Bill Blass stretch jeans are prized by those who value a couture quality to their sportswear, without spending a small fortune. Unfortunately, changes in the company have made the jeans a bit harder to find than they once were, particularly in brick-and-mortar stores, but an assiduous hunt will usually pay off.
Why Bill Blass?
Women have loved the Bill Blass line for several decades because of the designer's commitment to creating clothes for the "everyday" woman. When he came onto the scene in a big way in the 1970s, very few designers cared about the regular woman and her needs, never mind her interests. Despite the rise of feminism, it was still assumed by most, though by no means all, designers that a woman either wore very boring, unattractive, "practical" clothes, or she was in couture. Designers were happy to incorporate the look of the clothing revolution into their more high-priced wares, but were reluctant to acknowledge that the revolution came about because women were eager for a simpler, but still stylish, wardrobe.
Bill Blass was one of the group of designers who got that and took it a step further, combining the care and flair of a couture style with the practicality of a sturdy design. The clothes became a brand women could trust, feeling confident that they could run around and work as hard as they needed and still look and feel great.
Advantages of Bill Blass Stretch Jeans
Jeans can often be difficult. With the advent of skinny, low-rise jeans, it can be even harder for anyone with an actual figure to find jeans that fit and look good. Bill Blass stretch jeans are cut more for women than tiny little girls and yet are designed with style in mind so that they don't have that "mom jeans" look that is so unattractive.
When Blass was still alive, he was particular about clothes that could work for women of many sizes and at various levels of activity, but still looked sharp. The designers who continue to work under the Bill Blass name retain the same philosophy. Plus size women have found his jeans to be great, as have misses and petites. Bill Blass stretch jeans actually stretch to fit your body, instead of acting like a sausage casing. So you are unlikely to experience gaps and bulges and other such miseries as you can with so many other tight jeans that are three times the cost.
Finding the Jeans
Since the death of Bill Blass in 2002 and the sale of his company, it has become harder to find all his products, including the prized jeans. The line is still available, but for now, fewer outlets carry it.
As every woman knows, the best way to shop for jeans is in person, where you can try them on. Jeans are so particular and can be so difficult, with such an array of aspects to fall into place before they can be deemed a good fit, they just need to be seen first. However, Bill Blass stretch jeans are now almost exclusively only found online. Fortunately, the design is good enough that if exact measurements are provided, you can still be sure of a good fit, but it's best to ascertain the return policy before you commit.
Selection will vary, but currently some places to try finding Bill Blass jeans include:
The last two of course just gather the odd listings where available in one easy source. When looking for something specific, you might do better to go to the company's official web site and ask them for guidance. The site does not yet list stores that carry Bill Blass, but this is expected shortly.
You can also try your luck with eBay. Many jeans in barely worn condition do show up there and you can come away with amazing bargains.
