The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has a great article with tips on buying the perfect jeans. Hopefully you're not still those waist-high, acid washed, tapered jeans from decades ago. Have you found the perfect jean? Leave a comment and share what your pick is!

Mom jeans, according to a merciless "Saturday Night Live" sketch, feature nine-inch zippers, front pleats and are "cut generously to fit a mom's bottom."

The sketch shows moms cavorting in jeans that can kindly be described as unflattering. Don't give Mom that bottle of perfume this Mothers' Day, the voice-over advises. Instead, give her the gift that says "I'm not a woman anymore -- I'm a mom."

It's no secret that pregnancy has lasting effects on a woman's figure. But it's not that difficult to find jeans that say "hot mama" instead of "fashion frump."

The denim gurus at Pittsburgh Jeans Company recommend a few designer options for different body types:

  • To de-emphasize a large bottom, be mindful of pocket size -- not too big or too small. Avoid jeans with a lot of embellishments, store owner Lawrence Scott said. James Jeans are a good brand to start with, he said
  • For flat bottoms, get a jean with a yoke -- the horizontal seam between the waistband and pockets -- that gives some lift. Try True Religion styles, store manager Leslie Calhoun said.
  • A super low-rise jean with a trouser leg (as opposed to a flared leg) will be more comfortable for a new mom who might have belly issues or a sensitive scar from a Caesarean incision. Calhoun and Scott recommended 7 for All Mankind as a good brand for this body type.
  • For the vertically challenged, jeans with a clean, dark rinse and with no obvious "knee" are best. Tall or short body types don't matter as much with jeans, Calhoun said, because alterations always can be made to the length if the jean is a good fit otherwise.
  • Hips can be downplayed by wearing a boot-cut or flared-leg style, and a darker wash. "Oprah loves the AG Club jeans for this reason," store buyer Germaine Glaser said.
  • The staff at Pittsburgh Jeans frowned on mass-produced jeans. "Anything created in small batches, like bourbon or scotch, is always better," Scott said.

But for those unable to drop a small fortune on designer brands, Old Navy offers several options. "All of our styles come in boot-cut and straight-leg, so you avoid that scary 'mom jeans' look that's really tapered at the bottom," Old Navy spokeswoman Andrea Lui said. "A boot cut will flatter just about anyone's leg."

Ultra low-rise are going to flatter those with "Popsicle stick" figures, Lui said, but the low-rise curvy jeans can help with hip issues.

And for the new mom, the at-waist varieties (available online only) will be comfortable and flattering without revealing too many lumps and bumps, Lui said.

Even during pregnancy, there's no reason to be fashion-deprived. Rebecca Matthias is president of Mothers' Work, the parent company of maternity clothiers A Pea in the Pod, Mimi Maternity and Motherhood Maternity.

Jeans for pregnant women have come a long way since she started in the business 25 years ago, Matthias said. She estimated her companies sell more than a million pairs of jeans every year.

"When you can't zip your regular jeans, it's time to come in" to a maternity store, Matthias said. "And when women do come in, they're relieved at the selection."

Even if stretchy fabric isn't "in" in regular fashion circles, it's a staple in maternity jeans, Matthias said. And, sometimes, when maternity jeans keep up with the fashion trends, the styles don't always carry over.

"This year, the really big item is the skinny jeans, and we had some, with stretchy fabric in the leg," Matthias said. "But they never really caught on for us."

In addition to the store brands, A Pea in the Pod carries designer brands like 7 for All Mankind, Joe's Jeans and Citizens of Humanity.

"You can still wear them, and have the latest fashions, when you're working off that baby weight," Matthias said.

Try these

  • True Religion: Prices range from $172 to $260
  • Rock & Republic: average price $200
  • 7 for All Mankind: average price $150
  • James "The Hector" $185
  • AG Jeans "The Club" $150
  • Old Navy "Curvy" boot cut jeans: $29.50
  • Old Navy low-rise flared jeans: $14.99
  • Motherhood Maternity Vintage belly jeans: $39.98
  • Motherhood Maternity No Belly Flap Back Pocket jeans: $34.98
  • Citizens of Humanity "Kelly" maternity jeans: $195
  • Old Navy full-panel maternity jeans: $32.50

Technorati Tags: | | | | | | | | | |