Those of you who are fans of my blog Raindrops of Sapphire and those of you who know me quite well (or from DenimBlog) will know that I am completely addicted to jeans and denim in general. When I was a toddler, my mum always used to dress me in denim dungarees, so you will find a lot of photos of me wearing them at that age, which makes me wonder if that’s where my denim obsession came from? Apparently I used to love wearing them so much. As I got older, maybe around the age of 8-11, I used to wear jeans, but because I had problems with my legs at the time, the fabric used to be too stiff and rub against my skin causing irritation (if only they had jeggings back then!) so I wasn’t able to wear them often. I remember having a gorgeous pair of burgundy straight leg jeans at that age too, which I absolutely loved, but since they caused me pain, I couldn’t really wear them unfortunately.
As a few years went by and I grew a lot, I didn’t have so many issues, so I got my first pair of jeans for Christmas from my dad, I think I was about 13 at the time and I remember we bought them in Dorothy Perkins as I wanted a rainbow striped top to go with them! This is when I remember the jeans obsession actually started happening. They were a really dark indigo and really well made, so they literally went with anything I wore and I lived in them for a long time until I outgrew them. I then went on to getting different jeans, but since I was more of a tomboy at this stage and going through a grungy style, I was wearing men’s jeans or baggy boyfriend style jeans from Bench (I remember a pair my mum bought me for Christmas) as they suited my look the most back then.
After that phase (which probably lasted about 2-3 years), I started to get into GAP jeans. I went down the route of loving bootcut styles as it was a perfect transition from the baggy jeans and skinny jeans weren’t all that popular then, so I had quite a few GAP jeans that I lived in. I remember one of my pairs I had worn so much they actually wore out and ripped at the back, so I then went and bought another pair exactly the same to wear in. I was wearing jeans literally every single day and I would switch between GAP and River Island as I had a couple of pairs from River Island which I adored too. I remember also customizing my jeans, I would put crystals on the back pockets or sew some pretty patterns, rip them, distress them, put patches on them etc, whatever I wanted to do to make the more personal. I remember when I was on holiday I bought this iron on patch which was a hippy bus in a rainbow colour with flowers, I put this on the thigh of one of my jeans when I was about 14.
After this stage, that’s when I started to get interested in designer clothes, especially designer jeans, at the age of 16-17. My first love was a pair of Yanuk skinny jeans, but they didn’t really fit me so I had to take them back, which then led to me finding out about Rock & Republic. Rock & Republic quickly became my absolute obsession! I bought my first pair on eBay and I didn’t realise they were fake until a couple of weeks after, when I was looking around online. As with most things I get interested in, I usually need to know everything about them so I often always search on Google, which actually led me to DenimBlog and it all escalated from there. After understanding the jeans I had initially got were fake (and being heart broken) I took to obsessively learning about designer jeans and how to authenticate them, their details, the denim, the stitching, every single thing about designer jeans that you can think of, I was addicted to learning about them. After some time, I was able to identify fake jeans just by looking at one photo and from then I went on to helping everyone else be able to purchase authentic designer jeans and help keep the website tidy.
You can already imagine what happened during my time of learning about designer jeans, I ended up spending most of my money on them. As I was so interested in Rock & Republic at the time, I would literally save up all of my money just to buy a new pair from the brand. Most of the time this was on eBay or from other forum members as I couldn’t afford the retail price of them. My very first pair was a pair from the Victoria Beckham and Rock & Republic collaboration, a pair of fuchsia crowns in Addict wash. These were purchased from a person in Germany and I absolutely loved them! Being 17, I was very much into bling and embroidery on my butt, so that’s why I adored the brand. I lived in these often, but when I found out that a local boutique in my city called Ah-Moda (which unfortunately closed down) stocked Rock & Republic jeans, I used to go in there every single weekend and look at the new styles. I remember falling completely in love with a pair of Iridium Rays with flap pockets and I saved for months to purchase them. That was my very first pair of retail Rock & Republic jeans. They were insanely expensive and I never really told anyone how much they cost due to embarrassment and barely having any money, but they were £279! I was broke for a long time after, but I don’t consider it a waste of money, still today I don’t, I literally lived in those Iridium Rays for about a year, every single day. They were amazing!
During this time though, I had acquired some other Rock & Republic jeans which I loved and then ventured into the skinny styles from them. As I have quite an obsessive personality, I was purely stuck on Rock & Republic jeans and wasn’t interested in trying out new brands, until that is, I saw a couple of ladies on the forum wearing Diesel Matic 81M jeans! The moment that I saw the Matic 81M, I fell completely in love with them! At the time they were not available as they were older season, so I couldn’t purchase them, but this was around the time I met Adam (my now boyfriend). We had became best friends on the forum due to our shared love of jeans and I remember he was the one who found me a pair of Diesel Matic 81M! They were on eBay from a store which sold older stock in the United States. I was literally so excited at this point and when they arrived at my house about 2 weeks later, I wouldn’t take them off. I lived in those Matic 81M jeans everyday and was obsessed with them. The wash was incredible. I actually loved them so much that I then later went on to buy another pair of them in a different size, just to make sure I had them for when my weight fluctuated or I grew, I was that obsessed! I also cut another pair of them into denim shorts for summer! From then on, my love and admiration for Rock & Republic sort of drifted away and I was hooked on Diesel. I ended up getting so many Diesel jeans and I think still today they make up the brand I own the most of in my jeans collection. I was hooked on them and I still think they have amazing fits and washes, one of the best brands for it! I still buy Diesel jeans at the moment and actually have a new pair in the mail!
This brings me probably to the age of 19. After obsessing over all of those jeans, I then started to actually write for the blog on DenimBlog and I first met Paige Adams-Gellar from Paige Denim, so from here on out, I was introduced to new brands and I quickly fell in love with her jeans and fits too. As I was working in the denim industry and corresponding with so many brands, I was lucky enough to be able to try out so many pairs of jeans from them. It was an amazing point in my life which was totally unexpected and I’m still so grateful for today. I wouldn’t be able to live out this jeans and denim obsession to the point I do now without working in the denim industry. It feeds my denim addiction every single day and I get to see the new styles before they are released, as well as review them and try them. As I have learned so much about premium denim over the course of these 8 years, and after having done a collaboration with Paige Denim and also designing my own jeans with Prima Jeans, I now know so much about what makes a great pair of jeans. The fit, the attention to detail, the symmetry, the stitching, the fabric, the wash etc, every single thing is so important and I have such admiration to the denim designers I know and work with on a weekly basis. It’s a hard job that they do! I would love for you to check out some of the posts I write on a daily basis for DenimBlog too, about finding your perfect fits, new styles, where denim comes from etc.
I think I’m probably embarrassed to admit that I may have about 400 pairs of designer jeans now, over those 8 years, my collection has just grown and grown. I would have a lot more, but over the years I have sold a lot of my jeans due to not fitting into them anymore or not wearing them. I still have some amazing sample jeans which never made the final line, limited edition pairs and even raw denim which I was breaking in, but since I have so many jeans now, I find it hard wearing one pair all the time, so the raw ones don’t work out that well for me anymore. It may sound weird, but I do just love staring at the denim on them. The white and blue weaving is so pretty!
When K&Co wanted to work with me about designer jeans, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for this post and that was share my history with jeans with you. As so many of you know that I live in them and have an obsession with them, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share my personal story with jeans with you all. It’s a part of me which really defines me and has led me to where I am today. Without my love of denim, I’m entirely sure that I wouldn’t be blogging and I would be off doing something else completely. So denim really was that cross roads and turning point in my life which led me to everything I have now. Even my wonderful boyfriend, as like I mentioned above, we met through our shared love of denim and today we still talk about jeans on a daily basis and wear new styles. His personal loves are Diesel Thavar and Thanaz at the moment, but he’s had a huge journey over the years with denim too!
As the K&Co website stocks the women’s designer jeans from brands that I love to wear and own, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite jeans in this post. I put together a lot of collages and still had to leave out a lot. My favourite brands at the moment would definitely be James Jeans, 7 For All Mankind, Paige Denim, Koral Los Angeles, Citizens of Humanity, Diesel, Frankie B. and AG Adriano Goldschmied. All of these brands I wear as often as possible, as well as loving Levi’s since they are a classic brand, but not as much as the others. I do also like Hudson Jeans, Rag & Bone, Current/Elliott, Joe’s Jeans and J Brand too, but not as much as I used to. I will literally try out everything possible when it comes to denim, prints, different fabrics, mixed materials, different fits etc, but I always mainly wear super skinny jeans or jeggings. As I got older I drifted towards comfort more than anything and denim has come such a long way over the years. Gone are the stiff and rigid days and in its place is amazingly soft, thinner denim with incredible fits. I don’t know how anyone could not love denim at the current stage it’s at. So please do comment on this post and let me know what you think! I thought it might interest some of you as I often get searches coming to my blog for ‘Lorna Burford jeans‘ or ‘Lorna Burford denim‘ and I get emails asking about jeans on a weekly basis. Unfortunately though, like most of you ask, I’m not really able to share my entire collection with you as it’s just too big. My jeans are stored all over the place in tubs, shelves, drawers etc, so it’s not possible at the moment!
All of these jeans above are from Paige Denim and I love each of them entirely! The first pair is the Edgemont in Black/White Stripe, the second pair is the Verdugo in Pink Polka Dot and the third pair is the Skyline in Porcelain Leaf.
Going back to the very first photo that I used in this post though, the first pair of jeans are my classic Levi’s skinny jeans in Black as Night, the second pair are my Rag & Bone The Skinny jeans in Destroyed Chester and the third pair are Hudson Nico skinny jeans in White.
As you know I love coloured denim too, so the first pair here are my Koral Los Angeles skinny jeans in Merlot, which you probably know that I wear constantly! The second pair are 7 For All Mankind The Skinny in Gold and the third pair are Koral Los Angeles skinny jeans in a ripped/distressed wash.
These aren’t so much denim, but I had to include them. I got them last Autumn from J Brand and they are their skinny pants in velvet burgundy. The colour is incredible!
Now these are my beloved vintage Levi’s denim shorts. I got these about 2 years ago and I wear them all the time. They fit amazingly and for a vintage pair of jeans, they have held up perfectly! They literally go with anything!
I also have an addiction to pure black skinny jeans, I think it’s so important to own them! The first and second pair here at my Paige Indio skinny jeans in Black and the third are my MET Faux Leather skinny jeans in black. Both of these jeans I wear often!
These are a newer pair of jeans that I received and they are the James Jeans Moto Jeans. I adore James Jeans Moto Jeans and own two pairs, the other is in black, but I love this blue wash and the details on them. It’s a nice change from black.
Now here we have my blues that I love! The first pair are my AG Adriano Goldschmied The Legging in 12 Years Dwight. You have seen me wearing these on the blog so many times, the wash is amazing. The second pair is the James Jeans Moto Jeans you just saw above and the third pair is a pair of Diesel Skinzee jeans. Each of them I love!
These aren’t necessarily my favourites, but I wanted to include an incredibly bold and bright print and these are the Hudson Nico skinny jeans in London print. They are as bold as you see in the photos and absolutely gorgeous!
I wanted to include these as my love for denim ventures into other clothes too, I even wear double and triple denim if I can. First are my G-Star denim overalls, second is a pair of J Brand skinny jeans and a Topshop denim shirt and third is a pair of Frankie B. denim overalls.
This is just an up close shot of the G-Star denim overalls as I love them!
First here is a pair of James Jeans faux leather pants as I love faux leather, and second is my 7 For All Mankind Gold jeans again, followed by my classic Levi’s skinny jeans in black!
These are a pair of denim and crochet shorts from Topshop.
I adore colour as you probably know by now, so first I have here my Koral Los Angeles jeans again, then I have a pair of Citizens of Humanity velveteen jeans in a mustard and then lastly a pair of Joe’s skinny jeans in Geranium.
Since my love for AG Adriano Goldschmied jeans is huge, I wanted to include a single shot of a pair I have. These are The Legging in 18 Year Destroy.
Finally, some more favourite jeans of mine. I have first the Citizens of Humanity Leatherette jeans in burgundy, but I have a pair of these in black which I live in too! Second is my vintage Levi’s denim shorts again and thirdly, I have my James Jeans Couture skinny jeans in Vesper. These are a figure enhancing jean which I absolutely love!
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INSANE POST! 🙂 Butt I would have chosen different pictures 😉 *have not red the text*
Author
Pff lol you are supposed to read it!
sigh! maybe when I get some time over 😉 I can write a similar post “My Obsession in Lornas Ass & Thighs” 😛
Author
Lol that’s ridiculous!
Author
By the way, I’m not sure if you noticed, but some of the words are ‘clickable’ so you can see photos of the jeans I’m talking about in the big paragraphs.
OMG!! 🙂 I remember thoose photos! 🙂
Author
They are really old!
I know 🙂 your ass has evolved! 😛
Author
Lol, has it?
Hell yes! From fine to freckin awsome!! 😛
Author
Lol that’s funny.
I prefer 100% cotton bootcut or flare jeans the hug all the way through the knee as it give the “2nd hourglass Silhouette”. With fading and different light washes as it shows “personality” over time with stains etc.
Guess I’m stick in the 90s. 🙁
Author
Definitely seem to be lol! 100% cotton is just not comfortable or practical these days and I can vouch for that. You can’t move in them and they are so restricting, I’m definitely glad that’s behind me! Bootcut and flare are tricky too when it comes to women’s body shapes as with myself I feel like I’m much too small for them as they overwhelm my figure and don’t show it off properly. Stretchy skinny jeans can definitely show personality and wear over time though, I know first hand 🙂 I’m all for making your mark on denim and making it last!
OMG – yes, a true Denim Addict ! Love the post!…
Author
Thanks Kathy! I sure am!
I read it (all of it) haha. Great post 🙂 The prints from Paige have to be some of my favourites (I have the polka dot ones in black) and I share your obsession with AG’s. I STILL haven’t tried Diesel, as they aren’t as big here. Oh well lol.
Author
I know we have really similar taste in denim don’t we 🙂
Great collection!! Love the rag & bone.
The Purse Snatcher
Author
Thanks Sarah!
OMG I love your denim collection, very chic and cool, I like how you’ve styled it
http://fashioncadet.com/
Author
Thank you so much!
Nice outfits dear
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Author
Thank you Dosta!
Hi Lorna!
I love all your pics. I find jeans quite hard to buy because I have quite short legs and so I always have to roll them up which I think spoils the line. However I have just cut them before and left the hems raw and this looks really cute and vintage-y. All your pairs are stunning and I love the little potted history of your denim obsession, it’s so interesting to read! My favourite pair are the polkadot paige ones, I think. Do you always choose skinnies or would you consider wearing a different shape? I’ve just bought some raw-hemmed, very soft wide legged jeans in the Topshop sale, I thought they might be nice for autumn as I live in skinnies so I’m trying to switch it up!
Great post xxxx
Author
Have you thought about hemming them Amie? It’s super easy to do on skinny jeans, or instead of rolling them up so the cuff is on the outside of the jean, tuck it under, that’s what I do, so the roll is on the inside, which doesn’t cut the jean off. That works really well! I do wear slim flared jeans sometimes and occasionally a straight leg jean, but my main choice is skinny jeans or boyfriend jeans. I love both of those the most! If you scroll through some of my pics, I do have a variety of cuts I’ve worn 🙂 Thanks for liking my post 🙂
Your style is great!
You’ve got such a beautiful legs, which looks good in jeans ot in another pants or shorts!
Author
Thank you Veronika!
Holy moly girl, I think you have the craziest jeans collection I’ve ever seen! Anyways I’m so happy you commented in my blog because now I have rather big obsession with your blog (ups!).. definitely following you now <3
xoxo
http://www.zerxzastyle.blogspot.com
Author
Oh thank you so much! I’m glad you like it!
That is quite the denim story, thanks for sharing! I too am a denim-lover. It states early on for me too. My current faves are PRPS, denham, matise, kuro, nudie, diesel, Edwin, RRL, and rag and bone. Thanks for the blog, keep it up. Here’s to the next great pair of jeans!!
Author
I’m glad you feel the same way Jay!
Hi Lorna! Love your blog, always check it before I buy a new pair of jeans (always online).
Could you please recommend me a good pair of low-rise skinnies? I used to be a fan of JBrand 901’s but feel like theyre getting a bit boring, and are a tad tight on the top yet fit well everywhere else. So I was hoping you could tell me which ones have a similar fit to those! Thanks a lot and keep up with the great blog, it’s so useful!
Oh and I loved the Current/Elliott the legging jeans, so soft and comfy! But they lose their shape so quickly 🙁
Author
Hi Naomi! I’m really glad you love my blog 🙂 I know what you mean about Current/Elliott stretching out. The 901 is more of a legging fit, so I would say the fits closest to it are the Paige Verdugo leggings, those are gorgeous and fit well, I also love James Jeans Twiggy, those fit quite similar, but do have a little bit of a tighter waist. I would say try the Paige Verdugo though, if you haven’t. If you want to try Rag & Bone, I recommend the skinny fit from them (not the legging, it’s too thin and doesn’t look flattering) so stick to The Skinny, if you are shorter pick the ankle skinny, if you are taller then go with the longer one. Lastly, I would probably suggest Koral Los Angeles, their skinny jeans are gorgeous! All of these run the same as J Brand 901 as well, it is wash depending of course, but in general they do run the same. I’m a 27 in all of what I suggested. Let me know if I can help you anymore!
Thanks so much for your reply! I’ll definitely consider the Paige Verdugo and Koral LA! I’ve tried the Rag & Bone but feel like I’m between sizes, the one I fit best stretching out a bit too much leaving my backside a bit too slobby. Also I felt quite uncomfortable in the (8,5 inch?) mid-rise, but maybe I should get used to it since it’s so hard finding a nice pair with a rise around 7inch.
What about the Citizens of Humanity racer? Do you feel that one is close to the 901 J Brand?
Author
The Paige Verdugo have around a 7-7.5 inch rise, so those are good! Koral is lower too 🙂 I only like the lower rises, although I have gotten quite used to a rise of about 9 as it hides my muffin tops lol! The Racer from COH are nice too, but not quite like the 901, they are thicker 🙂
Thanks so much for your advice! Really helpful, going on the hunt for my new favorite jeans with faith now!
Author
You are more than welcome! Just let me know anytime I can be of help to you!
Thank you for this wonderful post! So many beautiful outfits. I love the lemon colored outfit. It feels rebellious for fall, but that’s why I love it so much.
xx-Katharine
http://livingsaseasyas312.blogspot.com/
Author
Thanks so much! I actually wore that look during winter ha ha.
I loved this post so much! Your style is really original. A lot of denim, and amazing jewelry. My favorite outfit is the one where you’re wearing black jeans, a white top and a pink bag.
http://passionblogi.blogspot.fi/
Author
Thank you Roosa! Yeah that was my birthday outfit, they are faux leather skinny jeans from MET and that coral bag is a Marc by Marc Jacobs!
Some amazing jeans you’ve worn in those previous outfits!!
Also a fanstatic post, well done 🙂
Author
Thank you Adam 🙂
this post is like listening to the greatest hits of bob seger
——————————
ur perfect fan
Author
Lol, I haven’t heard of him.
Hey, I was wondering what jacket this is, on the left in this picture? Thanks! 😀 https://fordlafemmes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/jeans-5.jpg
Author
Hi, that’s my Zara quilted faux leather jacket 🙂 https://fordlafemmes.com/?s=zara+quilted+leather+jacket
I’m a late comer here, but I’m glad there’s someone else out there who’s just as obsessed (actually more so, and I love it) with jeans/denim as I am! You rule!
This is awesome! I’m so glad to see there is someone out there who is even more obsessed with jeans/denim than I am! So cool!
Author
It’s always nice to meet others who feel the same way! Welcome aboard the denim train, ha ha!
Haha! It’s an honor to be on board. And thank you again for your advice, it has been so helpful!
Author
You are most welcome!
Came across your article while I was searching for a way to authenticate a pair of J Brand jeans I recently picked up off Ebay. Reading through your article it seems I’ve caught a bit of your jeans fever, especially liked your red velvet ones. Would you be willing to take a quick look and share your opinion on whether or not they are real? Let me know, would really appreciate it. Chris Mack
Here are the links. The 1st pair is J Brand Kane fit in Hirsch and the 2nd pair is also Kane fit but in Revelled.
1.)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/J-BRAND-Kane-Straight-Fit-Mens-Jeans-in-Hirsch-Size-32-x-34-/172084994429?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=HDTZWaF7w47W7tYhYBw0qaCsTmk%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
2.)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/J-BRAND-Kane-Straight-Fit-Mens-Jeans-in-Revelled-Size-32-x-34-/172084988491?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=HDTZWaF7w47W7tYhYBw0qaCsTmk%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
Author
Hi! So glad you like my blog and love jeans!
Unfortunately from those photos (not the stock ones) I can’t really tell much. Labels need to be seen and more close up details, however that being said, they do look ok in terms of denim and stitching, the tags look ok too, but I honestly can’t be certain without seeing them properly. I did take a look at the guys feedback and saw someone said the G-Star that they bought were fake, but upon looking at the photos of the G-Star, the denim and stitching quality on those looks great, so does the wash, looks good, so I wouldn’t think those were fake from the photos, but I have no idea if the person received the actual jeans in the photo, they could have swapped and sent them something fake. Make sure you pay with a credit card through Paypal so if it does go wrong, you can do a charge back.
Good luck!
Do you know where I can find a pair of the G-Star denim overalls ? I absolutely love the way they look! Great post too.
Author
I think they sold out years ago now, they are an older style. What size are you?
I think, that by the year 2020, denim bottom will become an ornaments, and girls and women will wear them to adorn their natural beauty or to show off their all beauty curves of lower body.
May be mold cup casual bustiers and super skinny jeans of thin stretchy denim will come in fashion in summers of 2018 2019 & 2020, and denim outfits will become number one ornaments to adorn top rated beauty curves of girls and women’s body.
Author
Most of the skinny jeans now are made from super stretchy, thin denim, which hugs the curves and is very popular in the summer. They’re great!
Lorna you only buy and wear denim outfits or do you know how to design their patterns and stitch them?
Dear I am 42 years old man and my favorite brand is Twisted Soul, which one is your favorite one?
Author
I have a few favourites – COH, GRLFRND, Hudson, PAIGE etc.
Author
I’ve designed a few pairs with brands in collaborations, but never sewn them myself, that was done by machine. I’ve done the exact measurements and cuts though.
Tell me truth, are human or alien from Denim world? In 2013 you have reached there, where no denim lover or denim user have reached yet.
Girl your not a denim addict, your are first Denim Queen of this world.
What is your opinion about two colours denim jeans? Black from front and blue from back.
Now a days I am thinking to design two colour low rise 3qtr supper skinny jeans for women, (with no pockets), I think with zip and button closer, pocket less 3qtr skinny jeans will beautify women in nice manner, and I am 100 percent sure that, young women like you will look so pretty in it.
Hi, Lorna. Do all of the AG jeans have a red leather tag on the back waistband, or can it be a different shade? I’m trying to authenticate a pair online and although the zipper is stamped AG, the tag is not red. The photo makes it appear a shade of white. I’ve never seen any color but red.
Thanks for your help! Looking forward to reading through your entire blog!
Author
Hi Katt,
Sorry I’m not sure which tag you mean. Do you mean on the back outside of the jeans, above the back right pocket? Or something else? When you say red, did you mean the whole label? If you have a photo that might be easier!
Thanks!