So why is it so bad?

We’ve scanned thousands of women, tested and chatted with 12,565 women in jeans (when we wrote this). Over 7.1 million women have used Zafu and told us about their issues.

• 37% of women say their butt is the issue
• 29% say they have a problem with jeans on their hips
• 11% say they are shorter than 5 feet 2 inches

The problem is that we are individuals

You’re a different shape from your friends, colleagues and family, even if you’re the same size. We come in many different shapes and each shape has its own problem with jeans.

This creates changing room hell

You’ve found a pair you like, but they didn’t work at all. The next pair is better but just does not look quite right in the mirror.

You try a different size, but that makes it worse. They look terrible.

The changing room is filling with jeans, you’re tired, your weekend is disappearing and you’ve had no luck. We’ve all been there.

We made shopping for jeans easy

In 2-3 minutes we will find jeans that will fit you perfectly. Selected from hundreds of brands and styles at prices ranging from $25 to over $250.

All you have to do is choose the ones you like and shop with confidence. It’s that easy.

Let’s face it, buying jeans is really hard! Along with bras and swimwear, it’s probably the most difficult items we have to buy.

This is where Zafu “Shape-Matching” can help

We all know that as women, we come in different shapes and sizes. Some of us have different thighs, different tummies, butts, etc. We’re different shapes even when we’re the same size!

If you and a friend are both the same size, you’ll often have a very different experience with the fit. She may be one shape and you are another. Maybe, you always struggle on the thighs and she can’t find jeans that don’t gape. What to do?

Imagine that you’re on a web site, you’ve looked at all those features, the price is perfect, you’ve seen it’s the exact style you want. The jeans look great, but will they fit? Of course, you could buy the jeans and then face the hassle and cost of returning them.

How does shape matching work?

Many women have told us that we are like an on-line dating service for jeans. They are right!

Those services ask you a few questions about yourself and the partner you’re looking for and then they match you to someone. We do the same except you get jeans.

• You answer a few simple questions in 2-3 minutes
• We go to work and find your perfect jeans.
• You shop with confidence!

It’s that simple with Zafu. In fact, over 7.1 million women have already used us to help them find their perfect jeans.

]]> http://www.zafu.com/79/shape-matching-jeans.html/feed 12 http://www.zafu.com/3/first-shape-post.html http://www.zafu.com/3/first-shape-post.html#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:20:22 +0000 admin http://www.zafu.com/wp/?p=3 Would you like to know the number one reason that it’s so hard to find jeans? This is all about you being an individual and different to others. it’s about your personal shape and how your shape guides which jeans will fit you best and why many won’t fit you well at all.

We’re going to show you how to get great fitting jeans in minutes.

Over the past 6 years we have repeatedly asked about this by women frustrated with years of trying on jeans that don’t fit. We’ve done over 12,500 tests with women trying on jeans, plus jeans bras, pants, etc and it always comes down to the same question.

Why is it so hard for me to find great jeans?

Before we show you how to solve the problem – you need to understand why the problem exists today. We all learned the answer as a child. We just did not know it related to jeans.

Let’s start off with some things you know are true

As you look round your friends, colleagues and family you’ll notice that we all come in different sizes but just as important is that we all come in different shapes. Some of us are bigger in our butts and some on our thighs. Some of us are very curvy, some straight and some seem to have the look of a super model – grrr.

It’s about our bodies. When you were a kid you learned how to fit the square shape in the square hole and the round shape in…. you get my point. It’s the same with jeans. It’s not your fault that so many jeans don’t fit you perfectly. It’s hardly surprising when you consider that we’re all different shapes. just look at your family, friends and colleagues, if you aren’t convinced.

It seems obvious, so why is it so difficult?

We have years of experience working with many of the leading jeans brands and retailers and we’ve helped over 6.3 million women find jeans. Most jeans companies hire someone that we call a fit model to test their jeans when they are developing a new style. They put the sample on her and make small adjustments until it fits her perfectly. So far, so good.

Here’s the problem – if you look like a fit model, you’re in luck. For 6% women it’s very good news because they look like fit models. The jeans companies think of this lady as average. When we were at school, 6% was not average.

The women in this picture are all the same size!

Have a look at the picture below, you’ll see the 6% they call average. Now take a deep breath. These women are all the same size! They are all trying to wear the same pants.

You see, the issue here is that whilst they are all the same size, they are all different shapes. The less you look like “average” the more difficult it will be. And 94% of women don’t look like average!

…and this is what women tell us

Over the past six years and over 12,500 tests we spoke with women and found that:

• 37% of women say their butt is the issue
• 29% say they have a problem with jeans on their hips
• 11% say they are shorter than 5 feet 2 inches

Now the models the jeans companies use are usually slim and tall. In fact they are often even hired from the same agency! So some of you are probably already jumping ahead, so let’s explain the solution

We saw what on-line dating sites were doing

This might make you laugh (or cry!). If you went out for a drink with a potential date and you knew absolutely nothing about each other, your interests, work, type of person you are etc. The chance of finding a perfect match would be remote.

What the dating sites do is ask men and women to provide information about themselves that helps potential partners better decide if they might be a good match.

So we do the same thing, but with jeans

Starting in 2004, we tested literally thousands of women and saw that there are many different shapes. We then tried on hundreds and hundreds of jeans on women from each shape.

And guess what? When two women who were the same shape tried on the same jeans – they always had the same reaction to the fit.

Now of course, not all of us love the same styles – but we have solved the problem of fit. Yay!

and we solved the problem of fit

At least we have solved it for 94% of the millions of women who have used Zafu over the past six years. Pretty good eh?

Solving the problem was hard, but the solution itself, is really easy.

Like those dating sites, if you can answer a few simple questions in a couple of minutes, without even measuring yourself. We can show you which jeans will fit you perfectly, from over 100 jeans brands that we have tested!

So there you have it. Different jeans fit different shapes. Once we understand your shape, we can match you to your perfect jeans.

When we ask ten women to measure the same women we get ten different sets of measurements. Ooops.

Then, best of all. We don’t need you to. Our approach results in 94% of women telling us they love their jeans.

Over 7.1 million women have used Zafu. The press love us and we get amazing emails every day.

Testing is the secret behind how we know which jeans will fit you best!

Before we start –  we are 100% independent. We cover hundreds of brands. We’re totally unbiased. We get asked to help jeans brands & retailers with the development of their new styles. We’re experts and quite proud of that.

Over the past six years we’ve done 12,565 tests and counting. We learned alot. So here’s the secret of how we test jeans. You might get a few surprises.

Let’s start with the old fashioned way?

Jeans testing has not changed much since the 1960′s. They agree upon a size you want to test and then you choose three locations in the US. For some reason people believe that you need to do this to get a good cross section of women.

Then they invite women to come to the testing center and their comments are recorded and a fit expert looks at each women and writes down her thoughts as well.

Some brands don’t even do this. They have a lady at their offices that they like. She tries on each new style and the jean is changed to fit that person perfectly. She’s called a fit model. if you look like her, you’re in luck, and if you don’t…. well you know the rest.

Before we started Zafu we too worked for jeans companies and became frustrated with this approach.

There had to be a better way

As we mentioned, we have literally tested thousands of women. We knew that women come in many different shapes, so we spent years looking at women and working out that there are actually many different types of shapes. Way more than 10 – it’s all about being really accurate!

Is the same always the same?

Once we knew that we started to see that two women who were the same shape, always had the same issues with the same jeans. Duh, of course we do. If you had an identical twin sister and put on the same jeans, of course they would fit the same.

So now we knew there were lots of shapes and that people who were the same shape, fit the same jeans the same!

So now the next question was how to work out your shape.

Going to the doctor

If we didn’t meet you, could we work out what shape you were?

If you go and see a doctor, you’ll be asked about your symptoms, they will take your blood pressure and run some tests so that the doctor can be certain about what your suffering from.

We learned from that. In 2 minutes you can tell us about your jeans wearing symptoms and from that we can work out what shape you are.

Our tests are different

When we do tests the first thing we check is the woman’s shape. Then we try on as many as 30 different jeans. We do this to test our accuracy. We can now always tell them which brand and style will fit best.

It’s funny how many women come in and love their jeans and ask if they can pay for them and keep them!

The good news

There are very few jeans that won’t fit someone really well. The challenge for you is that you don’t know your shape and you don’t know which jeans would even fit your shape. that’s why we save women so much time and pain, because we can direct you to your jeans like a laser.

We’ve all been in the store and groaned at a pair of jeans that we love, but just does not fit. It’s that same old issue. We hear it all the time, my thighs are too big, my butt is too flat.

After trying on over 12,500 jeans on women and over 6.3 million woman using our service we think we know a bit about how jeans fit and also why they don’t.

Have a look below as you’ve most likely had personal experience with one of them. Using pictures like this we can help you see your issues and then match you to your perfect jeans.

So here are some of the issues that we see with women struggling to find their perfect jeans.

A picture is often better than a thousand words, so here’s your guide in pictures

Great fit is essential, but it’s no guarantee of a fabulous rear view. As enticing as those back pockets looked on the rack, whether they’ll enhance your butt depends on the shape of the back yoke, the pocket size, and placement.

To find the right jean there are different rules for high and low rise

Struggling to find a great pair of short jeans?

When the average woman in America is 5’4”, why are all the cool jeans made for those 6’ Amazons? Really, who has a 35” inseam?

It’s hard being short in the world of fashion jeans today.

Yes we have staples and masking tape for those quick hem jobs,

we could make a quilt with all the hems that we’ve hacked off, but that’s no comfort when you want to look great right off the rack.

7 Tips for the not so tall.

• GREAT SKINNY STYLES. You’ve been seeing everywhere are often shorter in length, a big plus for you. If they’re still too long, scrunch them up around the ankle it’s the chicest way to wear them.
• STRAIGHT LEGS ARE BACK… with a vengeance and they look great cuffed up (just be sure that your cuff is not too wide). Pair them with heels or a nice pointy toed flat that will visually extend the length of your leg. Straight is also easy to hem.
• WEAR THEM LONGER, just slightly, about ¼” from the ground with your heels on, it will maximize your leg length.
• LENGTHEN YOUR LINE. A vertical fade or crease down the center of the pant leg adds visual length and slimness to your leg.
• CLEAN, DARK WASHES. Finding them isn’t so hard these days! A uniform color from waist to hem will make your legs look longer and has the added benefit of making you look slimmer.
• AVOID SUPER LOW RISES. A mid rise with a slight upward tilt at the back waist is another great leg lengthening trick.
• KEEP IT SLIM, stay away from wide legs and trouser styles with heavier hem details. They will add bulk to your shape making you look shorter and wider than you really are.

Cut it off

If all else fails, pay to get it shortened! It’s worth the $10 – $15 extra. There are 3 tricks to choosing a jean that will shorten well without losing it’s cool..

Choose a flare leg style, once you shorten it 2-3” you’ll be left with a great looking boot cut.

Pay attention to where the knee breaks. Most designer jeans place it fairly high so it will still work with your shorter proportions. If it’s lower, it may be too low for you, throwing off the proportions of the jean.

Make sure that wash and sand-blasting are not placed too low. They will look all wrong after you hem. Don’t, however, worry about details at the hem. A good tailor will be able to preserve the original hem.

Off the rack

…we’re not talking petites here; those are usually the frumpy styles that you wouldn’t be caught dead in. Some of our favorite fashion forward brands offer styles in shorter lengths check out our short list.

Even if the shorter length is sold out in the store, you will find it easily on the web. Try using the narrow your results tool on zafu; it will point you to those styles that offer a short length. Check out over twenty cool cool brands that we have which offer you the choice of short lengths.

Revel in your size

It’s not so bad. You always have enough leg room on the airplane, you get those lovely kisses on the top of your head, and you can demurely ask that cute guy in the grocery store to reach the top shelf for you. Now you can always look great doing it!

Most of us have thighs that are very close friends. They are hard to conceal and often make us feel bad about our lower bodies.

Did you know that 44% of women think they have big thighs?

… but don’t despair, there are still plenty of jeans styles that women with full thighs can wear.

We’re going to give you a whole series of do’s and don’t that will help you choose the right jeans.

Tips

• If you’re trying to hide cellulite, choose a mid to heavy weight denim that will hold it’s shape and yours.
• Slightly forward side seams offer a good leg slimming solution.
• To cover up your large thighs, match dark colored denim with a brighter top. The bright top will attract attention away from your lower half.
• To give a natural flow, keep away from jeans or pants that taper at the ankle. This style will actually make your thighs look even bigger by making your ankles look narrower. Choose jeans or pants that have a wide or flared leg. This will appear to lengthen your legs and make your thighs seem smaller.

You see, there is hope. At Zafu we can show you the best jeans to hide those thighs!