went back recently was to make that specific purchase. A trip in July to the Topeka store was not successful because they didn't sell the brand, but they recommended I go to Lawrence, where I'd bought them to begin with. So when Alan and I were at home for a wedding recently, we stopped into Lawrence to eat fabulous Thai food and to buy my jeans.

I enter the frat-rific store, seeking out the pants in earnest; Alan has no patience for shopping. When I don't see the brand, I feel a sinking feeling in my stomach. I ask a nearby salesgirl if they still sell the brand.

"No, but we may have some on sale."

I just knew that it was not meant to be. But she leads me to the sales rack to check. Lo and behold, there was one pair there. My faith in jean destiny restored, I hold my breath as she's looking at the size. I can't remember what size I am because I typically buy in normal "pant" sizes and these were sized in the 20s. I take the jeans to the fitting room to see if I can squeeze in.

I pop out of the dressing room, thrilled to be in jean perfection once again. I'd found a match!

Just wait. It gets better.

We go to the register to check out, only to find out that the jeans are HALF PRICE. And why are they half price, you ask? Only because they'd already been altered to an Erin-perfect length.

So not only did I find the jeans I adored, they were the only pair of that brand in the store, were my size, were half off AND had already been altered to my length thus saving me a trip to the tailor.

JEAN HEAVEN.