Initially, when the lovely folk at Marks and Spencer got in touch asking me to take part in a campaign for their latest collection of jeans, my reaction was: “I had a baby 13 weeks ago. There is absolutely no way I can do this!”. Choosing and buying jeans is a difficult task at the best of times, but so soon postpartum? Especially with Tabby being my third full-term baby… But then I had a chat with myself, scrolled through the accounts of a few body-positive influencers (SO much love for @stylemesunday), and thought “Why not?”
Sure, I have more of a ‘mum-tum’ than I usually have, but shopping for jeans is hard, and I’m hoping this post might help other mums who have just had their babies find the perfect pair of jeans. Or possibly (and more importantly), help other mums feel confident enough to wear jeans again postpartum! After all, jeans are a wardrobe staple, and as comfortable as maternity jeans are, you can’t wear them forever… Although I must admit that I’m tempted to keep mine for all-you-can-eat buffets and Christmas dinners.
M&S have recently launched their new collection of ‘Best Ever Fit’ jeans. The collection comes in three different fits and a choice of colourways to suit all women. The range features super soft denim in extremely figure flattering styles, plus it boasts a no-gape waist, which is something I often find to be an issue with jeans. The three styles have names, making it easy to shop your most suited style every time you need a new pair of jeans (and at only £19.50 a pair, you can have them in every colour):
The Ivy
A skinny jean that works with everything. Unlike other skinny jean styles, the waist still has a zip and a button, rather than an elasticated waist.
The Lily
A leg-lengthening slim fit.
The Sienna
A straight leg with a flattering, versatile fit.
Skinny jeans are my go-to jean style, so not one to shake things up too much after just having a baby, I opted for the Ivy (it’s also Tabby’s middle name so I had to really!) in medium indigo for this shoot. My entire outfit is from M&S.
The Ivy jeans are super comfortable; I’ve been wearing them on the school run ever since they arrived. The medium indigo is a very versatile shade and goes with everything, which is great when you’re highly sleep deprived and aren’t quite caffeinated enough to pick an outfit out in the morning.
What I really love about this style is that the cuffs and trims are purposefully slightly distressed, making them a bit cooler than your average pair of jeans.
Sizing-wise, I’m currently between a 14 and a 16, so M&S sent me both sizes to try. I’m wearing the 14 in these photos as the pair of size 16 jeans were quite baggy. The 14 fit wonderfully, so if in doubt order two sizes to try, or size down in the Ivy.
I love the waist of these jeans too. A lot of ‘jegging’ style jeans have elasticated waists, which are fab postpartum for comfort, but not the most flattering. The Ivy is high-waisted, but also has a button and zip, which I think is much more flattering – plus, when I’m feeling a little more confident, I’ll be able to try out the ‘French tuck’ style that’s very popular at the moment.
The rest of my outfit is currently available to buy on the M&S website. The shoes are incredible and I love the metallic finish. They are SO soft as well, making them perfect for school runs and general day-to-day wear. As well as accompanying the jeans, I think they’re going to look great with my dungarees and midi-dresses this spring/summer.
My t-shirt is a steal at only £6.50, and there a quite a few in the collection for that price. The pale pink shirt is perfection – I love this colour this season. It looks great on its own, with a tee underneath, or even with a sweater over the top. Everything I’ve chosen to accompany the jeans is comfortable, practical, but also stylish. This is a look that’s easy to wear – and perfect for dealing with small children in!
Head on over to the Marks & Spencer website to check out the new Best Ever Fit denim collection and to choose your perfect pair. I’m going to pop in store this week to try on the other styles, as I’m very tempted by the sound of the Lily… plus I quite fancy a pair of the Ivy in black!
