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I'm 50, and these $17 Gloria Vanderbilt jeans make me feel like a sexy mama
I'm rocking the same tummy-taming brand my own mom wore in the '70s — and I'm loving every minute of it.
I'm in my first year as a quinquagenarian (yep, SAT word) and life sure looks different these days. After two decades in New York City, I now live in the rural 'burbs (think coyotes, bobcats and no streetlights) with my better half, tween daughters and sassy cat.
My wardrobe also looks a little different. Hey, I'm half a century old — and I'm not saying that negatively. I'm eating up being over the hill! (Quite literally.) I just don't want to wear uncomfortable clothes anymore. I even wear Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. There, I said it.
These days, there's no chance I'm traipsing around town in too-tight jeans that cinch my belly like a balloon animal. Nor am I wearing a pair that's so baggy I look like a blowfish. Allow me a Goldilocks moment: These Amandas are just right.
- Affordable
- Forgivingly stretchy
- High-waisted but not constricting
- Sizing is tricky, as they run large
- The black is a fur magnet
My husband and I both work from home, and he recently said he wants to start wearing jeans on the job because they make him feel "more awake." Typically, I'm shuffling from the coffee pot to my desk in sweats, leggings, joggers or wide-leg PJ pants that my husband calls "schmattas," but I decided that I, too, would turn over a new denim leaf for 2025.
I dug through my closet to try on some jeans, but I couldn't find a pair that was both flattering and comfortable. My "going out" ones looked ok, yet they're too constricting for all-day wear. And many pairs just felt too tight around the midsection to handle my daily chocolate intake. Fortunately, I love to shop (it's kind of my job) and I love an excuse for retail therapy. Paying upwards of $200 for designer jeans boggles my mind, so I scoured Amazon — my go-to for everything in life — to find a great-looking pair of jeans for a palatable price.
As I looked, Amazon's No. 1 bestselling jeans popped up: the Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda Classic High Rise, starting at a hard-to-beat $17. I was intrigued — I even remember my mom wearing the brand back in the day. But ... Gloria Vanderbilt? I hesitated because even though I'm 50, I feel 20. I've always associated the brand with people of a certain age ... but, I know. I am that age now. I took the plunge and ordered.
When the Amandas came out in 1993, they were dubbed the original slimming jeans. Well, there's a reason for their staying power, and I'm happy to say I'm hooked! Thanks to the genius invention known as spandex, they're thick enough to keep some structure but stretchy enough that pulling them up over my hips didn't hurt my sides (or my soul). And when I zipped them up, I felt like I was literally zipping myself up into them — like I was tucking away the fleshy parts of myself that I didn't want the world to see. (Or at least didn't want my fellow shoppers at Trader Joe's to see.)
Back to the spandex. I feel like I should use all caps to get this next point across because it's an important one: These jeans are so comfortable that I WORE THEM ON THANKSGIVING. They accommodated not only my grammy's legendary sausage stuffing but my sister-in-law's cauliflower gratin, my mother-in-law's carrot cake and my husband's famous honey ham (he just takes it out of the package and puts it in the oven, but great job, sweetie).
I'm not exactly sure what the Gloria Vanderbilt gurus did to make these jeans so flattering, but they're cut to accentuate the smallest part of your natural waist, eliminating muffin-top madness. And they're so satisfyingly stretchy that my typical size actually felt too big. There were ripples near my thighs and knees that felt too, well, ripple-y. I wanted to be sucked in more, and I was afraid these would stretch out over time (I've been burned before) so I ordered another size down. Now they're denim delight. (Honestly, I'm considering going two sizes down. These are great for my ego!)
How I style them
I first got the jeans in black, and because they're so comfy, I wear them like leggings — topped with a white t-shirt and leather jacket in the fall and a sweater and boots now that it's colder. When I realized their amazingness, I ordered a medium blue pair that I typically wear more casually, with a hoodie and sneakers. (Then again, I recently flaunted them with black booties and a black turtleneck to dinner with the girls.) They're incredibly forgiving, so you won't be uncomfortable during a night out.
How they've held up
I've owned these for over a year now. They've survived errands, jaunts with friends and commutes into the city for work but — and this is an important but — I don't put them in the dryer. In my heydey (that is, when I lived in an apartment after college and walked five flights and three blocks to and from the laundromat), I used to toss jeans in the dryer, but I noticed that their shape would change. Now that I have a house and my very own washer and dryer, I machine-wash my jeans in cold on gentle and hang them to dry. Beware: My cat's fur clings to the black pair, so if you have pets, keep a lint roller handy.
How they fit
I have curves — I'm an apple shape, as they say. I don't need jeans to create hips or a backside; I've got that, thank you very much. But I do need jeans to suck me in and smooth out my tummy after having two kids. (OK, I always had a tummy and use that as an excuse, but hey.) I love that they're both structured and stretchy. In addition to regular lengths, they come in short and long. I got regular and they arrived with a long sticker that said "average" on it. Gloria, how dare you! You've never even met me! It's like my daughters calling me "mid."
Color options
There are dozens and dozens of styles to choose from, including tried-and-trues like the faded blue Hartford and dark wash Park City, plus Vintage White, for warm sunny days. Frankly, some colors are questionable, like this Matcha Latte that reminds me of my parents' bedsheets. And if you're not the look-at-me-type, don't go parading around in these turquoise Caspians. Same goes for the intriguingly named Midnight Affair Autumn Leaves. which looks like a casino rug, and not in a "Yay, jackpot!" way.
My verdict
Ok, rant over — let's sum up why I'm into these. First, my mom pooch is real. I need something that'll suck me in and be high-waisted enough that my muffin top won't spill over during an important book club meeting or school function where absolutely no one sees me but other moms who are trying to hide their pooches too.
Second, my butt used to be perfectly proportioned and now is filled with cookies, cheese fries and love. I want a pair of jeans that will cradle my cheeks without constricting them, that'll slightly compress them without deflating. Is that too much to ask? Well, these jeans make it happen.
Finally, I can't resist a deal. Starting at just $17, these are ridiculously inexpensive. I like buying stuff, but I grew up with frugal parents. Sew-their-own-clothes frugal. Never-take-vacations frugal. Buy-half-a-carton-of-eggs-because-you-don't-need-12 frugal. (Mom, I hope you're not reading this. Dad, forgive me from heaven for calling out your cheapness.)
Worth noting: I'm not the only Yahoo editor who's a Gloria Vanderbilt fan. Shopping Director Jeanine Edwards discovered some straight-leg Amandas while she was combing through Walmart's denim options, and they were among her faves, holding their own against Levi's, Lees, Jordache and others.
I've been gettin' frisky in these Friscos! This not-too-light, not-too-dark wash is my go-to for casual outfits.
The woman 'behind' it all
Who's up for a quick history lesson? Gloria Vanderbilt jeans hit the market in 1976, when I was 2. (That's when my mom was rocking her GVs at the gas station like nobody's business!) They marked the first major jeanswear brand for women actually designed by a woman. Gloria was a model in her teens, then later became an artist and designed linens, pottery and glassware. The iconic dark blue, tight-fitting jeans featured Gloria's signature and that ubiquitous swan logo embroidered on the back. She was the first person to use her name on denim, essentially creating the first designer jeans.
Should you or shouldn't you rock a piece of history and go for the Glorias? Since they cost less than a trip to Starbucks right now, I say they're worth a shot.
