My sister, Amelia, and I walk in and asked the lovely doorman where we might find a pair of the new curve ID jeans. He spoke and pointed to the second floor, so off we went to find a manager. I was there on official business after all and had to know if things like license and pictures were a problem. After a bit of a turn around through several, yet very attentive sales associates, a manager appeared, officially nixed the idea of pictures and set up me up with perhaps the most patient sales associate on the planet, Emmanuel, or more informally known as Emi. I don’t think there is a happier or nicer jeans expert.
We had him get us everything! The Slight Curve, the Demi Curve, and the Bold Curve. All geared to flatter the various shapes of women’s bodies, the jeans are all attractively folded and hanging, ready to try but first, you must be measured. Emi took my sister and I aside and proceeded to measure each of us. I went first but the process is the same. They take a measuring tape that’s been pre-cut and wrap it around your torso, under your bust. The extra strings hanging at its sides are used to find your natural waist as the associate holds them against your sides and asks you to bend towards your left and then your right. Then, you get measured at your widest part in your hips and a few more inches above that, an area I think most gals like to wear their jeans. Amelia was given her two options to try: the Bold and the Demi. I was judged a Slight and Demi curve candidate. Off to the rooms we went!
As it turns out, the jeans are more about fitting and flattering than problem-solving. After several studies done on over 60,000 women, You Ngyuen, the head designer behind this revolutionary new fit system, found that over 80% of women fall into one of these three categories. It’s more about a woman’s shape than her size. The Slight Curve is used for ladies who need a bit more of a defined waist. The Demi Curve suits ladies who can find jeans that fit but don’t flatter their body. The Bold Curve is for the woman who constantly finds herself in a battle with the gap at the back.
Back in the rooms the first pair I tried on were the best fitting. They also happened to be the first pair that Emi handed to me. A Slight Curve jean in the straight-leg really felt good. The only problem was, I didn’t fall in love. I know my body well and I wasn’t happy with the length of the jean on my legs. They made me look shorter when I stand at 5’9 every other day. The bad news is that after about 9 pairs of jeans, I struck out. Amelia on the other hand was quite successful. Though she too went through at least 10 pairs of jeans, the ones that best suited her happened to be the same size I had in the Slight curve, but in the Bold. She had no gapping at the back, the straight-leg flattered her at the hips, through the thighs, and all the way down to her ankle. She of course wound up walking away with a fabulous new pair of jeans and I ended up cursing my own dumb luck that I would have the body type that falls into the left over 20% of women these jeans don’t cater too. I would have been tempted too by that first pair except for that fact that the style I liked, in my size, aren’t made with a longer inseam...yet.
Apparently, there are reviews and “how are we fitting you” cards being exchanged between the heads up top and the hands on the floor all the time. Emi was very candid in letting Amelia and me know that their customer reviews are very important and with this Curve ID system garnering as much buzz as it is, Levi’s has a lot riding on its successes. Happily, most reviews you seek out online are nothing but positive. So far, I’m the only one who didn’t strike gold.
All in all, the experience was completely fantastic. I may not have left with a pair of jeans, but I left knowing that there was an amazing amount of help on the floor, should I need it, and that my comments and criticisms were being escorted to the top of the food chain. Hopefully Levi’s can help you find a new ID for your curves to flatter your shape and forget your size.
~Amanda
You read that right! Bring in an old pair of jeans to the Levi's store in Union Square and get a FREE pair of Levi's Curve ID. It's first come fist served, so get there before 10:00 when they open to wait in line.
