““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““By: Casey Golden aKa The Butt Therapist

Shuffling to and from work you see a lot of #denim butts in a NYC subway. Not only am I searching out my train route but cataloguing every pocket detail and brand stamp on passing derriere’s. There was a girl holding hands with her bf  walking up the stairs in front of me with great pocket placement and a killer wash. The word Maj was lightly under dyed on the right rear pocket. It went in to my notes of things to research… 3 days later I got a twitter message from Marc Allison Jeans. When I pulled up the website there was the Maj logo. My curiosity got the best of me… as usual;  I had to get them on!

CLICK TO WATCH THE FIT VIDEO

Shame on me… for not searching out Maj Denim before they found me; Thank you twitter! I’ve got radar finding people making jeans in their living room to passionate production on tiny tropical islands. A textile mill in LA turned to denim brand… how could I miss it? I wish working ridiculous hours a week was a good enough excuse! Passionate denim heads have a way of finding each other if not to just talk shop with someone who gets it.

Marc Allison Jeans  introduced a revolution in premium denim. The collection is made of a completely new fabric that no other brand offers – “a four-way X-FIT stretch denim infused with Supima cotton that makes for a stunningly flattering fit, extraordinary movement and comfort with great recovery. Based in Los Angeles, Marc Allison Jeans was co-founded by textile veteran and premium denim expert, Marc Flashberg and his wife Allison.  The duo set out to design classic and sophisticated jeans with an emphasis on fit and comfort that naturally complements every woman’s individuality and sense of style. A 30-year veteran in the textile business, Flashberg developed a driving passion for premium denim at the onset of the denim explosion. After spending years introducing innovative products to top premium denim labels, it became clear to Flashberg that there was a void in the market. Until now, the belief was that fit and comfort was achieved primarily through the pattern. Flashberg realized that the pattern alone cannot offer fit and comfort. Jeans need to be able to move with the body, retain their shape and look good. He concluded that this level of fit and comfort can only truly be achieved through the fabric, which then complements the pattern. Pulling from his early experience in knits, five years ago Flashberg came up with the revolutionary idea of creating a four-way stretch denim to provide the ultimate in fit and comfort for denim aficionados.

Through further exploration of the concept, the mill Marc represented learned that Invista, a global integrated producer of polymers and fibers, had already begun research on the creation of a yarn that would allow denim to stretch in the length as well as the width. Working together with Invista, the XFIT was born and the first generation of fabric that offers fit, comfort and recovery was introduced to the market. Every pair of Marc Allison Jeans features this T400 technology — authentic ring spun yarns containing unique fiber memory that sculpts the body and maintains its shape day after day, wash after wash. Marc Allison jeans have been sold at Theory, Fred Segal Girl, Lisa Kline and other specialty boutiques in the United States, Canada, Dubai, Lebanon, Israel and England.”  BUY NOW

With the rising cost of cotton many brands have been blending synthetic fibers like polyurethane, spandex and elastane to compensate for cost and improve their fit retention in the past 3 years. Fit aside, it doesn’t take a genius or a skilled eye to create a nice dark jean. Wether it’s a mercer wash or saturated in indigo the skill comes in the ability to wash the garment beautifully.  This is what has made Diesel stand out in the market for decades and one of the reasons they use 100%, 99% and 98% cotton blends. It gives them the ability to manipulate the indigo shades and process wash treatments when using a higher natural fiber percentage. In contrast, most Paige Jeans are currently made with 40% polyethylene and focused on pretty basic washes. I dare Mrs. Geller to make the Hidden Hills in a Medium light wash again. xox

Dying synthetic fibers naturally or chemically treating them to look naturally faded is not the easiest task. So, when Marc asked me which pair of their Fall 2012 collection jeans I was most interested in seeing I chose the Selly in the powder wash. Impress me with a stretch fit in a unique shade and killer wash treatment. Impress is just what they did. Having a light washed stretch jeans with a unique wash treatment is not easily accomplished and not many brands are trying these days. When brands are focused on marketing budgets, material costs, production locations vs brand dilution you are seeing a lot of skinny dark jeans trending... p.s Miss Fashionista, this is the most cost-effective to produce. It says a little bit about your brands priorities… get a techy addicted to denim and he’s gonna find a way to re-create the denim not just the pattern. Marc has some major props in my book as he and his wifes initials will be stamped on my ass; because Marc Allison Jeans are sexy… easy as that.

Personally, I am a tough fit. I grew up as a gymnast and have the lower body that still reflects a solid frame. I am a 150 lbs size 4 (27) with a VERY short rise. A high rise jean on me grazes the bottom of my bra; comedy. Since I have been a size 2-14 all in a matter of weeks I have had the opportunity to know first hand how my body changes from a size 6 to a size 10. Living in denim everyday it required weekly purchases as I dropped a large amount of  break-up weight. That’s a whole other story. This is how I was able to use my body as a reference to fit my clients. I’ve been a size 12..I get it and I’ve been a size 2 I understand!  That combined with personally fitting over 5,000 butts effortlessly, men or women continue to come to me for my denim picks- I can save a lot of time and sometimes a few tears.

My personal best fitting jean as a size 27 is Abercrombie & Fitch and Hudson’s Couture Collection (hard to find but retails around $305.00). However, being a denim connoisseur A&F dosen’t offer the quality and details I prefer but damn they fit me like a pair of jeans should. That is until my left leg falls off when I get out of my car. Being addicted to denim I have favorites that I will wear day in and day out purely because my jeans are works of art not because they fit the great or give me the best toosh… I am over what my toosh looks like in a pair of jeans- pocket placement will not detour me if the jeans are badass! We are Replay are coveted in my closet; one day they will be framed. The second I buttoned the Marc Allison Jeans I knew they had done it; they have created the RIGHT fit for me. Finally, I get a pair of jeans that fit the way I want them to while not having to sacrificing on quality and production value structures. I spend all my energy helping other people find their perfect fit and here I was still looking for the perfect mix of quality, passion, and fit for my go to jeans. I know I will not get everything I want for me and you in one collection… but I am getting closer to creating the GOLD BAR my picks for all the attributes that can make a pair of jeans coveted.

Marc Allison Jeans run about a size big. Don’t lie to yourself BUY THE RIGHT SIZE! If you are a STRONG 28 in 7 for all Mankind by a 27. If you are a size 30 go ahead and buy a size 30 in the regular rise and a 29 in the mid-rise; my adjustment should correlate properly. The Selly is a lower rise, with a  curved-waist band that slopes in the front just enough to graze my hip bones and keep my lacy whites under cover when I sit. They look like REAL jeans… and feel like jeans not jeggings! They move with me while keeping my pockets where they are supposed to be- 3/4 of an inch below the bottom of my fanny. With all this stretch in the market place your pockets are dancing behind you moving all over the place while you walk… have a friend video tape it… it’s interesting! I have thighs. Generally they pull jeggings and high stretch jeans down off my toosh and I am continually pulling them back up-giving my pockets placement no permanent home on my toosh.  Maj jeans stay in place while you walk, do not provide Shar pei wrinkled legs or smiley face butt cheeks. They are a winner in my book…

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Marc Allison Jeans is made with a unique Supima Cotton (Made in the USA) overlay to create a soft hand. Only a few denim brands use it in their fabric blends because it is more expensive to use. Agave Jeans is another company that supports Supima Cotton “it’s the best!” Your knowledge as a consumer is the key to your closet! Know what you buy, who you are buying it from and make sure you LOVE every piece. You have been shopping for at least a decade for yourself… if you can not grab 12 items in your closet that you LOVE “you’re FIRED!  It is in your best interest to outsource the service. Find a pro, you will find yourself with a better wardrobe, cooler pieces, more style and a lot of saved cash by buying only a few AMAZING pieces a year.  You choose who makes it and who doesn’t in this industry… choose passionately!

All my denim love,

The Butt Therapist