Waxed On, Waxed Off: Finding the Right Waxed Denim

guest post by: Megan R.

Jeans and I go way back.

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I remember the Esprit overall denim I rocked in kindergarten. I’m pretty sure I wore them every other day. And I have a distinct memory of coveting my friend’s white Gerbaud jeans at recess a few years later. I even trudged through those awful baggy JNCO days in middle school and, into my early adult years I went through a designer jean phase in which I hoped  the design on the back pocket of my pants said more about my wallet than my fashion sense (I’m sure no one was fooled).

In these last few years, jeans have jumped from supporting role to outfit statement piece. Our legs have never donned so many colors and patterns. I have enjoyed the crazy pants thing a lot, but, as always, I’m looking for something new.

Enter waxed denim.

I first discovered waxed denim about a year ago at Zara, my very favorite Spanish clothing store (the only Spanish clothing store I know ;-)). I thought these coated jeans were pretty cool, but I was pregnant at the time and felt happiest in my paint-stained fleece lounge pants from the Gap.

Of course, once I got home from the hospital this January after delivering my third child, a beautiful baby girl, I started thinking about real clothes again. During my hours and hours of nursing in that first month I spent a little too much time on the interwebs looking at clothing sites. And yes, coated jeans and I met again online and this time, I initiated a relationship. I first ordered these babies:

They were on sale but I still spent about $100 on them. I felt I was justified in this big purchase because one, I had a gift card; and two, I was sure that these faux leather-like jeans were akin to mustaches; they could both veer dangerously close to trailer park territory if not worn correctly. And if I spent a lot of money on something that walked such a fine line then surely it would be hip instead of trashy, right?

But after I tried these pants on, I remembered something I learned last year when I spent way too much on polka dotted jeans only to find almost exact replicas at Old Navy a couple of months later: price does not correctly indicate worth. In fact, get this: my favorite pair of regular blue skinny jeans came from Forever 21 and cost me a whopping 10 bucks.

But back to the jeans at issue. They seemed a little too waxy. Or maybe they were a little too tight, because the plasticky coating cracked and wrinkled in strange ways when I put them on. I sent them back, and told myself I was going through some sort of third-baby crisis. I tried to put waxed denim out of my mind. And then I ended up at H&M one Saturday and happened upon some new ones:

They were just lightly coated and gave off the perfect amount of sheen – just enough to make this mom of three kids look a little less frumpy. And they were 24 bones!

The best part about waxed denim is that – with the warming temperatures right now - it is on sale! I think you can still wear these jeans paired with lighter tops in the day or out at night all Spring long and I think they will be back in a big way next fall. So now is the time to buy them! Here is a whole page of designer and regular brands of coated jeans at Piperlime - and most are on sale. 

p.s. If you are wondering what that crazy (crazy addictive, I mean) dance move is, it’s called the sloppy swish. It’s like a song you can’t get out of your head. Once you try it, you find yourself dancing in front of your bathroom mirror… in line at the grocery store… at the park, embarrassing your kids and friends…