This is me in my new high-rise button-fly vintage-fit jeans from H&M, wearing zero make up, the shirt I slept in and my new leopard flats from J.Crew. The jeans are VERY comfortable and I feel very good about them.

Here is what I know about this style of jeans: you see them all over the internet, but never IRL. Have you been obsessing about a pair of vintage Levi’s for the last few years? I have. This is basically what the inside of my brain looks like:

I have pinned and pined. I have tried on Levi’s at Nordstrom and found out what 0% stretch feels like. I have secretly wished for a $300 pair from Re/Done. I have scoured the thrift stores. I found a promising Etsy store that will work with you/your exact measurements.

My fear has always been that they wouldn’t look good on me, that they only look good on the super thin.

But then I was shopping at H&M and came across a cool look-alike pair that was high-rise (and comfortably so), a nice wash, somewhat stretchy and pretty flattering. At $29.99, I decided they were perfect. Later, at home, I almost changed my mind and returned them.

Once I decided to keep them, I had to make the call on whether or not to cut them. I was glad I came across this August Diaries post about how to cut the hem off jeans. I didn’t think there was anything I needed to learn, but I am glad I read it because she recommends washing your jeans first. Even pre-washed jeans can shrink. Once they’re washed, you should put them on and mark where you want to cut. Always start small and then try them on again and cut more if you need to. I found that once I washed the jeans (I always air dry jeans) — the tight waist was actually looser. As I wore them throughout the day, they got even looser. They had that I-never-want-to-take-these-jeans-off feel.

Here they are when I first got them.

And here they are after washing and cropping.

I think everyone needs a pair like this. Here are a couple other options I found: Levi’s Wedgie Fit  |  Madewell Perfect Summer Jean

Good luck!